The melting of glaciers and climate change in Afghanistan represent a silent crisis that receives little attention due to the country’s political and humanitarian challenges. Currently, Afghanistan is among the most vulnerable nations to climate change, despite its minimal contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change, coupled with prolonged droughts and a lack of political and economic stability, has severely impacted access to clean water. Numerous reports from international organizations, including United Nations agencies, have highlighted a critical environmental situation in Afghanistan. In the latest instance, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has stated that climate change poses a serious threat to Afghanistan’s glaciers, expressing concern over their rapid melting. However, some experts note that climate change has already had devastating effects in the region, including the loss of glaciers. According to them, between 1990 and 2015, approximately 14 percent of Afghanistan’s glaciers disappeared.
The climate change crisis, alongside other challenges, has profoundly affected Afghanistan. Over the past three years, the Taliban have not presented any plans to address climate change for the Afghan people, even attributing it to divine will and dismissing it with indifference. Many Taliban leaders still believe that climate-related events stem from societal corruption, while most international organizations have warned of neglect toward climate change and the country’s environmental crisis.
In a recent development, the FAO issued a warning on World Water Day, stating that climate change poses a significant threat to Afghanistan’s glaciers. Last Friday, the organization announced that irrigation for agricultural lands and food production in Afghanistan largely depends on glacial water. The FAO emphasized that preserving glaciers must be a critical component of climate change strategies, noting their rapid melting in the country.
Meanwhile, Najibullah Sadid, a water expert, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that glaciers cover 0.4 percent of Afghanistan’s total area. He stated that the country has 3,891 glaciers, with 92 percent located in the Amu Darya River basin and 8 percent in the Kabul River basin. Sadid added that 10 percent of Afghanistan’s water resources come from glaciers, with the remainder supplied by melting snow and rainfall. Although the volume of water derived from glaciers is relatively small, he explained, their significance lies in providing water during the summer season when rainfall is scarce and snow is absent. In this period, glaciers are the sole water source, and their gradual melting also replenishes groundwater reserves.
Sadid highlighted that climate change has had destructive impacts in the region, including glacier melt. He reiterated that between 1990 and 2015, about 14 percent of Afghanistan’s glaciers were lost. This trend, he warned, not only signals the permanent loss of glaciers but also carries other harmful consequences. For instance, melting glaciers create glacial lakes, which, if breached, can trigger devastating floods. He pointed to the destructive summer flood in the Pishghor Valley of Panjshir as an example, which caused significant damage and casualties for residents.
The water expert noted that the region experiences greater temperature increases compared to other parts of the world, such as the Alps in central Europe or high-altitude areas in South America. Specifically, temperatures in this region rise by 1.8 degrees Celsius annually above pre-industrial levels, with summers reaching up to 12 degrees warmer than normal compared to other areas. According to Sadid, this temperature surge accelerates glacier melting. Research indicates a decline in snowfall and a 30 percent reduction in snow cover in foothill areas, diminishing opportunities for glacier regeneration. Sadid stressed that the chance to form new glaciers is slipping away, leaving the country heavily reliant on snow and rain for water. Without adequate infrastructure, this dependency poses serious challenges.
Sadid added that protecting glaciers requires costly measures, such as using tarpaulin or geotextile covers, which are highly expensive and, in some cases, impractical. He acknowledged the difficulty and expense of implementing such measures. Moreover, protective coverings may not fully prevent damage, as dust storms and salt particles can further accelerate glacier melt.
On another note, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Afghanistan reported that nearly 33 million people lack access to clean drinking water. The organization described the lack of safe water as a pressing challenge, with communities grappling with severe water shortages, the effects of over four decades of armed conflict, and climate change. According to the committee, the situation is even worse in rural areas, where people often rely on untreated surface water, leading to the spread of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea.
Previously, the United Nations reported that nearly 20 million Afghans have faced emergency and food crises in recent years due to drought, economic pressures, and vulnerability to natural disasters, including floods, unseasonal rains, and earthquakes.
Afghanistan also ranks sixth and fourth on the list of countries most at risk from climate change, according to the Global Risk Report by the Peace Fund and the World Meteorological Organization.
The Taliban’s lack of familiarity with climate change issues and the low awareness among the public, particularly farmers, regarding its causes and consequences remain significant challenges in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the Taliban have not only failed to propose any environmental crisis management plans during this period but, according to The Washington Post, believe that climate change in Afghanistan is either “God’s doing or a foreign conspiracy.”
Earlier, the United Nations reported that eight out of ten people in Afghanistan drink unsafe water, and 93 percent of children—15.6 million—live in highly vulnerable areas. Additionally, around 92 percent of schools in Afghanistan lack basic handwashing facilities. According to the report, approximately 35 percent of healthcare centers also lack access to minimal drinking water resources.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
بحران اقلیمی در افغانستان؛ ذوب یخچالها و کاهش ۳۰ درصدی بقای برف در کوهپایهها | روزنامه ۸صبح
