By Faisal Mahmoodi
Herat is among the most cultured, educated, and industrial provinces of Afghanistan. People here are generally well-educated – they respect the laws and follow the principles of a good lifestyle. Herat is also the location of many companies active in different industries, offering employment to the residents of the province.
As elsewhere in Afghanistan, the people here in Herat suffered a lot in the past decades from bombs, guns and explosions. Now, they just started enjoying a bit of peace when successive earthquakes shook the province a few weeks ago.
It is painful enough for me to write about the horrendous situation they are in, having lost almost all they had – but it is the reality they have to face.
The earthquakes caused the biggest damage in remote areas far away from the cities. In some places, it is now hard to believe there was a village before as almost all the inhabitants of the village have died. The only things left to see are ruins of buildings. Often only one or two members are left of whole families – maybe a child, a wife, a sister or a grandfather – but they still believe in a merciful God and trust in His wisdom.
The people in the villages had built up everything needed for a simple life – a small farm, a solar system for electricity, and a well for water. All of this was destroyed, and now even access to clean water is lacking. Giving the few survivors of each family primary assistance such as food, water and clothes therefore is not enough. They have lost their farming animals, their work and their houses. Even giving them tents – as some organizations have done – can be insufficient as often earthquakes are followed by storms which damage the tents. So, while assistance to provide for the immediate needs is necessary, the survivors need longer-term support to rebuild their houses, find jobs and develop the local economy.
The cities in Herat are also affected, as are the producing companies and the workers. Everyone is afraid of another earthquake while working – as such an event is not foreseeable, it makes the life of people difficult. Also, as a consequence, most companies and production plants are closed – only a few food and drug stores are open in the main cities, and people have left their apartments and live outside on the hills in tents for fear of further earthquakes.
Rescue efforts: A few hours after the earthquake, people from other villages, relatives of people living in the affected villages, helpers from fire stations as well as from NGOs and governmental organizations arrived at the villages. They tried their best to find and help survivors, but many of the victims were already beyond help.
Now, people from all around Afghanistan have started collecting donations for them via various organization. They collect money, food, clothes and any other items that they think might be needed, and send them to Herat.
Photo: Collection of donations in Kabul
Originally posted 2024-03-16 14:32:42.
