WATER QUALITY IN AFGHANISTAN: PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACTS ON LOCAL POPULATION AND MILITARY PERSONNEL

Afghanistan has been impacted by conflict for most of the past 40 years. It is a mountainous, arid country with limited surface water supplies and in many areas, water of sufficient quantity is available only by digging wells into unconsolidated alluvium aquifers located in mountain valleys. In 2001, it was estimated that only 13 percent of the Afghan population had access to safe, potable water. By 2006 that number had risen to 22 percent and today it is estimated at 65 percent. Both governmental and non-governmental organizations from around the world have worked tirelessly to increase this statistic. In crowded urban areas such as Kabul, the lack of water and wastewater infrastructure results in increased public health risk from drinking water from shallow wells with fecal contamination. Across the country a combination of natural and anthropogenic contaminants in groundwater may pose a health risk to those who consume it. A lack of sustainable, potable water supplies can have a negative impact on both the local population and the allied military forces assisting to stabilize the country. An understanding of hydrogeological conditions is required in order to minimize environmental health risks from groundwater contamination. Water quality data collected annually from U.S. military base camp wells have been compiled by the U.S. Army Public Health Center using Periodic Occupational and Environmental Monitoring Summary (POEMS) system to evaluate health risks. These military water quality data can augment other data sources and improve the understanding of local hydrogeology in order to increase access to safe drinking water for the Afghan people.