KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The United Nations estimates that $128.8 million is needed to rebuild homes, schools, and essential services in earthquake-hit provinces in eastern Afghanistan, warning that reconstruction faces significant funding shortfalls.
The assessment, led by the UN in coordination with the World Bank, the European Union, and the Asian Development Bank, outlines a three-year recovery plan for Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman provinces. The plan covers housing, health facilities, water systems, farmland, and rural infrastructure.
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan on August 31, causing the heaviest damage in Kunar, Laghman, and Nangarhar provinces. It was the country’s deadliest quake since 1998, killing around 2,000 people and injuring nearly 4,000. More than 56,000 families were affected, over 6,200 homes collapsed, and 2,000 were severely damaged. Eighty schools and 22 health facilities were also hit.
The UN report estimates direct damages at $86.6 million, with housing requiring the largest share of recovery funds at $54.9 million. Education needs $14.9 million, while additional funding is required for water, irrigation, farmland restoration and rural roads.
“The earthquake-hit communities are already strained by drought, mass returns and a sharp economic contraction,” UN Resident Representative Stephen Rodriguez said. “There is very limited capacity left to cope with another shock.”
According to the report, the UN agencies have provided emergency tents and cash to thousands of families, but nearly 10,000 households still need urgent shelter support, with 7,700 people displaced. Rodriguez said the assistance eased immediate pressures but was “nowhere near enough” for long-term recovery.
Afghanistan has suffered multiple deadly earthquakes in recent years, including one earlier this month in the north that killed at least 25 and injured nearly 1,000. The disasters strike as the country grapples with a severe humanitarian crisis. More than half of the population, nearly 23 million people, need aid, while the UN’s $1.6 billion appeal for 2025 is less than half funded, raising concerns about the ability to respond to ongoing needs and sudden disasters.
