Mulla Qurban

1. Community demographics

According to key informant interviews conducted with local authority figures who used provincial and National Solidarity Program (NSP) statistics, there are approximately 360 families living in Mulla Qurban. On average, each household has 9 members and the total population of the village is an estimated 3240 people. The population is composed of 180 Tajik families, 105 Uzbek families and 75 Pashtun families and Dari, Uzbek and Pashtun are all spoken. Tuberculosis, measles, whooping cough and child malnutrition were all cited as health problems in the community.

There are an estimated 30 IDP families with 150 people living in the village. They were displaced in 2012 from Manquta village in central Samangan due to war. Most had family connections to Mulla Qurban which was a major factor in their choice to move there. Community leaders stated there was no returnee population. Key informants considered the population would remain stable over the coming years because the community was close (6km) to Aybak city centre, the security situation was good and there was access to schools, hospitals and employment.

2. Community geography

Mulla Qurban lies in a valley at the foot of hills, with some houses built on the hilly terrain. The hill lies to the east of the village, desert located to the north, agricultural lands to the west and Aybak/Samangan city centre lies to the south. A stream runs through the village but is dry in both the winter and summer months. Houses are distributed fairly densely and are constructed from mudbricks and earth, with wooden roofs. Piped water is used for 6 months of the year and water is also brought in by tanker trucks and sold. Potable water wells do not exist in the area.

A primary school services the village in a building built by the National Solidarity Program (NSP). The secondary school shared between villages is located about 6km away from Mulla Qurban. People travel to clinics and hospitals in the city centre. Four mosques are located in the area with Joma Fawani mosque (marked on the map) being the major one. NSP also built a Society Centre building for community meetings.

3. Economic profile

The majority of people in the village are engaged in agriculture. A large proportion of community members work in construction, or work in different Afghan cities. Approximately 50 jerib (1 jerib is 2000 square metres) of land has been dedicated to almond farming over the last 10 years. Agricultural land is also dedicated to aying (a mountain weed with medicinal properties) that was said to sell for up to US$500 per kilogram.

There are 10 teachers in the village, and also cart vendors who sell items such as shampoo, creams, fruits, vegetables, cookies, burgers, sandwiches and bolani (Afghan pancakes). People also work in metallurgy, carpentry, tailoring and small enterprises in the city. Some community members herd sheep for wool and others work in the dairy industry producing and selling milk and yoghurt. Along with selling milk and yoghurt, household activities also include keeping hens, tailoring and weaving carpet, although this was considered quite uncommon. There are two oil tank facilities that employ approximately 6 people each.

Mulla Qurban is located on the transit way between Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif and some jobs are connected to catering to commuting travelers. There is a hotel for passengers near the village (shown on the map) and local authority figures said community members cook food for passengers and perform other jobs such as unloading items between cars.

4. Energy profile

The whole community accesses grid electricity that comes from Uzbekistan and is run by DABS. It is available 24 hours per day and is usually considered reliable but does experience some outages when electricity is cut from Uzbekistan or there are severe weather situations. After connection costs, the cost of electricity per kW varies by usage and category. Household usage costs 6.25 AFN per kW, industry 6.75 (AFN) per kW (1) and business usage 16.87 AFN per kW.

Generators are available in the city centre bazaars, although hardly any households in Mulla Qurban have purchased one because of the access to the grid. Shopkeepers in the area said they sell solar panels and batteries to people from distant districts of Samangan that are not connected to the grid.

Fuel sources for cooking are evenly split between gas (used by better-off families), and a combination of wood and animal waste (used by poorer families). Earthen stoves are used for cooking. People use animal waste and wood for heating their homes – collecting the waste during the summer months and storing it for usage in winter.

(1) Figures being verified