2022 Floods of Afghanistan

REPORT BY HELLA

The disaster management authority there said that the floods have killed 820 people since mid-June, with nearly 320,000 houses damaged or destroyed and 129 bridges affected.

PHOTO BY NADIA

Conditions of the southern & eastern provinces after the August 2022 floods

After the floods which occurred on August 21st, the whole condition of Afghanistan has changed. These floods had the highest number of casualties, and left many people displaced from their provinces. Southern provinces had high levels of conflicts and war between the Taliban and former republic governments. It is for this reason that these areas did not develop like the northern and central provinces for many years. This is especially true for people who did not have concrete houses and who were consequently confronted with more casualties.

Causes of the devastating impact of the floods

  1. Lack of general knowledge about floods is one of the most prominent causes. People who are living in this area are less educated and need to be informed. But the government did not pay attention and left people in darkness.

  2. The Government had to force people to leave the areas which had the high possibility of floods and had to give people temporary shelters. However, this predisposition was also undermined.

  3. The last cause is that people did not have access to immediate assistance, in order to protect themselves at the time of the floods.

PHOTO BY NADIA

Mental Health

Psychological research has determined that the individuals with poor mental health prior to adverse events, can be more likely to have mental disorders after a natural disaster. The Water Resources Research identified that mental health has a direct connection with the casualties of floods. As much as the casualties are already high during a flood event, poor mental health would add an extra danger to those affected.

In conclusion, the mental health of my people is worse than ever. There are many people who have lost all of their family members. In Khost province, I spoke to a child who lost all of his family members, his mother, father and two sisters. In addition to the loss of family members, his house was destroyed completely. Now he’s living with his uncle. It is one of many examples of the consequences of the disaster. People are living in deep depression because they have gone through a very bad experience.

Corporeal detriment

OCHA reported that in south-eastern areas, approximately 700 families, which is equivalent to 4,900 people, were affected by floods. In Paktia, 450 people were affected, in Khost it was 150 and in Paktika it was 100. Among them, 7 people were killed in Paktia and 3 in Khost. Mandozia, Nadir Shah Kot districts, Khost city in Khost Province, Gardez, Askari, and Itifaq regions were the most damaged regions. Nearly 320,000 houses were destroyed in the floods of Afghanistan. Now they haven’t even a single room to live in. Many people have therefore been displaced to other provinces.

In the south-eastern regions, many people’s occupation was farming and agriculture. However, now all the fields are destroyed and they haven’t even a single source of income for their families. As mentioned before, this region did not experience peace at all over the last thirty years. That is why we have not seen any development in this part of the country. Many people in this area were poor, but after the flash floods, the mental condition of these people switched to miserable.

Since last year, Afghanistan has had the worst economy ever seen, having them placed in first position in the list of poor countries. Poor mental health, economic problems, political issues, and poor governance have made people’s lives hell.


Messy situation for people next winter

After the takeover of Taliban, international aid was cut off from Afghanistan. Since the Taliban took power, no country has recognised the Taliban as the government. Many NGOs and international investors, which were active in the republic and provided a vast platform of jobs for many people, are not active anymore. This has become one of the leading causes of increased poverty levels around the country.

Last year, UNDP predicted that by mid-2022, 97% of Afghans will be plunged into poverty. But now, in addition to hunger, many people have also lost their lives in the flash floods. The level of poverty has become higher than predicted. The wars and conflicts between Ukraine and Russia directly impacted the economic condition of Afghanistan. The rates of oil and petroleum increased in Afghanistan unexpectedly. The international community pays more attention to Ukraine than Afghanistan. If Afghanistan is once again forgotten by the world, then Afghans will face another disaster in the upcoming winter.

Conclusion

As mentioned above, people were not living in a stable condition before the floods. This is thirty years of war which have left them in complete disaster, financially and mentally. However, now with the additional impact of the floods, the problems of these people have doubled. No food, no shelter. Despite the many aid efforts by WFP, DACAAR, IRC and ANDMA which were supplied, the mismanagement of this aid has meant that people cannot stabilize their lives through these forms of assistance.

Finally, if the government doesn’t pay attention to the mental and financial conditions of the people, and international relief and aid are not managed effectively, then this country will remain in crisis for a long time.