KABUL, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 19 water supply networks have been put into operation in eastern Afghanistan's Parwan province, the provincial Department of Information and Culture said on Thursday.

Implemented by the provincial Department of Rural Rehabilitation and Development as part of ongoing efforts to improve access to safe drinking water and elevate public health standards, the newly inaugurated networks will deliver clean and potable drinking water to 4,500 families, the department added.

Afghanistan has long grappled with successive waves of drought, leaving numerous cities and provinces languishing under acute potable water deficits, a humanitarian predicament that underscores the urgent imperative of such infrastructural investment.