INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
With Afghanistan&s harsh winter starting to settle in, residents of western Herat province have voiced concerns of the rise in prices of
fuel, especially wood and coal. Herat&s temperatures have dropped considerably in the past week, with Tuesday&s mercury reaching a high of
only 7 degrees Celsius and a low of -1 degrees. Residents say that they are struggling to heat their homes as they are unable to afford the
high price of wood and coal. With irregular supplies of electricity into the homes of Afghans across the country, most people rely on coal
and wood-burning stoves to heat their homes. One wood seller, Mohammad Azam said there has been a drop in wood deliveries from
provinces. &This year, the delivery of wood from the provinces has decreased by 90 percent
What comes is smuggled and on small vehicles through bad roads
That is why the prices have increased a lot,& says Mohammad Azam.Ghulam Hazrat, another wood seller says: &I chop about half a ton of wood
for 100 afghanis (USD$1.43)
I chop a ton or a ton and a half a day, but it is not enough to meet the needs of my family.&Unemployment and poverty have reduced people&s
Many families cannot afford to buy basic necessities. Abdul Jabbar, a resident of Herat, says: &I swear we cannot afford this year
You see how much 7 kgs of coal costs
There is also no electricity.&Herat Municipality says they are trying to keep prices stable during the winter.Abdul Hadi Noori, a spokesman
for the Herat Municipality, says: &If prices have gone up in some areas, the reason is hoarding
The municipality&s team and the commission have started working and are monitoring the market.&WFP warns of winter hardshipsMillions of
families across the country are being forced to make impossible choices between keeping their children warm or providing enough food, the
World Food Programme (WFP) warned this week.The organization reports that millions of families in Afghanistan, already struggling with food
insecurity, are now having to make this difficult decision.&Millions of families are enduring the cold of winter without sufficient food,
and many are facing the heart-wrenching dilemma of choosing between feeding their children and keeping them warm,& WFP stated.International
aid agencies had warned that this winter would be particularly difficult for the people of Afghanistan, especially given the shortfall in
funding for essential aid.The WFP recently reported that in Afghanistan&s urban areas one in three families was unable to meet their basic
living expenses.The post Fuel prices rise in Herat as winter approaches first appeared on Ariana News.
