Storms in Afghanistan kill 50 people

"Afghan soldiers rescue villagers from flash flood" by ResoluteSupportMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

By Zoe Niazi

50 people were reported dead in Afghanistan on April 16 after heavy storms, which came as an additional shock to the increased climate-related disasters the country has faced. 

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Afghanistan ranks as one of the lowest emitters of greenhouse gasses and yet is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate-related crises. The occurrence of climate crises increases the frequency of Afghans losing their livelihoods and assets. Even without the dangers of the climate crisis, the country is stricken with poverty, with six million Afghans on the brink of famine. According to OCHA, this poverty results, in part, from the accumulation of over four decades of war and economic hardship in Afghanistan.

The United Nations stated in 2023 that “Afghanistan is experiencing major swings in extreme weather conditions,” Al Jazeera reported. According to OCHA, Afghanistan suffered from its worst drought in 30 years in 2022. This is particularly worrying for the country given that more than 60 percent of its population relies on rain-fed agriculture. Additionally, Afghanistan experienced unusual heavy rainfall and flooding in 2022, Al Jazeera reported. Climate crises also struck earlier this year. 25 people died from a snowfall-induced landslide in February and 60 people died from rainfall over three weeks at the end of March. 

According to Al Jazeera, the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has reported 50 deaths and 36 injuries from current heavy rains. On behalf of the NDMA, Janan Sayeq stated, “From Friday onwards, because of the rains, there were flash floods which caused high human and financial losses.” These storms damaged 370 miles of roads and a large portion of agricultural land. According to Taliban authorities, these storms impacted 600 houses and killed 200 livestock. Just across the border, Pakistani officials reported 50 deaths due to the same heavy rains and lightning strikes. The chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, blames climate change, Dawn reported. Like Afghanistan, Pakistan has experienced an increase in climate-related natural disasters, despite its low greenhouse gas emissions. 

Exacerbating the economic and humanitarian challenges these climate-induced crises pose for Afghanistan, the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 has limited the volume of foreign aid the country receives, Al Jazeera reported. According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, this reduction has increased the risks faced by the local population, particularly women and girls. During Afghanistan’s 2023 earthquakes, women and girls were disproportionately impacted because of their higher likelihood of being in the home than out working.

At the time this article was written, 23,000 families in Afghanistan have received aid from their government.