Mullah Baradar: Better Water Management ‘National Responsibility’

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, described better water management as a national responsibility for competing with the world and fostering the country’s economic growth, at the conclusion of the Ministry of Energy and Water’s scientific-technical seminar.

The economic deputy also stated that Afghanistan is endowed with abundant natural resources and water reserves, but serious attention has not been paid to managing these resources.

According to the Deputy PM for Economic Affairs, climate change, increasing levels of water pollution, and rising human needs have led to global water shortages, which have also impacted political and economic relations between countries worldwide.

At the conclusion of the seminar, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said: “It is the responsibility of the Islamic Emirate to utilize every possible means and available resources to properly fulfill its national responsibility for better water management, while adhering to the principle of sustainable development.”

Abdul Latif Mansoor, the acting Minister of Energy and Water, stated that the ministry has achieved significant progress in the fields of energy and water management over the past three years. According to the acting minister, work is currently underway on several major projects in these areas.

The acting Minister of Energy and Water said: “We also have many achievements in the energy sector. The decree issued by Amir al-Mu’minin for the production of 350 megawatts of electricity in the mining sector has been received, and all procedures have been completed. Last week, the regulation was not yet approved by the Ministry of Mines, but now it has been approved, and we no longer have any issues. God willing, we will start work on that as well.”

Farooq Azam, advisor to the Ministry of Energy and Water, said at the conclusion of the seminar: “There are alternatives for other things, but there is no alternative for water. Water is a great blessing from Allah and requires management. If you want to use water as a weapon, there is no better weapon than this.”

Meanwhile, Noor-Ul-Haq Anwar, the head of the general directorate of the Islamic Emirate in Administrative Affairs, called educational programs for enhancing the capacity of administrative staff beneficial and urged ministry officials to appoint competent individuals in administrative roles.

It is worth noting that during the scientific-technical seminar of the Ministry of Energy and Water, which was held for a week to enhance the capacity of the ministry’s staff, several management information systems for water projects, water quality, document management tracking, and the identity card management system for the ministry’s staff were also inaugurated.