Men in eastern Afghanistan are searching for gold dust in the Kunar riverbed, offering a precarious livelihood amidst limited economic opportunities.
Hundreds of men are working in the Hindu Kush mountains of eastern Afghanistan, specifically in the Kunar riverbed, seeking gold dust. This activity provides a source of income for those with limited employment options in a country struggling with low wages. The work takes place near the Pakistan border, with many prospectors seeking valuable flecks of gold to improve their financial situations. The prospectors, often found near villages like Kharwalu with their mud-brick homes and wheat fields, excavate dry sections of the riverbed and wash their findings with river water. Delawar, a 45-year-old former construction worker, joined this effort after leaving his job far from Kabul, citing a lack of available employment. He and others find gold nuggets typically smaller than a grain of wheat. Other areas, such as Ghaziabad, see individuals using picks and heavy sacks to extract gold from mountainsides, utilizing sieves and jerrycans to filter and separate the gold-bearing stones. Gul Ahmad Jan, a 35-year-old prospector, believes the work can be lucrative, potentially yielding up to 1gm of gold – roughly $125 – in a week. Despite decades of conflict that left Afghanistan’s natural resources largely unexploited, gold panning has been a persistent activity in the Kunar province for over ten years, offering a small but vital opportunity for many.
Sources: Based on reporting from Al Jazeera
✨ This report was generated by AI News Assistant.
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Afghanistan