KABUL (SW) – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan estimates that over 160,000 people across Afghanistan have been affected by floods this year, with thousands of homes and agricultural lands either destroyed or lost.
Ziauddin Safi, the spokesperson for the WFP in Afghanistan, told Salam Watandar that the program supports all countries in building essential infrastructure to combat natural disasters.
Safi added: “Afghanistan is the sixth most affected country in the world by the climate crises. Floods and droughts have increased, and all provinces of the country have been affected by the climate crisis this year. So far this year, over 160,000 people have been affected by floods, and nearly 20,000 homes and thousands of hectares of agricultural land have been destroyed.”
Meanwhile, officials at the Ministry of State for Disaster Management say that the ministry’s aid to flood victims continues, but Afghanistan needs the cooperation of both local and international humanitarian organizations to sustain this support.
Nooruddin Turabi, the acting head of the ministry, said: “As long as all the victims are not fully assisted, our support will continue, and we will provide aid as much as we can. We call on national and international organizations to cooperate with us in this regard, whether it’s in the form of cash, food or the construction of retaining walls where necessary.”
At the same time, some flood victims from this year in several provinces told Salam Watandar that the negative effects of the floods are still being felt in their regions. They added that they are currently living in partially destroyed homes and facing economic hardships.
Sayed Khalil, a resident of Chisht-e-Sharif district in Herat, said: “The houses were destroyed, most of them; 70 houses were destroyed. Some people have neither doors nor windows; the houses are still in the same condition, and they’ve returned to those houses. People didn’t have the means to rebuild them.”
Noorulhuda, a resident of Kohistanat district in Sar-e-Pol, said: “In Kohistanat, nearly seven villages were affected by heavy rains and floods. We lost between 300,000 and 400,000 afghanis. Basic aid has not yet arrived here.”
It is worth noting that the meteorological department of the Ministry of Transport and Aviation issued a warning on Wednesday and Thursday about the increased risk of rising sea levels in the Herirud, Murghab, and Amu river basins and the possibility of flooding in the provinces of Sar-e-Pol, Faryab, Badghis, Badakhshan, Herat, and some other areas. The department has urged residents in these regions to be cautious of the risks posed by floods.
