Every year, as the cold season approaches, the price of fuel increases compared to other seasons of the year. This year, however, the prices have increased dramatically a few months before the arrival of the winter season, causing concern among the citizens. The increase in the price of fuel has caused concerns for people, while Thomas Nicholson, The EU Special Representative for Afghanistan, has warned after the end of a week-long trip to Afghanistan that the residents of Afghanistan are threatened with a difficult winter. On the other hand, the World Food Programme has warned that Afghanistan is at risk of famine after a devastating year. This organization emphasized that millions of citizens of the country do not have the necessary facilities and preparations to cope with the upcoming winter.
Citizens, including the residents of the capital, emphasize that they use coal to heat their homes in winter, it is due to the irregular electricity flow, and the high prices of electricity, liquid gas, and wood. But now that winter is a few months away, they are witnessing the ever-increasing price of fuel, especially wood and coal in the country’s markets.
Zabihullah is a resident of Kabul and a taxi driver. Speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, he says: “Brother, we are wondering what to do. Winter has not yet arrived and the price of coal has doubled.” This taxi driver is worried about what he will do to heat his house when winter comes if the rates keep going up like this. In addition to the increase in fuel prices, he also complains about unemployment. Zabihullah adds: “Including myself, most people have to buy wood and coal in the middle of autumn, but a Kharwar [traditional Afghani weigh system which equals 300kg] of coal currently costs 8,600 Afghanis in Kabul, and I cannot afford it.” While last year, the price of one Kharwar of coal in this season of the year in Kabul was 5,400 Afghanis.
31-year-old Mohammad Reza is a teacher at a private school in Ghazni and the sole breadwinner of a family of six. He has come to the lumber market in Ghazni to buy wood and coal. Mohammad Reza says: “Last year, I had 10,000 Afghanis with me from my savings, and I bought a ton of coal and 20 Saer [traditional afghani weigh system, each equals to 7kg] of wood during the same time, but this year the prices have gone up so much, I was only able to buy half a Kharwar of coal and some wood. Let the rest remain for later, if I can find money, I will come again, or I have to be content with this and spend the winter.”
It should be mentioned that currently, the price of one ton of coal in the markets of Ghazni Province is between 11,000 and 14,000 Afghanis, and a Kharwar of the oak wood is sold to up to 10,000 Afghanis. According to wood sellers, the price of fuel in Ghazni has increased by 40% compared to last year.
Juma Gul is a resident of Firozkoh city, the center of Ghor province. He is afraid of the upcoming winter and says that this spring and summer, which were spent with successive floods and rains, the winter will also be spent with coldness and heavy rains. Juma Gul adds that in the past years, the poor residents of Firozkoh city used to get their winter firewood from the mountains, but this year the number of poor people has increased and the number of people who collect firewood from the mountains has also increased. According to him, the reduction of free firewood in the mountains has caused people to buy coal. Juma Gul adds: “The Taliban have announced that they have started mining coal in Tulak district, but still the price of one Saer [each equals 7kg] of coal is 100 Afghanis, which most of the residents of Ghor province cannot afford.”
This happens, even though in recent years, using coal as a fuel was cheaper than wood and liquid gas. The use of this substance is common among the residents of most of the big cities of Afghanistan. Although the use of coal for heating houses has negative effects on air pollution. Environmental officials and experts have repeatedly asked citizens to be cautious in using it, but due to the lack of a suitable alternative, citizens are forced to use it. In the current year, the price of these fuel materials has also increased unprecedently. Some of the country’s citizens blame the Taliban for the high price. Citizens say that this group has accelerated the export of coal to Pakistan without considering domestic needs; An action that they believe has caused the price of this fuel to increase one and a half times in the domestic markets compared to previous years.
The Taliban have announced the implementation of a plan based on which citizens can get fuel at a low price this winter. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum of the Taliban said at the beginning of this week, that a plan to provide fuel to citizens in the coming winter is on hand and they will bring enough fuel, especially coal, to the market at a low price. But citizens and fuel sellers are suspicious of these statements of Taliban officials; Because the season of buying fuel has arrived in the country, but its price has not yet decreased.
Abdul Samad, 45 years old, is a resident of Baghlan province, who has been loading coal from mines in the north of the country with his truck for several years and bringing it to Ghazni province for sale. Speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, he said: “This year, rates have gone up, and so far, fewer people are coming to get coal from the market. There is no work, people don’t have money; For this reason, I also sent the two other cars that I had on the Paktia route. They take the coal to the border, where the market is good. I have given cars to rent, the income is good.” According to Abdul Samad, considering the volume of coal exports, he does not believe that its price will decrease soon.
Currently, citizens are thinking about the difficulty of the upcoming winter. The recent political change in the country has caused most of the citizens to lose their jobs or their daily and monthly income has drastically decreased. People who do not have any source of income are very worried about how to cover winter expenses. Dost Mohammad, 40 years old, is one of these people who is facing serious economic challenges. He wanders around the city of Ghazni province looking for getting work with his wheelbarrow from dawn to dusk. Dost Mohammad says: “I can only earn so much daily to feed my children. In winter, I get very little wood for heating, and, I collect papers, plastic, and rubber that I find, I take home, and my children do the same, and we use it for our heater. We spend the whole summer thinking about how to spend the winter, this is how our days pass. Dost Mohammad is just one example of these people. All around the cities and villages of the country, thousands of other citizens are living in the same situation as Dost Mohammad.
Based on the available statistics, Afghanistan’s economy has dropped to its lowest level in the past year and the purchasing power of most of the citizens is close to zero due to the lack of sources of income. Several citizens, talking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, confirm that they face the winter with empty hands.
Economic experts believe, that due to the fuel energy crisis in the world, a difficult winter is ahead of all countries. Fida Mohammad (pseudonym), an expert on political issues, tells the Hasht-e Subh Daily: “It is up to the governments to consider their measures for the provision of fuel materials using the available facilities and resources. If the prices go up, there is no doubt that the poor people of Afghanistan cannot afford to heat their homes. Therefore, it is necessary to review the issue of excessive export and to continue to monitor the market seriously to prevent abuses.”
This is because every year the citizens of the country are dealing with serious problems in the cold season. This year, however, due to the widening scope of poverty in the country, the citizens will have a difficult winter ahead. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has recently announced that the citizens of Afghanistan are in dire need and 90% of the people of this country do not have access to enough food. Recent studies by this organization show that 78% of families in Afghanistan take loans to survive and more than 50% are in dire need of humanitarian aid. According to the findings of this organization, at least 614 million dollars are needed in the coming winter to help the needy in Afghanistan. The officials of this organization emphasize that this budget should be provided by donor organizations before the winter season arrives and the roads are blocked.
On the other hand, in the latest report of the global hunger index, Afghanistan has fallen six places in terms of access to food compared to last year. This year, Afghanistan is ranked 109 out of 121 countries in the world. While last year it was ranked 103. This report was published about a week ago (Saturday, October 15). According to this report, Afghanistan scored only 29.9 points out of 100 this year. According to this report, 29.8% of Afghan citizens suffer from malnutrition and 5.8% of children die before the age of five due to hunger.
Earlier, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a joint statement that global hunger in Afghanistan continues at unprecedented levels. In the joint declaration of these two organizations, which are a subsidiary of the United Nations, it is stated that almost half of the population of Afghanistan is facing acute hunger. Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in Afghanistan, said that the unprecedented level of humanitarian assistance with a focus on strengthening food security has brought about changes in the country, but the food security situation is still deteriorating.
As far as it goes, there are concerns that most of the citizens, considering their low income, or the fact that they have only one meal to eat in a day and night, how will they cope with the upcoming cold and harsh winter.