Qala-e-Sharbat

1. Community demographics

According to key informant interviews conducted with local authority figures, there are approximately 800-850 families with 3600-4220 people living in the village of Qala-e-Sharbat in the district of Karukh. The community members speak Dari.

The lack of a medical clinic and the lack of healthy drinking water are the main health concerns in the village. Other concerns include the rate of cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes. Tuberculosis was a major problem in the past but recent increases in treatment levels have limited the disease.

There are approximately 50 IDP families with 250 people living around the village. The majority are from Badghes and were displaced as the result of conflict. Key informants noted that the IDP population does not change. Local authority figures stated there are no returnee migrants in the village. Qala-e-Sharbat’s population was said to be very stable, with no expectation that people would move away from the village but a possibility that some people may move to the village over the next couple of years.

2. Community geography

Qala-e-Sharbat is located in hilly terrain, the village being dissected by a public road. A historic canal also runs through the village. The village is densely populated with houses lying close to each other and only spread out in some areas in the eastern and western sections of the village. All the houses in the village are made of mud with flat roofs. The only non-residential buildings are the village school and mosque.

2. Economic profile

In Qala-e-Sharbat key informants estimated that about 60% of the community farm agricultural lands, 20% of people keep livestock and the final 20% of the community, all young people, work as daily wage labourers in Iran. There are a small number of shopkeepers in the community.

Farmers usually work long hours from morning until nightfall and eat lunch on their farms. The teachers in the village work a teaching shift and farm for the other part of their day. Farmers also often have livestock they tend to. This work is often seasonal, with farming occurring in the spring and cattle livestock care in the winter, with work decreasing in the colder months.

Home activities for money include carpet weaving, tailoring, raising chickens and selling eggs, weaving blankets and raising livestock and selling milk. Almost all work at home is performed by women while men work in the fields.

4. Energy profile

There is no grid electricity in the Qala-e-Sharbat. Individual households often use solar electricity units on top of their houses for power and to recharge batteries. Some households use solar lanterns for lighting.

People use wood from their farming lands and animal dung from their livestock as fuel for cooking. Home-made mud stoves called degdan are used for cooking. A limited number of people in the village use gas for cooking. Wood and animal dung are also used for heating, either with bukharies or sandalis.

Community leaders on the major challenges in Qala-e-Sharbat -

Head of Shura -

“The major challenges in this community are poverty and unemployment. The youths can’t find working opportunities, they are migrating to Iran. In addition, lack of clinic is the other problem, we are obliged to transfer our patients to Herat city. There is a clinic in the center of district, but the quality is not good. We have problem in terms of drinking water, water for farming.”

Elder/leader -

“Water for agriculture decreased for 10 inch to 2 inch. In means, it drought.”