Over 10,000 families roaming about due to floods

KABUL (Agencies): Simultaneous with the elapse of a snowfall winter and advent of spring, our citizens are expecting a fertile season. But official data show that due to heavy rains and floods thousands households have been vagrant. The officials of Counter Natural Disasters Ministry said that in less than one month tens people died and hundreds injured due to floods.

Addressing the media, spokesman of that ministry Ahmad Tameem Azimi said, since 3rd of March 2019, 10400 homes have been destroyed totally while over 10000 others partially.

He added, 10400 families from 19 provinces have been homeless and displaced to adjacent provinces. Our findings show that in the last 27 days 104 people died in different provinces and about 237 injured due to devastating floods.

According to relevant officials, at present 184 districts and 273 villages in 19 provinces are posing to floods threat.

They added, Farah, Kandahar, Herat, Helmand, Faryab, Jawzjan, Badghis, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces are highest vulnerable areas. Beside damages and casualties, 144 schools in these 19 provinces have been shutdown due to floods and thousands students have been deprived of education. Only in Farah, Kandahar and Helmand over 33000 students failed to attend school, including 21000 boys and over 13000 girls. But the MoE has not released the number of affected and deprived students in other flood-hit provinces.

Reporting on the cooperation with affected people, the officials of MoCDs said that over Afs 150000000 have been allocated and sent to be distributed to affected and IDPs in other needy provinces.

Spokesman of MoCD Ahmad Tameem Azimi added, foodstuff and non-foodstuff items have been distributed for over 10400 families and cash aids distributed to 4900 families.

Prior to this, president Ghani had instructed that Afs 15000 and Afs 7500 cash aids should be distributed for owners of destroyed and partially destroyed houses respectively. According to a presidential decree, Afs 50000 and 25000 should be paid for each martyred and injured families respectively. Available data show that over 3000 homes have been completely destroyed and over 2000 homes have been partially damaged in Farah province.

Azimi went on to say, we plan to distribute 1000 plots of land in north-east part of Farah province according to a presidential decree.

The officials of the MoRR declared the number of IDPs in the last one year about 800000 out of that 50% are in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces who have been displaced to southern provinces due to insecurities.

Spokesman of the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriates (MoRR) Sayed Abdul Baset Ansari said, last year’s floods and droughts have caused over 400000 people to displace from their native villages. Residents of western provinces have been displaced due to natural disasters and food packs, potable water, tents, dishes and cash aids have been distributed to them.

Although the officials of MoRR claim that at present needs and problems of IDPs have been met and removed but local authorities describe IDPs situation critical and claim that no essential assistance have taken place.

Talking to media, Fazelhaq Mohammadi a member of Faryab provincial council said, situation of flood- hit people and IDPs in this province is critical and no assistance were distributed.

Herat lawmaker in the house Sayed Azim Keherzani said the location considered for IDPs in an area north of Slaughter House of Herat, is not proper place and their tents were washed out by flood the other day. He asked relevant authorities to pave the way of their return to their native dwellings as soon as possible.

Some times earlier, UCHA had reported that about two million Afghans have been damaged due to drought and are in urgent need of US $115m aids. The UCHA report had added that shortage of rain, emerge of drought and reduction of pastures for quadrupeds have caused thousands families to displace from their dwellings to other provinces.

The officials of the MoCD have recently reported on a program based on which, supporting walls will be built in five river zones and according to spokesman of MoCD Azimi, that would cost US $ 61m and would be implemented with the cooperation of MoWE and with implementation of this project the threat of floods would be removed.

Simultaneous with these measures, the US State Department has recently reported on a US$ 60m aids to Afghan flood-hits and IDPs. The officials of the MoRsRs said that if these aids are spent transparently through national and IOs under the supervision and management of MRsRs, certainly IDPs problems in most provinces would be removed.

Only in recent two days according to official data, 26 people killed, hundreds homes destroyed and hundreds areas arable lands devastated in Herat, Faryab, Badghish and Balkh provinces.