KABUL (SW) – Officials at the Ministry of Energy and Water have issued a warning about the possibility of heavy rainfall and snowfall leading to flash floods and rising sea levels in several coastal areas of Afghanistan until Tuesday of the current week.
Matiullah Abed, spokesperson for the ministry, tells Salam Watandar, “Heavy rainfall and snowfall accompanied by flash floods are predicted in the Panj Amu, North, Hirmand, Helmand, and Kabul river basins. We urge residents of coastal areas to refrain from approaching the sea during floods or inundations and to inform downstream areas when floods occur or sea levels rise to prevent human casualties.”
Meanwhile, officials at the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) report that as a result of flash floods in the past three days in 15 provinces, eight people have lost their lives, and three others have been injured.
Mohammad Abdullah Jan Sayeq, spokesperson for the ministry, says that dozens of residential houses have been destroyed, and 20 jeribs of agricultural land have also been destroyed in the floods.
He adds, “Due to the floods in the provinces of Kandahar, Uruzgan, Nuristan, Badghis, Ghor, Nangarhar, Maidan Wardak, Herat, Samangan, Panjshir, Laghman, Kunduz, Sar-e Pul, Baghlan, Kunduz, and Parwan in the past three days, eight people have lost their lives, and three others have been injured. 140 houses have been largely or partially destroyed, and 20 jeribs of agricultural land have been destroyed.”
According to the statistics of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, the number of casualties due to floods in the country has increased to over 100 in the past two weeks.
