UNAMA: Climate change and water scarcity have put Afghanistan on the brink of a deep humanitarian crisis

UNAMA: Climate change and water scarcity have put Afghanistan on the brink of a deep humanitarian crisis

Kabul Times News | Report: Shahbanu Noori

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has warned that the growing consequences of climate change, including recurrent droughts, water scarcity and extreme weather events, are facing serious livelihood and humanitarian challenges for millions of Afghan citizens.

In its latest report, UNAMA announced that more than half of the Afghan population has been directly affected by the effects of water scarcity and drought. Reduced rainfall, falling groundwater levels and the drying up of rivers and springs in many parts of the country, especially in the southern and western provinces, have put heavy pressure on the agriculture and livestock sectors.

The UN agency also stressed that, in addition to drought, flash floods and severe natural events in a number of provinces have caused extensive damage to residential homes, agricultural lands, water supply networks and public infrastructure. According to UNAMA, the increase in natural disasters and changing weather patterns have severely reduced the ability of local communities to adapt to these conditions.

The report also warns of the continued trend of deforestation, environmental degradation, pollution of water resources and illegal mining. UNAMA considers these factors to be among the reasons for the intensification of environmental crises in Afghanistan and calls for urgent measures to protect the country's natural resources.

The agency added that major Afghan cities also face problems such as air pollution, poor waste management and a decline in the quality of the urban environment; issues that are considered a serious threat to the public health of citizens.

UNAMA has emphasized that Afghanistan, despite its small contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. The organization has called for greater investment in water resource management, the development of climate-resilient infrastructure, environmental protection, and strengthening the capacity of local communities to cope with natural disasters.