Over 300 individuals have perished, and over 1,000 residences have been laid to waste by intense flash floods spurred by the seasonal downpours in Afghanistan, reports the United Nation’s food agency. The World Food Programme has responded by supplying fortified biscuits as aid to survivors of the recurrent flooding affecting Afghanistan in recent weeks.
The majority of these torrential rainfalls and resultant floods have been concentrated in the northern territories, particularly the province of Baghlan, suffering the most on Friday. An estimated 50 people lost their lives there, with severe damage reported across numerous districts.
Consecutive flooding in the adjacent province of Takhar has accounted for an additional 20 casualties, according to state-controlled media reports.
The Taliban’s main representative, Zabihullah Mujahid, acknowledged the severity of the floods via a social media post on Saturday. He reported that a considerable number of individuals have either died or been severely injured due to the disastrous flooding. He singled out the regions of Badakhshan, Baghlan, Ghor, and Herat as the hardest hit, pointing out the considerable financial implications of the widespread devastation.
Mujahid also revealed that the government’s response has involved the ordering of all possible resources to engage in rescue operations, to transfer injured parties, and to retrieve the remains of deceased individuals. Baghlan has seen the start of evacuations initiated by the country’s air force. Accomplishments so far include the successful rescue of many people trapped by flooding and the transfer of one hundred injured parties to military hospitals in the area, according to the Taliban defence ministry.
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, has emphasised that the flooding highlights Afghanistan’s susceptibility to the effects of climate change. He stated that both instant aid and long-term strategic planning are essential from the Taliban and global actors.
Social media videos depict dozens of people behind a Baghlan hospital seeking their lost relatives, while an official instructs them to begin digging graves as hospital staff prepare the bodies. In April, over 70 casualties were reported due to heavy rainfall and flash flooding. These destructive weather conditions also damaged around 2,000 homes, three mosques, and four schools.