{"id":60052154,"date":"2024-09-25T11:41:43","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T10:41:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?p=60052154"},"modified":"2024-09-30T14:22:03","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T13:22:03","slug":"disease-and-malnutrition-stalk-water-scarce-afghanistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/water\/disease-and-malnutrition-stalk-water-scarce-afghanistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Disease and malnutrition stalk water-scarce Afghanistan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every evening, Abdullah Achakzai, director of the Environmental Volunteer Network (EVN), encounters the same grim reality as he returns home from work in Kabul. Queues of people, mostly children, wait for hours to collect water from private tankers. With piped water in short supply, many Afghans rely on these tankers to meet basic household needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, the number of people waiting in line has grown steadily, says Achakzai. \u201cThe situation is worse compared to last year,\u201d he told Dialogue Earth. \u201cWe anticipate the coming years will be even more critical, with underground water levels continuing to decline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most Afghan households rely on personal wells for drinking, cooking and agriculture. According to an August 2024 report by the National Statistics Directorate, there are approximately 310,000 drilled wells across the country. But Achakzai explains that an EVN survey conducted in July shared with Dialogue Earth found that the drought has made these wells less reliable. \u201cWells drilled in previous years to a depth of 200m are now running dry, forcing many residents, particularly those in high-rise buildings, to drill wells as deep as 300m or more to access water,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Achakzai warned that as \u201cunderground water levels are rapidly decreasing\u201d even these deep wells are unlikely to offer a long-term solution. A 2023 UN report<\/a> confirmed that \u201c49% of boreholes assessed in Kabul Province are dry, and the remaining boreholes are functioning at only 60% efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increasing climate shocks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClimate change is disrupting weather patterns [in unprecedented ways],\u201d said Mohammad Daud Hamidi, an Afghan water expert, who has spent years studying the country\u2019s water insecurity<\/a>.  Afghanistan, already battered by conflict and instability, has experienced three consecutive years of severe drought since 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afghanistan\u2019s water supply largely depends on the seasonal snow melt from its mountains, which feeds into major rivers. \u201cHowever, changes in snowfall patterns are altering surface water availability leading to increased reliance on groundwater resources, for both domestic use and irrigation,\u201d Hamidi said. \u201cThese resources are being depleted faster than they can be replenished.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In rural Afghanistan, the effects of the drought are particularly pronounced, leading to increased migration to cities, increasing pressure on urban water supplies. Industrial activities are also adding pressure. Hamidi singled out the mining industry, where there has been a \u201crecent proliferation of contracts<\/a> without proper environmental impact assessments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet droughts are not the only climate-related disaster Afghanistan faces. They are often followed by flash floods<\/a>. Since May, over 250 people have died and nearly 120,000 have been affected<\/a> by flash floods in northern and eastern Afghanistan, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith an increase in temperature [due to climate change], air can retain more water,\u201d explained Najibullah Sadid, an Afghan water management expert at the University of Stuttgart. \u201cEven a degree of increase in air temperature, allows air to retain 7% more water, forming heavier clouds, which in turn can cause thunderstorms, localised heavy rains and floods,\u201d he said. Many of Afghanistan\u2019s worst floods in recent years, he noted, occurred during high-temperature periods, including the 2022 floods in Khoshi, Logar and the 2020 floods in Charikar, Parwan, which claimed over 100 lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, Afghanistan has faced diplomatic isolation, with international organisations withdrawing, making it difficult to gather comprehensive data on the impact of these environmental crises. \u201cIt\u2019s challenging to track [the full scope of the problem]\u201d said Ahmad Kassas, country director at NGO International Medical Corp (IMC). However, he said the impact could be measured in other ways, including \u201crising caseloads of water-related diseases in our health facilities.\u201d

Unsafe water is also linked to rising malnutrition rates. \u201cOne report suggests more than 3.2 million children and 840,000 pregnant and lactating women<\/a> are suffering from malnutrition,\u201d Kassas said. He recounted a case from Saripul Province, where communities rely on salty, undrinkable water. \u201cPeople often come to our medical facilities simply to drink water,\u201d he said, noting that this unexpected demand for clean water prompted IMC to include water distribution as part of its services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To address some of the water scarcity challenges, Kassas explained that IMC has also helped with the construction of solar-powered water systems, hand pumps and irrigation canals, to mitigate the immediate crises, but the scale of the need is overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women among the worst affected<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The burden of water scarcity falls disproportionately on women, said Shogofa Sultani, general director of Step to Brightness of Afghanistan Organisation (SBAO), a civil society organisation. \u201cMen work outside the home and can therefore seek other sources of drinking water. But most Afghan women who are housebound, need access to water for all household chores,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we go to someone\u2019s house or have guests, the first thing we ask each other is, \u2018Do you have water?\u2019<\/blockquote>Shogofa Sultani, general director of Step to Brightness of Afghanistan Organisation<\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sultani\u2019s organisation, once focused on various civic matters, is increasingly shifting its efforts toward researching and raising awareness about Afghanistan\u2019s growing climate challenges. \u201cWith reduced access to public water, more money has to be spent on buying containers of water \u2014 which can cost anywhere between AFN 20-50 [USD 0.30-0.70] for 20 litres,\u201d Sultani told Dialogue Earth. Larger families increasingly need to buy more water to meet their daily needs. \u201cThis is putting pressure on many families, especially those that are struggling financially,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poverty affects more than 90% of Afghans<\/a>, with at least 23.7 million people<\/a>\u2014 more than half the population \u2014 in need of humanitarian assistance in 2024. \u201cEvery family I know is having daily conversations with each other and their communities about water. If we go to someone\u2019s house or have guests, the first thing we ask each other is, \u2018Do you have water?\u2019. Everyone is worried about how they will obtain water the following day,\u201d Sultani said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depleting human and financial resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite the frequency of floods, Sadid sees a potential opportunity. \u201cIf we can store [the water from floods], it could help recharge our groundwater and improve soil moisture and vegetation cover,\u201d he suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commenting on the Qosh Tepa canal project, which the current regime has been pursuing and is reportedly halfway complete<\/a>, Sadid explained that successful completion could triple Afghanistan\u2019s water intake from the Amu Darya river basin. This would significantly improve water access in northern Afghanistan, where water is especially scarce and where agriculture is dependent on spring rain. The project, he added, has the potential to \u201ctransform fertile rainfed agricultural land into permanent arable land,\u201d boosting food and creating much-needed jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, such an endeavour requires ongoing financial resources and investment, which have also been in short supply since the Taliban took power. Sadid warned that the canal’s construction is becoming increasingly expensive, with much of the work to date focused on excavation. \u201cI\u2019m not sure how the Taliban can secure the financial resources [to continue],\u201d he said, pointing to the challenges posed by the Taliban’s international isolation and sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Recommended<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n\n\n\n

Hamidi echoed these concerns, adding that Afghanistan\u2019s water infrastructure has long been neglected. \u201cDue to the prolonged war and other critical issues, water infrastructure in Afghanistan has not received the attention it deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brain-drain following the takeover, as people fled the Taliban, has also exacerbated the situation, Hamidi said, \u201cleaving significant challenges in governance, technical expertise and capacity-building to effectively address the issues.\u201d Even traditional systems like the Karez<\/em>, a centuries-old network of community-maintained canals have fallen into disrepair. \u201cTraditional Karez systems and natural water sources are no longer providing water, largely due to the widespread use of drilled wells for agriculture,\u201d Achakzai said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excluded from the climate conversation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Amid these cascading crises, Afghanistan remains largely excluded from international climate discussions and cut off from funds which could help build resilience to climate shocks. Despite being ranked sixth<\/a> among countries most affected by climate impacts on the Global Climate Risk Index<\/a> in 2019, Afghanistan had no official representation at COP27, the annual UN climate conference. Achakzai attended the event as Afghanistan\u2019s sole, unofficial representative.  

Afghanistan\u2019s carbon emissions in 2019 were 0.3 metric tonnes<\/a>, compared to a global average of 4.6 metric tonnes. Yet, the country is disproportionately affected by climate change, and its exclusion from international climate funds and adaptation programmes leaves it dangerously vulnerable to future shocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hamidi warned that unless immediate steps are taken, Afghanistan\u2019s water crisis could easily spill across its borders as people struggle with repeated disasters. While dealing with water insecurity is a complex task, \u201caddressing immediate water challenges is crucial, such as [the development of] dams and [their] maintenance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReviving and maintaining traditional water systems like the Karez<\/em>, which have historically provided reliable water is crucial. These underground channels minimise evaporation and can help sustain communities, especially in rural areas,\u201d said Achakzai. \u201cA long-term strategy would involve collaborating with local communities.\u201d

He added: \u201cIt would not only help manage the limited aid provided to Afghanistan, but raise awareness about water issues to help prepare people for future shocks.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three years of drought, a pariah regime and the loss of skilled workers have crippled Afghanistan\u2019s water infrastructure, increasing water prices and spreading disease<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20001061,"featured_media":60052164,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50039903],"tags":[20000192,50040316,551],"hashtags":[],"country":[20000115],"class_list":["post-60052154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-water","tag-disasters","tag-drinking-water","tag-health","country-afghanistan"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisease and malnutrition stalk water-scarce Afghanistan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Three years of drought, a pariah regime and the loss of skilled workers have crippled Afghanistan\u2019s water infrastructure, increasing water prices and spreading disease\" \/>\n<meta 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