Although Kabul is the capital of country and in last ten years of peace and restoration, a number of development projects have changed the shape of the city and now it is in the shape good enough to be presented as the prime and important city of the country yet there are some problems that seem really odd when compared to the international standards of modern cities. Of these problems, the problem that is getting serious with every passing day is the shortage of water.

At present, all the citizens obtain the potable water from the underground wells pumped up by the electric water pumps. Installation and constantly incurring expenses of these wells are high but citizens of Kabul have no other option so such wells are present in almost all the houses. Inhabitants of poor areas who cannot afford a separate well for every house have made an arrangement in which a single pump is shared by a number of houses.

As the water obtained from this arrangement is without any kind of filtration or processing so this water not only contains a number of impurities but also lacks a number of minerals essential for the well-being of health. It is the reason why, inhabitants of Kabul not only complain of the improper taste, odor and heaviness of this water. Not only this, but doctors have identified this water to be the main reason behind a number of stomach disorders and other diseases. It is the reason, majority of the citizens use mineral water for drinking purposes while the water of well is used for washing and other purposes. But it is also a reality that majority of middle class and all of the poor families cannot afford this mineral water and thus they are left with no other choice except to use the available water. While it is also complained that the standard of mineral water is also not so good, however, it is the best available option on hand.

As the water from wells is being taken out with the help of electric water pumps so when there is load-shedding of electricity, people cannot obtain water and this adds more to their problems. In Kabul, the sewerage water is dumped in the underground tanks and after some time, when this tank is filled, it is emptied by the trucks modeled for the same purpose. It has been found that most of the sewerage water drips down and get mixed with the water of the well and thus the quality of water we obtain further deteriorates.

Geological experts also fear that pumping out such water would dry down the underground water reservoirs and would greatly disturb the ecological balance of the environment.

There is need of a proper system in which government authorities should bring water into treatment plants from where the quality potable water should be supplied to the houses through safe water pipes. This is the system of distribution in all the modern cities and it is needed that dwellers of Kabul should also have access to such an organized system. In such an arrangement, the water obtained would not only be healthy and hygienic but would also be comparatively cheaper and convenient.