Balkh and Samangan: Project to Rehabilitate 600 Drinking Water Ponds (Kandas) Launched

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

The ARCS has launched a project to rehabilitate 600 drinking water ponds (Kandas) in Balkh and Samangan provinces during an official ceremony.

The inauguration was attended by ARCS Vice President Hafiz Azizur Rahman, heads of central departments, representatives of the northern zone, Balkh provincial authorities, religious scholars, and community elders.

Speaking at the ceremony, the ARCS Vice President said that under the project, 510 ponds will be rehabilitated in Sholgara, Alborz, Marmal, and Keshenda districts of Balkh province, and 90 ponds in Feroz Nakhchir and Hazrati Sultan districts of Samangan province. He added that the ponds were damaged in a recent earthquake.

He noted that upon completion, around 500,000 people will gain access to clean drinking water, while 1,800 jobs will be created.

He emphasized that the ARCS stands alongside the people in both normal and emergency situations and works to meet the basic needs of communities. He added that the organization provides humanitarian assistance without discrimination to disaster-affected people, returnees, vulnerable, and female-headed families.

During the ceremony, the district governor of Sholgara, Mawlawi Qutbuddin Rohani, praised the humanitarian efforts of the ARCS and said the project would significantly address local water shortages.

Meanwhile, the officer of the Northern Zone Engineering Department, Engineer Hamidullah Sharifi, said that more than 67 million liters of drinking water will be made available after the rehabilitation, and the project will be completed within one month.

The project is being implemented with financial support from the Danish Red Cross at a cost of 25 million Afghanis.

It is expected that the project will improve public health, reduce water shortages, and ease living conditions for local communities.