In recent days, devastating floods in various provinces of the country have resulted in human casualties and extensive financial damages. As a result of the floods, transportation routes to some districts have been blocked off from provincial capitals. Images and videos circulated depicting the destructive force of the floods reveal that residents in the path of the deluge are facing significant challenges, including homelessness and loss of all possessions. Nevertheless, residents of the flood-affected areas accuse the Taliban of negligence and indifference towards the victims. They assert that the group lacks any plan to deal with natural disasters and has acted discriminatively and selectively in many areas. Concurrently, some sources within relief organizations report that the Taliban consider natural disasters as “God’s Wrath” and do not seriously address the situation.
Over the past nearly three years, the Taliban have not implemented any programs to raise public awareness about the dangers of floods and environmental damage. Besides the absence of public awareness programs, the group has not established universal emergency plans to address the victims of natural disasters.
Many residents blame the Taliban for their negligence and lack of a coherent plan to combat natural disasters. According to them, the Taliban are similar to the destitute people and both are waiting for relief organizations to provide help.
During the past week, the Taliban have not shown serious attention to the natural disasters that have inflicted significant damage in some western provinces. Many residents of Ghor province claim that despite hundreds of families being left homeless due to the wrath of nature, no assistance or solidarity has been provided by the central authorities of this group.
Images and videos released from various villages in the Marghab district of Ghor province indicate that the flooding has destroyed villages and people’s orchards. Many residents of these villages, including their homes, have lost all their belongings.
A video obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily shows that after the floods, mud and rocks cascaded down from the mountains onto residential areas, as people cried out and prayed to God while witnessing the situation.
A resident in Marghab, with a choked voice and eyes filled with tears, says: “My home and everything I had is washed away by the flood. Even the wheat I bought with borrowed money is gone under the flood, and my children are hungry. I have a daughter whose clothes are dirty, she doesn’t have clothes to change into. I am bewildered and distressed; if help doesn’t come, my children might perish.”
Floods in Herat province in western Afghanistan have also caused significant financial and human losses to the residents. Video footage from Herat shows that the flooding has disrupted road traffic and caused chaos in the city.
One of the readers of the Hasht-e Subh Daily has sent a video clip illustrating the travel difficulties along the Herat-Islam Qala highway. According to them, following the flooding, dozens of vehicles are stranded on this route and are facing significant challenges.
According to initial statistics reported by local media in Herat, at least 11 people have been killed in the past three days due to recent floods, and dozens of hectares of agricultural land and people’s orchards along the flood route have been destroyed.
On the other hand, the Ministry for Disaster Management under Taliban control has also announced that recent floods in Badghis province have resulted in 15 fatalities, the complete or partial destruction of 189 residential houses, the loss of crops from 1,142 hectares of agricultural land, and the death of 11,450 livestock. This comes as Janan Sayeq, the spokesperson for the ministry, stated to the media that in the past four days, as a result of floods in 14 provinces of the country, 140 residential houses and over 2,000 livestock have been destroyed.
Simultaneously, Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works under Taliban control, confirmed that due to floods and landslides, some roads in Ghor, Badakhshan, Takhar, and Nuristan provinces have been temporarily blocked; however, he emphasized that the cleanup process is underway rapidly.
However, environmental experts assert that floods are one of the natural disasters that cause the highest human casualties and financial damages, with climate change exacerbating the severity and extent of natural disasters in the country.
One environmental expert, who prefers to remain anonymous, mentions that there are various methods for flood management, but four approaches are adaptable due to the geographical location and economic conditions of people in mountainous provinces.
The environmental expert states: “The first method is the prevention of deforestation and protection of mountain vegetation and flood basins by local communities. The second method involves contour trenching and terracing of hillsides and mountains overlooking flood basins by governmental institutions and the public.” According to him, the prevention of construction in flood-prone areas by governmental institutions and the public is another important factor that can effectively reduce flood damages and casualties. He emphasizes that increasing public awareness about flood prevention and management methods by governmental institutions and collaborating organizations can also play a significant and impactful role in mitigating natural disasters.
Nevertheless, some local Taliban officials indirectly complain about the lack of financial implementation authority in the provinces. In one instance, Ahmad Shah Din Dost, the Taliban governor for Ghor province, stated in an audio clip purportedly sent to appease the residents of the Marghab district, that he has forwarded a text to the senior officials of this group for assistance and is awaiting their response. In the audio clip, he urged his counterpart to publicize the issue in the media to draw the attention of Taliban authorities and organizations to the matter.
However, some citizens of the country claim that the Taliban exhibit discriminatory and ethnocentric behavior towards the victims of natural disasters. They accuse the Taliban of favoritism and exclusivity, stating that individuals affiliated with the ideology of this group, who lack ethnic ties at the leadership levels of the Taliban, are incompetent and have merely occupied positions symbolically.
Omid (pseudonym), a resident of Yaftal district in Badakhshan province, who has been affected by recent floods, says: “The Taliban present in this district claim to be incompetent. All authority lies in Kandahar province. When a southern province is flooded, they sway. In our provinces, where everyone is affected by floods, no one is concerned. This is what the Islamic system and Islamic brotherhood have come to.”
Simultaneously, some employees of relief organizations who work closely with governmental institutions under Taliban control assert that this group does not believe in managing natural disasters and considers it “God’s Wrath” upon its disobedient servants.
One employee, quoting a local Taliban official, reveals, “During our discussions, they explicitly express that organizations have the freedom to act as they please. They view natural disasters as God’s Wrath, befalling upon those who provoke divine wrath. They advise praying for those affected.” This employee underscores the widespread acceptance of this mindset within different echelons of the Taliban. Governing and delivering services to citizens in association with such a group poses significant challenges.
You can read the Persian version of the report here:
خشم طبیعت و بیپناهی مردم؛ طالبان برنامهای برای مبارزه با حوادث طبیعی ندارند