Flash floods take away livelihoods in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Shopkeeper Nazar Mohammed ran home after hearing about flash floods on the outskirts of a provincial capital. By the time he reached there, there was nothing left, including his family of five. “Everything happened suddenly. I came home, but there was no house there, instead I saw that the entire neighborhood was filled with mud and water,” said Mohammed. 48. He said he has buried his wife and two sons, ages 15 and 8, but he is still looking for two daughters, who are about 6 and 11 years old.

The UN food agency estimates that unusually heavy seasonal rains have killed more than 300 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Afghanistan, most of them in the northern province of Baghlan, which bore the brunt of flooding on Friday. . Mohammed said on Sunday that he found the bodies of his wife and two sons on the outskirts of Puli Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province, late Friday night. “I hope someone finds my daughters alive,” she said, holding back tears. “In the blink of an eye, I lost everything: family, home, belongings, now I have nothing left.”

At least 240 people died, including 51 children, according to UNICEF, one of several international aid groups that is sending relief teams, medicines, blankets and other supplies. The World Health Organization said it distributed 7 tons of medicines and emergency kits. Aid group Save the Children said about 600,000 people, half of whom are children, live in five districts of Baghlan that have been severely affected by the floods.

The group said it has dispatched a “clinic on wheels” with mobile health and child protection teams to assist children and their families. “Lives and livelihoods have been swept away,” said Arshad Malik, country director of Save the Children. “Flash floods devastated villages, washed away houses and killed livestock. The children have lost everything. Families who are still struggling with the economic effects of three years of drought need immediate assistance. He said Afghanistan is the country least prepared to deal with climate change patterns such as heavy seasonal rains, and needs help from the international community. At least 70 people died when heavy rains and flash floods hit the country in April, which also destroyed about 2,000 homes, three mosques and four schools.

Stay connected to Janta Se Rishta for news updates.