More than 400 individuals lost their lives in the devastating flash floods that ravaged various Afghan provinces, as reported by the United Nations on Saturday. The situation prompted authorities to declare a state of emergency and mobilize urgent rescue efforts.
Torrential downpours on Friday unleashed powerful torrents of water and mud that swept through villages and farmlands in multiple provinces, with northern Baghlan bearing the brunt of the destruction.
In Baghlan alone, over 400 people perished, and thousands of homes were either destroyed or damaged, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration cited by AFP.
In Baghlani Jadid district, around 3,000 homes suffered damage or destruction, resulting in the loss of over 200 lives, revealed Mohammad Fahim Safie, the National Programme Officer overseeing IOM’s emergency response, quoting government statistics.
Although the Taliban government initially reported 62 fatalities by Friday night, government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid lamented the loss of hundreds of citizens due to the catastrophic floods in a statement released on Saturday.
The heavy rains on Friday also wreaked havoc in northeastern Badakhshan province, central Ghor province, and western Herat, causing extensive damage, as confirmed by officials.
Emergency teams were deployed to rescue and aid the injured and stranded individuals, as per the defence ministry’s statement.
Apart from the human toll, these floods inflicted significant financial losses on the affected population, remarked Ahmad Seyar Sajid, the head of the natural disasters management department in northern Takhar province, estimating a death toll of 20 individuals in the flooding.
In response to the crisis, the defence ministry instructed various branches to provide all possible assistance to the flood victims with the resources at their disposal.
Evacuation operations commenced as the weather improved on Saturday, with the air force announcing the transfer of over a hundred injured individuals to hospitals, although the specific provinces were not mentioned.
The Ministry of National Defense initiated the distribution of essential supplies such as food, medicine, and first aid to the affected populace in the declared emergency zones.
Social media footage from Friday captured the horrifying scenes of muddy floodwaters engulfing roads and bodies wrapped in white and black cloths, depicting the grim aftermath of the disaster.
The videos also showed distressed children crying and groups of men surveying the floodwaters strewn with debris from damaged homes.
Since mid-April, approximately 200 people have lost their lives in flash floods and other inundations across 10 provinces in Afghanistan, illustrating the widespread impact of the natural calamities.
With farmlands submerged in a country where 80% of the population rely on agriculture for sustenance, the repercussions of the floods are dire.
Afghanistan, grappling with decades of conflict and poverty, faces heightened vulnerability to climate change, exacerbated by a relatively dry winter that hindered the soil’s ability to absorb rainfall.
As one of the world’s poorest nations, Afghanistan is ill-equipped to confront the challenges posed by global warming, as highlighted by experts.
