Trafficking coal reached a peak in Samangan province

By Mujahid Sangaryar

From Dahne Toor and Shabashak villages of Dara-I-suf District of Samangan province, nearly 300 trucks a day are extracted; from 30 to 40 percent of it is smuggled.

In Dara-I-Suf Bala mining area installed weighing scales, in the coal mine of Dara-I-Suf there are two high tonnage weighing machines. However, the responsible persons issue a ticket of 25 tons weight even for the trucks which are loaded with up to 40 tons of coal.

Imam Bukri authorities in the mining area for the abandoning cars take 10 thousand Afghani, and from cars featuring the extra weight more than 25 tons take 500 Afghani per ton in return.

Residents of several districts of Dara-I-suf complain from the extraction and trafficking of coal mining problems. They say Dara-I-suf Bala is made as a good source of revenues for local authorities.

From Dara-i-suf up to Mazar-e-Sharif which about 200km; Responsible for balance, control security, checkpoints and various other groups in their turn take ransom in order to allow the cars trafficking the coal. 

Local residents in one voice urged the government to ensure and take in action the illegal mining and non-technical aspects of the extraction of Coal. The contracts should be put in bidding in transparent process, to end the social, the environment, youth unemployment and the domestic economy problems. 

In Dara-I-suf Bala very low and limited coal is extracted by government, the rest is extracted by local people. However the local people don’t know their rights in mining and don’t know how to benefit from mine with cooperation of government. 

The literacy level of the residents is very low and this is the case that people don’t know mine is government ownership not personal ownership. This is the point that anyone who is strong and weapon; extract and traffic the coal. 

The residents in the area because of illegal extraction, non-technical coal and smuggling effected to various problems as environmental pollution and health diseases. Trafficking in Coal turned black the environment, land, mountains, trees, road and even the residence s’ face become black with the Coal smoke.

 Haji Malik Asghar one of the residence joked “in here the people, land, weather, sky took the coal shape, we are worried in future pregnant mothers wont birth coal instead of babies.” 

The people around the mine in addition of facing with unhealthy environment, water and social problems; they are faced with health problems.

Qurban Ali, residence of the village says: extraction of coal made the environment unhealthy and people are faced with serious problems. In all season of the year; the weather of the village is black and the skin of the people are black and oily, also the people suffering different diseases as tuberculosis, cancer and etc.  

In all areas of the district the project is not carried out by the government or the donor that brings/ creates any positive changes in the lives of the people of the district. The school is about 15 km away from the mining area, the girls and boys with dust, dirt and Gail go to the school.

The households, children and women get the need and drinking water from the river which is not healthy and color of the water is black cause of coal extraction. The health center is located at a distance of 40 km. Many taxi drivers have expressed their experience that large number of pregnant women dies before reaching health center. 

The most important thing for solving the environmental and social problems in Dara-i-suf is to implement developmental, education and health projects especially for women and children.

Also the residence should be trained in mining issues as mining law, identifying mines, rights of people in mining, biding of the mine, extractives and exploration contracts, monitoring of company and mine, male and female participation in mining, capacity building of female and etc.