Several residents in the northern regions of the country, particularly in Balkh province, have expressed concern over the intensifying dust storms. They say that in recent days, the storms have grown stronger. If no serious action is taken to combat desertification and prevent the destruction of vegetation in the region, the impact of these dust storms could become more severe than that of other natural disasters. According to them, this phenomenon threatens human life and damages vegetation and agriculture.
At the same time, several environmental experts say that satellite images show an increase in the intensity of dust storms across the country, especially in the north. They believe that soil excavation along the Qosh Tepa Canal has contributed to this intensification; however, once water begins to flow through the canal and irrigation starts, conditions are expected to gradually return to normal.
In recent days, some residents of Balkh province have shared photos on social media expressing alarm over the worsening dust storms in the area. The published images show that the storms have severely polluted the air and significantly reduced visibility. In these photos, the dust storms in Balkh appear extremely intense. According to residents, last Friday, they witnessed a severe dust storm that seriously disrupted daily life and mobility.
Rokhsar, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif city, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily: “The relatively strong and widespread dust storm that hit Balkh made the air in Mazar-e-Sharif heavily polluted and unbreathable, causing fear and disrupting daily life. On Friday, we could not go outside because the dust reduced visibility and could cause skin irritation and other illnesses.”
Robina, another resident of Balkh, said: “Despite the beauty of Mazar-e-Sharif, the city faces many environmental challenges. In reality, it has only two distinct seasons: an extremely hot summer and a very cold winter. In each of these seasons, severe dust and sandstorms sometimes occur, making it seem as if the sky and the earth have merged and everything is covered in dust. After such storms, the air becomes cold, and this situation is unpleasant for the poor and low-income residents of Mazar-e-Sharif, most of whom already worry about securing three meals a day. The cold and hardship make life even more difficult for them.”
Environmental experts explain that dust storms in Afghanistan, particularly in northern areas, are caused by drought, land degradation, desertification, and the saline plains of Central Asia. They note that the loss of vegetation cover and the exposure of sediment in low-lying areas lacking sufficient water have become the main sources of these storms. According to these experts, drought and land degradation have made seasonal winds carry large amounts of dust.
Najibullah Sadid, a researcher on water resources and the environment, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that Afghanistan, due to its natural wind tunnels in the northern and western regions, naturally experiences strong winds, but the recent intensification of dust storms is concerning. He stated that the growing severity of these storms is linked to the ongoing regional drought, which has persisted for the past four years. This situation, he added, has damaged vegetation, leaving soil exposed to erosion and destruction by wind.
Sadid added that winds from Central Asia carry large quantities of dust into northern Afghanistan. According to him, this phenomenon also affects the western and southern corridors of the country, and at times, dust from the southwest reaches Kabul as well. He explained that excavation work on the Qosh Tepa Canal has further intensified these storms. Satellite images show that large tracts of land have been disturbed due to extensive soil excavation, directly contributing to the increased severity of dust storms. He said that since the start of the canal-digging operations, the frequency and intensity of dust storms have risen significantly. Sadid noted that in the short term, the soil removal worsens the storms, but in the long term, once the surrounding areas become green, their intensity will decrease.
The researcher emphasized that addressing this issue requires regional cooperation and joint efforts among neighboring countries. He stressed that continuous work to strengthen vegetation cover and restore forests is essential, as neglecting these issues not only endangers human health but also harms agriculture. The dust particles carried from the saline plains of Central Asia, he explained, contain salt that increases plant diseases, reduces agricultural yields, accelerates snowmelt during winter, and speeds up glacier melting.
Sadid further stressed that environmental organizations must include the harms caused by dust and wind storms in their agendas, as these phenomena, like floods and other disasters, severely threaten human life.
He also warned of a potential cold wave approaching Afghanistan. According to him, the formation of a low-pressure system could push a mass of cold Arctic air into the country, dropping temperatures across most parts of Afghanistan by as much as 8 degrees Celsius below average. Forecasts indicate that this cold wave will enter the country on November 5 and continue until November 15, 2025. He cautioned that if agricultural products have not yet been harvested, the cold spell could damage them. He also expressed regret that, aside from minor precipitation in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains, dry conditions are expected to persist across the rest of the country.
Satellite imagery also shows that some border regions between Iran and Afghanistan, which previously consisted of wetlands and marshes, have turned into salt flats and barren lands due to severe drought and reduced water flow.
Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) had announced that dust concentrations in these storms could reach up to 400 micrograms per cubic meter, 100 times higher than the permissible limit set by the organization, and could lead to respiratory, eye, and heart diseases.
Satellite data and forecasts from the World Meteorological Organization and NASA research centers indicate that dust storms in 2025 are expected to be stronger and more widespread than in previous years, particularly across the arid and semi-arid regions of Central Asia, which also affect Afghanistan. According to NASA studies, some of these storms, especially those traveling from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan into Afghanistan, contain saline particles that inflict greater damage on soil, vegetation, and human health.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
توفانهای شدید خاکی در بلخ؛ خشکسالی و نابودی پوشش گیاهی بحران را تشدید میکنند
