8 water supply networks inaugurated in Afghanistan's Paktika province

　　KABUL, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities officially inaugurated eight water supply networks in east Afghanistan's Paktika province, the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development announced on Monday.

　　Financially supported by the ministry, the projects, with a total cost of 53 million afghanis (more than 828,000 U.S. dollars), were implemented in the districts of Dila and Khoshamand, the ministry said in a statement.

　　The networks will supply clean, potable water to 1,740 families, delivering much-needed relief to a region long afflicted by chronic water scarcity, the statement added.

　　Afghanistan has endured successive years of severe drought, which have sharply exacerbated nationwide water shortages. Rural communities, already grappling with severely restricted access to safe drinking water, confront even more acute and protracted challenges. ■