KANDAHAR - My name is Haji Lal Mohammad and I am the Deputy Head of the Environmental Protection Department in Kandahar. The main problems for the environment in Kandahar are the lack of proper canalization and sewerage systems, the presence of factories in residential areas which results in air pollution and causes respiratory and skin diseases and other problems, the presence of heavy generators, which releases pollution into the air and the heavy presence of old used vehicles which also causes air pollution.

I tell people that keeping the environment clean is the responsibility of each individual. It is important that we should keep these things clean. Humans and even the animals need clean air to breathe and nice and clean surroundings where they can spend their lives and where they can drink clean water.

Every individual should keep his house, street, town and the city clean. We should not wait or rely on the municipality or other departments to come and put our house in order. When everyone will play their part, we will certainly have a nice and clean environment in Kandahar. We need to plant trees to make the air clean and repair our vehicles and avoid burning plastics and tires. These are little things which can change our lives and improve our environment. It’s important to remember that cleanliness is part of our religion.

We try to raise awareness by sending our staff to schools, mosques and other public areas where they lecture about cleanliness and the importance of a clean environment. We also go to mosques and talk to local Mullah Imams and urge them to preach about cleanliness during the Friday prayers. We spread the message through interviews on radio and TV.

The environment has become more of an issue in Kandahar than it was before. There have been big changes. In the past almost all the roads were unpaved and when vehicles sped by they created a lot of dust. Fortunately, now most of the roads are paved. In the past, most of the bakeries and public baths were burning plastics and tires, however, fortunately, now almost all the bakeries are using gas which helps to improve the environment. The municipality is disposing the waste on timely manner. Moreover, they have planted many trees in the city to improve the environment and increase the town’s beauty.

My message to all Kandaharis is that we should all work together to keep our city clean. People should not throw waste in the street since there are now garbage bins that have been installed by the municipality. Kandahar citizens should plant trees and take care of those trees. Kandahar is a beautiful city and we should keep it that way because clean air, clean water and clean surroundings is important for everyone to live a healthy life.