Afghanistan gold rush devastates Badakhshan

In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, a gold rush has taken hold since the Taliban returned to power five years ago. Thousands of miners and dozens of excavators operate day and night in the Shiwa area, extracting gold for investors nationwide. The Taliban authorities have expanded the mining sector to boost state coffers, registering 650-700 companies and signing hundreds of contracts since 2021, with the World Bank Group reporting real growth averaging 25-30 percent annually. However, the boom has caused severe environmental degradation: rivers are polluted, farmland destroyed, and villages buried under floodwater and debris. The provincial mines department has ordered the closure of around 225 damaging sites, including in Shiwa, where a bridge, shops, and a school were destroyed. Local residents like farmer Muhammad regret leasing their land, receiving only half the promised payment, and herders like Fazil fear the loss of grazing lands. While mining provides scarce jobs and income for workers like Mohammad Agha Khwaja Khail and Shafiullah Ehsas, critics like researcher Fabrizio Foschini note that historically mining benefited insurgents and strongmen, and locals say the industry benefits only the powerful. The government has imposed a tax of 20 grams of gold per hectare per month and collected 112 kilograms of gold last year, but many mines remain unregistered and corruption persists.