May 12, peacekeepers of the Lithuanian-led Chaghcharan PRT delivered to the Department of Refugee and Rural Affairs humanitarian assistance for locals hit by spring flooding: food items, clothes, wraps, etc., around ten tons of necessities and food stuff.
Modest infrastructure of Ghowr was severely harmed by water flow coming from mountains after two weeks of heavy rain, not absorbed by clayey ground and overfilling water runoff ditches it damaged or ruined roadways, bridges, and culverts. Lal Wa Sarjangal and Chahar Sadeh regions were hit especially badly - around a hundred of houses were destroyed and around five hundred fifty families suffered loss. Several tens of people were killed according to preliminary data.
„We were asked to support people of Ghowr by the National Crisis Management Service of Afghanistan in charge of emergency management. Although extending humanitarian assistance is not among the key tasks of our mission, we try to respond to every request of help from the local authorities and Afghan people in case of emergency ", said the Head of CIMIC Department of PRT-10 Maj. Vaidas Šepkus.
Water in ditches directing rainwater into river Harirud in Chaghcharan, capital of Ghowr province, where the Lithuanian-led PRT provides security, rose by a meter flooding several northern blocks of Chaghcharan and a part of territory of Chaghcharan Airfield. PRT troops took countermeasures before the annual flood: strengthened fencing of the camp with sacks of sands. The little of water that got over the fencing did not make any significant damage to the camp's infrastructure.
Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team of Ghowr based in Chaghcharan, provincial capital, is a joint military-civilian mission operating under the NATO's International Security Assistance Force. Lithuania took responsibility for the PRT of Ghowr province in summer of 2005. The main objective of the PRT mission is to assist the Central Government of Afghanistan to extend its authority throughout the province, to ensure security and to help built environment favourable for provincial reconstruction.
Along with around 150 civilians and military from Lithuania representatives of Denmark, Georgia, Japan, USA, Romania and Ukraine serve in the Lithuanian-led Chaghcharan Provincial Reconstruction Team. In the nearest future PRT-10 will be replaced by PRT-11 based on the Lithuanian Grand Duke Kęstutis Motorised Infantry Battalion.
PIO for PRT-10 1st. Lt. Skomantas Povilionis.
Pictures by 1st Lt. Inga Pranaitienė and Maj. Vaidas Šepkus.
