The citizens of the country are facing a water crisis alongside poverty, hunger, unemployment, and an economic downturn. Due to increasing water scarcity and contamination, recurrent droughts, and inadequate water management, people spend hours searching for water in the streets and alleyways of cities during the scorching summer heat to fulfill their families’ basic sanitary and domestic needs. While citizens complain about water scarcity and high prices, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports a 60% reduction in families’ water access due to climate change in Afghanistan. Additionally, the European Union delegation has ranked Afghanistan as the fourth most disaster-prone country globally. Moreover, Afghanistan has the highest vulnerability to natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the Inform Risk Index. UNICEF highlights that 8 out of 10 individuals in Afghanistan consume unsafe water, and 93% of children live in areas highly susceptible to water-related issues.
Due to recurrent droughts and mismanagement of water resources, Afghan citizens are currently facing a water crisis in most western regions and major cities. Both urban and rural families lack access to clean drinking water. Some citizens not only suffer from the scarcity of safe drinking water but also face challenges in providing water for their animals and crops. Videos and photos circulating on social media depict residents in western Kabul visiting private water supply companies with empty jerry cans, seeking to fulfill their needs, but many return empty-handed. They claim that the water crisis has created an opportunity for certain private water supply companies to take advantage of the situation.
Residents of Kabul claim that they search day and night for water, but water supply companies engage in extortion and impose additional fees. In Kabul’s District 13, water supply companies not only fail to provide water but also impose extra charges for it. The companies, however, argue that the water level in Kabul has decreased, and they have fulfilled their contractual obligations to supply water to the people. Nevertheless, with the current absence of water, they are exploring alternative methods to bring water into Kabul from outside sources.
Jandad, a resident of Kabul’s District 13, informed Hasht-e Subh Daily that their household pipelines have been without water for two months. He explained that the contract with the water supply company has expired, and they are demanding 10,000 Afghanis from each family for contract renewal. However, the local district authority has advised the residents not to pay this amount to the company. Jandad also mentioned that people are seeking alternative water supply companies, but the contracted company claims exclusive rights in accordance with the Ministry of Energy and Water’s directive, prohibiting other companies from operating in their designated areas.
The residents of Kabul, as well as the western regions of Afghanistan, face a dual threat of drought and water crisis. Reports from the western provinces highlight the dire situation in Nimruz province, where residents are now paying three times more for water compared to previous years, enduring scorching temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius. Similarly, Badghis province is grappling with a drinking water crisis, with residents in the city of Qala-e-Naw lacking access to safe drinking water. In remote areas, the scarcity is even more severe, forcing animals to travel long distances in search of water sources, sometimes leading to their demise.
Meanwhile, residents in rural areas of Ghor province confront not only the absence of safe drinking water but also the looming risk of springs and rivers drying up and being destroyed. Farmers in the region emphasize their dependence on rain-fed lands, which, unfortunately, have dried up due to the lack of regular rainfall and prolonged droughts in the past three years. Disturbingly, some residents highlight the alarming decline of the Harirud River, a significant and well-known river in Afghanistan, experiencing an unprecedented decrease in water levels this season.
Published reports indicate that water scarcity issues are prevalent in most provinces of the country, with residents in certain rural areas spending several hours fetching drinking water for their households. Afghanistan is widely acknowledged as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and environmental issues, yet there is a lack of proactive measures to mitigate the detrimental impacts of climate change. The Inform Risk Index assessment further confirms Afghanistan’s position as the most vulnerable nation to natural disasters.
UNICEF previously highlighted that 8 out of 10 individuals in Afghanistan consume unsafe water, and 93% of children reside in areas highly susceptible to water-related challenges. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported a 60% reduction in families’ water accessibility in Afghanistan due to climate change. Earlier this year, OCHA revealed that the proportion of households grappling with water shortages rose from 48% in 2021 to 60% in 2022. OCHA emphasized the urgent need for $479.4 million this year to address Afghanistan’s water and sanitation crisis, considering the rapidly evolving circumstances.
Afghanistan boasts five sea regions, 25 major rivers, and over 100 small rivers. Despite an annual availability of approximately 75 billion cubic meters of river water in the country’s geography, Afghan residents only utilize 20 billion cubic meters. Conversely, international organizations’ reports indicate the melting of Afghanistan’s natural glaciers. These reports highlight a loss of over 14% of the total area of natural glaciers in the highlands of Afghanistan between 1990 and 2015. This trend of glacier reduction and melting is expected to persist.
Climate change in Afghanistan is evident through reduced groundwater, flooding, rising temperatures, decreased precipitation, untimely rainfall, and changes in humidity. Last year, the majority of provinces in the country witnessed extraordinary floods, higher temperatures, untimely rainfall, and cold winters.
Countries worldwide are currently taking action to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Measures such as controlling surface and groundwater, promoting sustainable use of water resources, implementing agricultural control, raising public awareness through dissemination and broadcasting of messages, and formulating both short-term and long-term policies are being adopted. However, in Afghanistan, political instability, lack of a legitimate government, increasing poverty, and humanitarian crises have hindered the effective implementation of climate change initiatives.
It is worth mentioning that Afghanistan is facing a water management crisis and climate change, which was highlighted by UN members at the 2023 UN Water Conference, the largest gathering of member countries, stating that the water cycle is a global common good and the right to access safe drinking water should be respected for all humans.
