KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Natural disasters killed 679 people and injured 1,634 others across Afghanistan over the past year, according to figures released by the Taliban-run Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority on Tuesday.
The figures were published on the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. The authority said 44,918 families were affected by natural disasters during the period, with thousands of homes damaged or destroyed and widespread losses to agriculture and public infrastructure.
A total of 4,470 houses were completely destroyed and 17,664 others partially damaged, while 496 shops were destroyed and another 397 partially damaged, the authority said.
The disasters also destroyed 101 mosques, 28 schools and three clinics, along with 3,808 springs and canals, 1,746 kilometres of roads, 95 electricity networks and 195 bridges and culverts.
Crops across 77,874 jeribs of agricultural land were lost, while 10,438 orchards and 6,865 solar panels were also destroyed, according to the authority.
The authority said it and partner organizations distributed food and non-food assistance to 237,198 affected and vulnerable families over the past year. It added that 383,133 families received cash assistance totaling 1.868 billion Afghanis, equivalent to about $28.8 million.
Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to climate-related hazards, including flash floods, droughts, landslides and extreme winter conditions. The United Nations has identified the country as among those most vulnerable to climate change, despite its small contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.
The country has experienced repeated deadly earthquakes, floods and landslides in recent years, causing heavy casualties and extensive damage to homes, roads and other infrastructure.
Decades of conflict, underdeveloped infrastructure and declining humanitarian funding have weakened Afghanistan’s capacity to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, adding to the country’s already severe humanitarian crisis.
Nearly 22 million people in Afghanistan require humanitarian assistance, while more than 17 million face acute food insecurity, according to United Nations estimates. Women and children are among the groups most affected.
