At least 33 people have been killed in three days of heavy rain and flash floods in Afghanistan, according to the government’s disaster management department.
“From Friday onwards, flash floods occurred due to the rains causing huge human and financial losses,” department spokesperson Janan Sayeq said on Sunday.
“Initial information shows that, unfortunately, during the floods, 33 people were martyred and 27 people were injured.”
Most of the casualties were due to collapsed roofs, as around 600 houses were damaged or destroyed. Furthermore, 200 livestock died, nearly 600 kilometers of roads were destroyed and around 800 hectares of agricultural land were “flooded”, the spokesperson added.
Twenty of the nation’s 34 provinces were hit by heavy rains, which followed an unusually dry winter season that parched the soil and forced farmers to delay planting.
Western Farah, Herat, southern Zabul and Kandahar are among the provinces that suffered the most damage, Sayeq said.
Authorities have warned that further rain is expected in most provinces of Afghanistan in the coming days.
Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the flow of foreign aid into the impoverished country has sharply declined, hampering relief responses to natural disasters.
At least 25 people were killed in a landslide after heavy snow in eastern Afghanistan in February, while around 60 were killed in a three-week wave of rainfall that ended in March.
Last year the United Nations warned that ” Afghanistan is experiencing major changes in extreme weather conditions.”
Scientists say severe weather patterns are spurred by global warming. After being ravaged by four decades of war, Afghanistan is among the nations least prepared to deal with climate change.
2024-04-14 20:44:08
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