Keeping Clean the Roadside Canals

Written by: Mir Aqa Etibar

During the construction of a new residential area, the residents of the area build a road and roadside canals first but some people throw garbage in these canals and cause problems for the residents of the area and passersby.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people about this issue.

Farid Muhammad, a resident of Shakardara district, Kabul province says, “The canal of our roadside is always full of garbage. All the garbage is dumped in the canal by shopkeepers of the area and it causes the canal to be clogged and the water flows on the road. In the summer, mosquitoes increase in these canals and cause various diseases like malaria, leishmania and so on.”

Samarkhan, a resident of Qarabagh district, Kabul province says, “The canal of the roadside of our village is always closed by garbage. When our children play in the water of that canal, they face different kinds of diseases.”

What do some people think about the causes of throwing garbage in the canals?

Miyajan, a resident of Panjshir province says: “The people of our region do not know the culture of urbanization, they think that these canals are built for garbage.”

Toryalai, a resident of Kapisa province says: “Parents are indifferent when they give garbage to their children, they do not recommend them to throw the garbage in the trash, the children throw it in the nearest canal.”

How do people solve this problem?

Tamim, a resident of Kapisa province says, “When I get up in the morning, I take the shovel and clean the garbage from the canal near our home and I also prevent our neighbors from throwing garbage in the canal.”

Samarkhan says, “I always try to keep my house and area clean. One of these is the cleaning of the canals behind our house. I clean them twice a week and move the garbage to the place specified  for the garbage, and I have told to my family that they should never throw garbage in the canals.”