Kabul, 18 May 2024, (GNP): Afghanistan is susceptible to natural disasters, and the United Nations ranks it among the countries most at risk from floods. According to an official, at least 50 people have died due to recent heavy rain and flooding in central Afghanistan.
Mawlawi Abdul Hai Zaeem, head of the information department for central Ghor province, told Reuters on Saturday that there was no information about the number of people injured in the rainstorm that began on Friday, which also blocked many key roads in the area.
Zaeem reported that 2,000 houses were destroyed, 4,000 partially damaged, and more than 2,000 shops were submerged in the province’s capital, Feroz-Koh.
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Last week, flash floods from heavy rains devastated villages in northern Afghanistan, killing 315 people and injuring over 1,600, according to authorities on Sunday.
On Wednesday, an Afghan air force helicopter crashed due to “technical issues” while attempting to recover bodies from a river in Ghor province, resulting in one death and 12 injuries, the defense ministry reported.
Afghanistan is prone to natural disasters, and the United Nations considers it one of the countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis.
Since the Taliban assumed control and foreign forces departed in 2021, Afghanistan has grappled with a significant decrease in aid. Development assistance, previously a key component of government finances, was severely cut, leaving the country facing financial strain amidst the transition in power.
This shortfall has exacerbated the challenges already present in the country, further complicating efforts to address pressing issues such as infrastructure development, healthcare, and education.
“The immediate response is the cleaning of debris, the setting up of community kitchens and health facilities,” he said, adding that some UNDP funds were being allocated for emergency services such as 300 temporary housing facilities for those displaced
