A Tajik woman rinses grapes in the stream running through the village in the Balkh district, known widely by its Soviet-era name of Kolkhozobod, in southwestern Tajikistan on August 27, 2025. To quench his thirst, Nematoullo Bassirov has to draw water from a stream in his yard, hoping he won’t get sick after drinking it. Despite Tajikistan’s abundant water reserves, access to clean drinking water remains a privilege in this mountainous Central Asian country. “It contains all sorts of dirt,” Bassirov tells AFP, as he cleans the small irrigation canal used by the entire village in the Balkh district. (Photo by AFP)