Gold mining operations in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province are causing significant environmental degradation. Villagers report polluted rivers and loss of farmland due to extensive excavation. Thousands of miners are working in the Shiwa area, extracting gold for investors nationwide. The Taliban authorities have expanded the mining sector to boost state revenue. This boom has led to job creation but also widespread ecological damage.

In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed.

Gold mining operations in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province are causing significant environmental degradation. Villagers report polluted rivers and loss of farmland due to…