As you can see, rain is a big deal here in my little part of Afghanistan. This part of the country, and probably Afghanistan as a whole, has experienced one of the worst droughts in memory. So while the rain that we have received is not going to solve all of their agricultural, economic, and social problems, it does go a long way to helping these people have a better life.
Most of the shallower wells dried up, and only the very deep, fifty meters or more, were able to survive the drought and excessive irrigation. In America, most farmers who irrigate use drip irrigation systems, that conserve water while getting the most bang for the buck based on water placement. Here, they simply flood the fields. Not only does that mean that they over-saturate the fields, but that they are very difficult to walk through due to the mud. The picture below shows the field structure very well, although it has not been worked for several years.
There is a large wadi running through my AO, so for a few days we had to wade across running water in order to get to the other side. Not exactly pleasant, as the wadi is nothing if not a huge dump for whatever trash the Afghans decide to throw away. Of course, no trash pile would be complete without its complement of children running around the various trash, rubbish, glass, and general refuse. Not to mention the fact that some of them are always barefoot. Not good, but their immune systems must be pretty awesome after growing up amongst all that filth.
Pretty short entry today, but thought it would be good to update and show some pictures of what my part of Afghanistan looks like. Once again, let me know if there is a particular topic you would like to hear about.
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