KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – More than a year after the devastating earthquake struck western Herat province, around 25,000 affected families remain without adequate shelter as winter approaches, according to the UN.
In a report on Wednesday, November 20, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that although humanitarian communities have mobilized life-saving assistance, significant needs still persist.
The 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Herat on October 7, 2023, caused widespread devastation in Zindajan and surrounding areas. The UN estimates that at least 1,480 people were killed and nearly 2,000 injured, with the majority of the victims being women and children.
According to the OCHA report, the massive earthquake and its aftershocks impacted 382 villages and destroyed or damaged 40,000 homes, leaving approximately 275,000 people in urgent need of assistance.
The natural disaster has struck vulnerable communities, already struggling with decades of conflict and poverty, leaving them with minimal resources to cope with multiple simultaneous shocks.
“Many families continue to struggle in the wake of the earthquakes and have found it hard to recover – both psychologically and materially,” part of the OCHA report reads.
The natural disasters and the ongoing suffering of their victims underscore the vulnerability of the population since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021. The country is grappling with the world’s worst humanitarian crisis amid declining international aid commitments.
The UN estimates that in 2024, more than half of Afghanistan’s population, around 23.7 million people, need humanitarian aid. To address this urgent need, the UN requested $3 billion in funding to provide life-saving assistance to these vulnerable populations. However, it has so far received only $961.7 million, or 31.4% of the required funds.
According to the OCHA report, the critical funding gap of $2.09 billion includes an urgent $1.09 billion shortfall in healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, and shelter, leaving 3.7 million people without access to primary and secondary healthcare services.
“Without prompt action to address the critical funding gap, Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis will deepen, leaving millions in precarious and increasingly vulnerable conditions,” OCHA said.
