KABUL (SW) – The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) urges international relief agencies to provide immediate assistance to flood victims in several provinces to prevent further loss of life.
In an emergency meeting held on Tuesday with representatives of various relief agencies, the ministry highlighted the urgent need for aid to those affected by recent floods in 23 provinces, which have resulted in significant casualties and damages.
Mohammad Abdullah Jan Sayeq, spokesperson for ANDMA said that recent floods have claimed the lives of 70 individuals and injured 56 others. He further elaborated on the extensive damage caused by the floods, including “the complete and partially destruction of 2,627 homes, 4 schools, dead of 2,017 livestock, and destruction of 95,861 jeribs of agricultural land”.
Representatives from UN-OCHA, IOM, UNHCR, WFP, and DRC reaffirmed their commitment to providing assistance to flood victims, pledging support in areas such as healthcare, cash aid, food distribution, water supply, and shelter to flood victim.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan recently reported that over 1,200 families have been affected by the recent floods, with 1,000 residential homes and 63,000 jeribs of agricultural land destroyed.
However, some flood victims have expressed complain over the delay in receiving assistance, and their dire need for shelter and support.
Bismillah, a resident of Ghazni, described how his home collapsed during the floods, leaving him and his family homeless and unable to rebuild. “It was at 11:00 at night when our house came down; There was a guest house next to it that collapsed. We do not have the ability to build it again,” he said.
Shaikh Mohammad, a resident of Wazi Zadran district in Paktia province, shared the tragic story of losing five family members of his relatives in the floods. He emphasized the urgent need for shelter for those who survived.
“At midnight, their upper floors collapsed. A man with his three sons and a daughter were buried under the rubble, his wife and her other two sons were injured. Local people came and helped them, but now they have no place to live and no head of the family,” he added.
Similarly, Sayed Zia, another resident of Ghazni, lamented the lack of assistance received despite seeking help from disaster relief authorities. “In the recent rains, many houses collapsed, our house also collapsed. We appealed to the anti-accident directorate and they surveyed the house; but has not helped yet.”
It is worth noting that natural disasters have inflicted significant human and economic losses on residents of several provinces in Afghanistan in recent years.
