“Humanitarian Crisis Unfolds: Heavy Rain and Flooding Devastate Ghor Province, Afghanistan”
While the exact number of people injured in the heavy rain and flooding in the Ghor province remains unknown, the heavy rainfall has blocked access to major roads in the area.Following a torrential downpour, 315 individuals tragically lost their lives in northern Afghanistan just last week, marking the latest in a series of unfortunate events in the region.
Kabul: According to officials on Saturday, at least 50 people have died and many more are reported injured after heavy rain and fresh attacks of floods in the central Ghor province of Afghanistan. The head of the Information Department of Ghor province, Maulavi Abdul Haee Zaim, said that the rain started on Friday and several major roads in the area have been cut off.
Zaim further stated that there is no information about how many people have been injured due to the rain. He said that 2,000 houses have been completely destroyed, 4,000 have been partially damaged, and more than 2,000 shops in the provincial capital Firozkoh have been submerged in water. “After torrential downpours drenched the northern regions of Afghanistan last week, the tragic aftermath saw the loss of 315 lives, with over 1,600 individuals left injured in its wake.”
The Ministry of Defense of the country stated that during the efforts to retrieve the bodies of people who fell into a river in the Ghor province on Wednesday, a helicopter used by the Afghan Air Force crashed due to “technical problems”, resulting in one death and 12 injuries. Russian Mi17 utility helicopters are often used in recent flood relief efforts.
Heavy rain continues in Afghanistan
The Ministry of Refugees Affairs operated by the Taliban said that thousands of homes have been damaged in northern Afghanistan and livestock has been swept away, while aid groups have warned of damage to essential infrastructure such as health care facilities and water supply, rendering roads impassable. In Nahreen district of Baghlan province, people carried their bodies wrapped in shrouds to bury them in the cemetery.
In a statement, Taliban’s economy minister, Deen Mohammad Hanif, urged the United Nations, humanitarian agencies, and private businesses to provide assistance to those affected by the floods. The World Food Programme said that the remaining people have neither homes nor land nor any source of livelihood. The WFP stated that most parts of Baghlan are “not accessible by trucks”, thus resorting to every available option to deliver food to the surviving population.
Abdullah Janaan Saik, spokesperson for the Ministry of Natural Disaster Management of the country, said that the sudden floods have also affected the capital Kabul. According to him, emergency response teams were dispatched to the affected areas with supplies and assistance. Another disaster occurred in April after destructive floods, claiming at least 70 lives.
Afghanistan is vulnerable to climate change
Afghanistan is prone to natural disasters, and the United Nations considers it one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Afghanistan also faces the risk of earthquakes, with over 2,000 people killed in particularly deadly earthquakes last year.
Reuters News:https://www.reuters.com/