KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — Rainfall levels across Afghanistan remain significantly below the seasonal average, deepening the country’s ongoing drought and water crisis, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Thursday.
According to the report, only a few scattered regions have seen rainfall close to normal, while the majority of the country continues to experience severe precipitation shortfalls.
Snowpack levels across most river basins are also below average and steadily declining, posing serious threats to water supply and agriculture.
OCHA’s Agricultural Stress Index (ASI) indicates that many areas are already showing signs of drought, with vegetation growth well below normal levels. Soil moisture at root depth is critically low in most regions, except for a few pockets in the northern and northeastern provinces.
The report also notes that land surface temperatures across Afghanistan are above average, compounding the effects of reduced rainfall. This trend is expected to continue in the coming months, further straining water resources, harming pasturelands, and reducing agricultural yields.
As of March 2025, the worst-hit provinces include Faryab and Jawzjan in the north. Other high-risk areas under drought alert include Helmand in the south, Herat in the west, Kunduz in the northeast, and Nangarhar in the east.
Afghanistan has suffered from prolonged droughts and erratic rainfall patterns in recent years. These conditions have severely reduced water availability, even in urban centers, and left millions with limited or no access to clean drinking water.
OCHA warns that unless conditions improve, the crisis will intensify, pushing more communities toward food insecurity, displacement, and poverty.
