Devastating floods affected 30 out of 34 provinces

KABUL (Khaama Press): More than 100,000 people have been affected by torrential rains and flash floods across Afghanistan this year, with flooding hitting 30 of the country’s 34 provinces, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)’s report.

Consistent with the UNOCHA’s report, in addition to the 250 people who were killed by the recent floods, over 100,000 Afghans have been harmed by flooding in various parts of the country.

As compared to the previous year, when the total number of flood-related fatalities was 147, there has been a significant increase of 75% in the flood death toll this year.

To present, 85,000 people have received some form of assistance, including food, tents, medical attention, water, sanitation, hygiene kits, and other essential items, the OCHA report noted.

With almost 23 million Afghan people benefitting from at least one form of humanitarian aid delivered, the UN office’s Humanitarian Response Plan for Afghanistan seeks to provide relief aid to at least 22.1 million people this year.

The acting foreign minister for the Taliban government, earlier today, appealed to the international community and humanitarian agencies to assist those in Afghanistan who have been impacted by recent natural catastrophes, claiming that the group cannot provide for the victims on its own.

The eastern, central, southern, and western regions of Afghanistan have all seen heavy rains that have resulted in flash floods and landslides that have killed and displaced people and destroyed homes.

A drought and an earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people in June are just two of the devastating natural disasters that Afghanistan has experienced this year in addition to the recent flash floods that have hit Kandahar, Logar, Khost Kunar, and Nangarhar the hardest.