Floods That Hit Afghanistan Most Likely To Intensify, UN Warns

The United Nations emergency food relief organization issued a warning that the disastrous floods that recently hit Afghanistan are likely to worsen in the upcoming months, aggravating the already severe food insecurity in the afflicted provinces.

Deadly Floods

New floods in the northern Afghan province of Faryab have killed at least 66 people, making this the latest in a devastating series of tragedies to strike the nation in recent days.

Asmatullah Moradi, a spokersperson for the Faryab governor, said that the severe flooding that occurred in several regions of the province on Saturday night "resulted in human and financial losses."

The floods destroyed some hundreds of dwellings, flooded over 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of farmland, and killed thousands of livestock, according to authorities

The most recent catastrophe in Faryab had occurred barely a day after the provincial authorities reported that flash floods in Ghor, just south of the province, claimed 50 lives.

The flooding in Ghor, meanwhile, devastated as much as 80% of the city of Ferozkoh.

Afghanistan is considered as among the nations that are most vulnerable to climate change, according to the UN, and it is prone to natural calamities.

Prior to the most recent wave of flooding, officials in ten provinces in Afghanistan reported that flooding had claimed the lives of about 100 people between the middle of April and the beginning of May.

In a nation where agriculture is the primary source of income for 80% of the more than 40 million inhabitants, farmland has been inundated, drowning thousands of livestock.

According to experts, Afghanistan is among the countries least equipped to deal with the effects of climate change. The rains followed a protracted drought in that country.

Amidst the catastrophe, Afghanistan is also experiencing a shortage of help following the Taliban's takeover and the withdrawal of Western soldiers in 2021. Government funding, which was primarily derived from development aid, was drastically reduced.

The Norm

According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), things will only get worse as unpredictable weather due to the growing climate issue "becomes the norm."

After a dry winter, this month's abnormally heavy rainfall made the soil too hard to absorb water, resulting in severe floods. The situation became more complex due to unseasonably high weather that melted mountain snow, forcing rivers to flood and engulfing villages in mud.

"With one disaster after another hitting these communities, they are being pushed back into destitution. Recent improvements in food security in Afghanistan now risk being lost," said Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP Country Director for Afghanistan.

The number of casualties is expected to increase as search and rescue operations continue, underscoring the critical need for further international assistance and action to solve the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan.

In order for these families to survive, they require both immediate aid and long-term investments in community infrastructure that will safeguard their homes, lands, and means of subsistence.