Kabul [Afghanistan], January 1 : Heavy snowfall and flash floods in the last three days across several provinces of Afghanistan has resulted in the death of 12 people and left at least 11 others injured, Tolo News reported on Thursday citing the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA).
As per Tolo News, Mohammad Yousuf Hamad, spokesperson for the Disaster Management Authority, stated, "Twelve citizens have lost their lives, eleven others are injured, and a total of 274 houses were completely, and 1,558 partially, destroyed."
Tolo News further reported that economic experts warned that the recurring floods and their consequences not only threaten lives and property but also put serious economic pressure on families and the local economies. They further noted that the lack of standard infrastructure for water control and flood management leads to massive losses for citizens every year.
Qutbuddin Yaqubi, an economic analyst, said, "The absence of infrastructure standards, poor management, and lack of effective planning and budgeting in the government system make the situation more severe and cause significant damage to the people."
Seyr Quraishi, another economic expert, said, "When floods recur annually in Afghanistan, they severely affect people's lives and cause economic hardship for citizens", as reported by Tolo News.
With continued rainfall in some provinces, there are concerns about further losses, thereby underlining the urgent need for greater preparedness and immediate support for vulnerable communities.
Earlier, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) had warned that Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis has intensified due to the mass deportation of Afghan asylum seekers from Iran and Pakistan, prolonged drought conditions and a series of powerful earthquakes in the eastern and northern regions.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) notes that Afghanistan remains extremely vulnerable to natural disasters, including earthquakes, landslides and seasonal flooding. Repeated tremors worsen the situation for communities already struggling with decades of conflict and limited development, leaving them with minimal resilience to withstand multiple shocks.
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