Attachments
Background
Over the last two months, over 112,000 people1 from Pakistan have the fled North Waziristan Agency into the eastern parts of Afghanistan, with the majority entering Khost and Paktika provinces. As one of the most insecure provinces in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Paktika also shares a longer border of approximately 300 kilometers with the insecure tribal areas of Pakistan, primarily North and South Waziristan.
In Paktika, around 4,250 families have arrived, mainly in Barmal and Urgon districts, however, families have also entered into the districts of Sarobi Zerok, Naka and Gayn. These refugees, who are primarily women and children, have trekked the mountainous terrains across Pakistan's border to seek safety. For now, the majority of refugees have sought housing within local Afghan communities. However, as only 30.5% of Paktika’s own population has access to safe drinking water, host communities have limited absorption capacity and resources to accommodate these refugees, primarily in areas of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
Annual precipitation in Paktika only ranges from 175mm in the western districts to 311mm in the northeastern districts, with a majority of precipitation falling during the winter and spring months. Eastern Paktika can receive an elevated average of merely 60mm during the summer monsoons. As a result, Paktika has an arid to semi-arid climate where annual evaporation from the vegetation and land surface greatly exceeds the precipitation. For example, in Barmal Valley in central Paktika, the annual evaporation (transpiration) rate is 1,385mm. Security and remoteness in Paktika are also crucial concerns as local farmers must rely on irrigation for their crops. Groundwater is the safest resource for household water supply and as a result of flash floods, erosion and sedimentation, there has been severe on-going problems and frequent damage to property.
Despite the fact that the northeastern districts of Paktika have some of the more heavily forested land throughout Afghanistan, poor logging and road-building practices as well as overgrazing of rangeland has led to even further soil erosion and flash flooding in the province. Moreover, the lower Gomal River Valley suffers from poor soil and is largely barren. Since Paktika, unlike most other areas of Afghanistan, can only rely on spring and winter for their overall precipitation, the need for water remains critical.
Due to the high levels of water insecurity in the province of Paktika, International Medical Corps has selected to assess Urgon and Barmal districts in Paktika. Each of these cities holds significant numbers of extremely vulnerable Pakistan refugees who have yet to receive any WASH assistance. Such programming would be extremely beneficial to the displaced persons from North Waziristan and in turn, provide relief to the host communities within Paktika.