I have spent the last week up in Pulikhumri in Baghlan. This is the city reached from Kabul by way of the Salang Pass. Fortunately for us, there is no snow currently in the pass, and strangely hardly any traffic the morning we came up. However, this lack of snow could mean very bad things for agriculture, livestock and the general water supply. This winter has been unseasonably warm and dry. Generally in January, it is very cold and even Kabul gets a lot of snow. Instead, it has been about 20 degrees above average, and far warmer and drier than it was in November.
One of the reasons we made the journey up to Pulikhumri is that in our two larger program provinces we are implementing a winter feeding project where a one month ration of concentrate feed and de-worming services will be provided to livestock most at risk during the later winter months. The thought is, if the snows don't come, spring will be a very difficult time for livestock as well, because lack of water means lack of grazing land, so this additional feed will be beneficial no matter what the weather brings.
While we've been here, we've had a chance to go out and see a few projects around town. It is a nice change from Kabul where we hardly get out at all. However, much like Kabul our presence receives a lot of attention, though in this case it's more from curiosity than any negative interest - or at least that's what I tell myself.
Tomorrow we drive back to Kabul. And while it has been very nice to have a break from the big city (and fortunately missing the unrest), it will be good to return to my little piece of space and my routine. Stay tuned! Next stop is Jalalabad for a program quarterly meeting next weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment