Dawlat Shah District
Encyclopedia
Dawlat Shah District is located approximately 74 km from Mehterlam, the provincial centre of Laghman Province. It is a mountainous district and borders Nuristan Province to the North and North-East, Alingar District
to the East, Alishing District
to the South and Kapisa
and Parwan provinces to the West. The population is 29,500 (2006) - 70% Pashai, 29% Tajik and 1% Pashtun
. It has 60 villages. The district center is the village of Dawlat Shah, located on 34.9528°N 70.07°E at 1583 m altitude in the Hindukush mountains in the valley of the Alishing river.
The main source of potable and irrigation water in the district is a river which runs through the district from the Farashghan mountains. Communications are poor, and there is just one main road which runs to the district center. Good quality potable water is available only from springs, however not all inhabitants of the district have access to these and many use river water, which is not hygienic and causes water-borne diseases. For example, it was reported that in late 2001 / early 2002 cholera killed 13 inhabitants of Atto and Chekla villages. Water is carried long distances by women and girls. Spring water is also not a reliable source as the springs are affected by drought.
As this is a mountainous area, there is little arable land. Due to the altitude of the land in many places it is not possible to irrigate it from the river. In the past spring water was used for irrigation but this is seasonal. A key source of income is forestry, however much of the forest was cut down to provide wood for shelter re-construction. Some dry fruit trees were also burnt down during the Russian war.
The community has nevertheless themselves started to construct a road to Farashghan village, and has already completed 20 km. They have now sought assistance from WFP for a food for work programme to help them to complete the project. In general, however, there has been little activity by humanitarian agencies in this district.
The majority of the population suffer from poverty. It was reported that due to lack of work most young men are without occupations and many are armed and become involved in criminal activities. Nevertheless, it was reported that Dawlat Shah has good natural resources, such as forests, fruit and water.
Around half of the returnee families are currently rebuilding their homes. The houses are built in the traditional mountain style - with stones and wood. Some villages were burnt during the Russia
n war and the rest were destroyed during bombardment by the Russians. Despite this, the district has a good supply of construction materials and many have succeeded in rebuilding their homes.
Alingar District
Alingar District is located approximately 27 km from Mehtarlam, the provincial capital of Laghman Province and borders with Alishing and Dawlat Shah districts to the West, Nuristan Province to the North, Kunar and Nangarhar provinces to the East and Qarghayi and Mihtarlam districts to the...
to the East, Alishing District
Alishing District
Alishing District is located in 21 km from Mihtarlam, the provincial centre of Laghman Province, and borders Kabul Province. It borders with Kabul and Kapisa provinces to the West, Dawlat Shah District to the North, Alingar District to the East and Mihtarlam District to the South. The population is...
to the South and Kapisa
Kapisa Province
Kapisa is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north-east of the country. Its capital is Mahmud-i-Raqi, and other districts include Kohistan, Nijrab and Tagab. The population of Kapisa is estimated to be 364,900, although there has never been an official estimate...
and Parwan provinces to the West. The population is 29,500 (2006) - 70% Pashai, 29% Tajik and 1% Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
. It has 60 villages. The district center is the village of Dawlat Shah, located on 34.9528°N 70.07°E at 1583 m altitude in the Hindukush mountains in the valley of the Alishing river.
The main source of potable and irrigation water in the district is a river which runs through the district from the Farashghan mountains. Communications are poor, and there is just one main road which runs to the district center. Good quality potable water is available only from springs, however not all inhabitants of the district have access to these and many use river water, which is not hygienic and causes water-borne diseases. For example, it was reported that in late 2001 / early 2002 cholera killed 13 inhabitants of Atto and Chekla villages. Water is carried long distances by women and girls. Spring water is also not a reliable source as the springs are affected by drought.
As this is a mountainous area, there is little arable land. Due to the altitude of the land in many places it is not possible to irrigate it from the river. In the past spring water was used for irrigation but this is seasonal. A key source of income is forestry, however much of the forest was cut down to provide wood for shelter re-construction. Some dry fruit trees were also burnt down during the Russian war.
The community has nevertheless themselves started to construct a road to Farashghan village, and has already completed 20 km. They have now sought assistance from WFP for a food for work programme to help them to complete the project. In general, however, there has been little activity by humanitarian agencies in this district.
The majority of the population suffer from poverty. It was reported that due to lack of work most young men are without occupations and many are armed and become involved in criminal activities. Nevertheless, it was reported that Dawlat Shah has good natural resources, such as forests, fruit and water.
Around half of the returnee families are currently rebuilding their homes. The houses are built in the traditional mountain style - with stones and wood. Some villages were burnt during the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n war and the rest were destroyed during bombardment by the Russians. Despite this, the district has a good supply of construction materials and many have succeeded in rebuilding their homes.