On average, 39 families displaced daily by climate change

KABUL (Pajhwok): Since the start of the last solar year, over 24,000 families in Afghanistan have been displaced, more than 50 percent in Herat and Helmand provinces, due to droughts, earthquakes, floods and other natural calamities.

The affected households are seeking urgent assistance, while experts stress the need to address the detrimental impacts of climate change. They want the caretaker government and the international community to accelerate efforts to prevent further disasters.

The government claims having made significant efforts to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change within the country. It has also shared relevant information, plans and proposals regarding climate change risks with international organisations.

Climate change

The Earth’s climate is changing rapidly. Global warming is causing droughts in some regions, while in others, it leads to severe storms, heavy rainfall and floods. The changes, in turn, contribute to the melting of glaciers, raising river water levels.

Research indicates that climate change, particularly an increase in rainfall and the melting of glaciers, can also trigger underground threats such as earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Afghanistan is one of the countries emitting little greenhouse gas (just 0.19 percent of global emissions). However, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), it is the fourth most affected country by the climate change crisis.

39 families displaced on daily basis

The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) says since the start of the previous solar year (1402) till January 12, 24,297 families have been displaced due to natural disasters.

As many as 7,429 families have been displaced in Herat, 5,194 in Helmand, 2,129 in Nimroz, 1,960 in Ghor, 1,734 in Badakhshan, 1,376 in Takhar, 1,215 in Uruzgan, 462 in Faryab, 380 in Kandahar, 366 in Daikundi, 340 in Farah, 190 in Kunduz, 161 in Bamyan, 145 in Maidan Wardak, 145 in Ghazni, 130 in Samangan, 117 in Laghman, 102 in Parwan, 97 in Sar-i-Pul, 97 in Paktia, 94 in Kapisa, 70 in Panjshir, 58 in Paktika, 37 in Kunar, 34 in Badghis, 18 in Jawzjan, 13 in Zabul, 11 in Khost, and three in Baghlan.

Nearly 31 percent of all the displaced families are in Herat and more than 21 percent in Helmand, with the remaining spread across 28 other provinces. The primary causes of displacement in Herat and Helmand are earthquakes and droughts.

The previous year, earthquakes struck Herat and surrounding provinces, causing significant damage, particularly in the districts of Ghoryan and Zinda Jan.

The National Disaster Management Authority had reported the earthquake in Herat caused 2,053 deaths and injuries, besides razing 1,320 houses.

Last year year, Helmand’s Deputy Director of Information Maulvi Mohammad Qasim Riyaz said due to the drought over the past two years, 2,000 families had been forced to leave their areas in four districts of the province.

MoRR says no families have been displaced due to natural disasters in Kabul, Logar, Balkh and Nangarhar provinces since the beginning of the previous year.

Without going into details, the ministry said during the period, 13,168 families were displaced due to non-natural disasters, more than half of them from Kabul, Kunduz and Jawzjan. The rest were from 24 other provinces.

The ministry said thousands of families in Kabul were displaced due to the demolition of camps that had been constructed illegally.

Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesman for MoRR, recalled families were displaced by wars in the past. But since the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), much of the displacement has been forced by droughts, floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters.

The National Statistics and Information Authority indicates over 7,700 families have returned to their areas since last year. Some families may have returned this year as well, but their number is yet to be released.

Number of displaced families falls

The lower number of displaced families this year is because the earthquake in Herat last year displaced many people, while no major incidents have occurred so far this year.

The disasters have also caused considerable human and financial damage.

Mullah Janan Saiq, a spokesman for the NDMA, said without providing further details, since the beginning of the current (1403) year, approximately 1,175 people have lost their lives due to natural and non-natural disasters, 1,911 others have been injured, more than 21,000 houses have been either completely or partially destroyed, and nearly 17,000 livestock have perished.

IDPs facing whole host of challenges

Abdul Wahid, a resident from the Shalbafan village of Injil district, was displaced to the Hoz-i-Karbas area of Herat City with his family due to earthquakes. He says the quakes destroyed their house and now he lives in a rented house, facing severe financial difficulties.

Mahmood, a resident of Dani village in the Nawzad district of Helmand, has been displaced to Lashkargah due to drought for the past two years.

He says, “We had no water; there were about two or three hundred houses in our area, but now there are no more than ten houses left. All of them have been displaced. Our life was better there, having water, wheat and crops. But here we have been struggling daily, worrying about how to survive.”

Ismail, an inhabitant of the Qadis district of Badghis, has been displaced to Herat City as a result of drought. He has been living in a tent with his family for over two and a half years.

He says, “We were facing problems there and came here for the sake of our children’s well-being. Some of us went to Pakistan, but we didn’t find any shelter there either. Now, we are living in a place that has only a boundary wall. We can’t afford to pay the rent of a basic shelter for our children. Our children are walking barefoot, and we can’t even buy them shoes.”

Ismail explains they have to burn paper in the evening to warm themselves and sell paper to buy food and water for their children. “We have a patient but don’t have water here. We thought we’d be better off here, but it’s been even more difficult.”

Ismail appealed to wealthy citizens to visit the place and provide them badly-needed support.

The Mohammad Alam, a resident of Jandaq village in the Murghab district of Badghis, migrated to the Ferozkoh in the wake of devastating floods.

He says they were displaced seven months ago, with two months spent in the mountains and four in tents in Ferozkoh. He is now living in one of the government-provided shelters for flood victims.

These displaced people are eager to return to their areas say if droughts end. Reports indicate since the beginning of last year, aid has been provided to thousands of affected families. Many of them have been given houses.

Disaster if adverse effects not tackled

Climate change and environmental expert Syed Mohammad Sulaimankhel says Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to climate change, whose effects are increasing day by day. Absent remedial actions, he warns, it will lead to a humanitarian disaster.

Sulaimankhel urges the government to prioritise addressing this issue, using all available resources.  He recommends IEA should enhance cooperation with all countries, particularly those affected by climate change, to ensure Afghanistan receives help in this area.

He opines: “The international community should not politicise the issue and must provide necessary support to Afghanistan in preventing the impacts of climate change.”

He notes central provinces are currently facing severe droughts. “As droughts increase, more families will be displaced, affecting agriculture and other sectors. If measures are not taken, water levels will drop further, agricultural products will be destroyed and we will lose water reserves.”

He suggests the Ministry of Agriculture should distribute drought-resistant seeds. In order to minimise the impacts of climate change, the government should promote public awareness in affected areas through mosques, scholars, schools and local communities.

According to Sulaimankhel, the government should establish emergency centres in the worst-affected provinces and strengthen prediction mechanisms for better preparations in advance.

Preventing climate change impacts

Eng. Roohullah Amin, head of the Climate Change Department at the National Environmental Protection Agency, acknowledges Afghanistan has been harmed in various sectors. He asked the international community to assist Afghanistan financially and technically.

He says the National Environmental Protection Agency has made efforts to alleviate the negative impacts of climate change and has shared proposals and information about Afghanistan’s vulnerable situation with global organisations, coordinating with relevant bodies.

Domestically, these agencies have held regular meetings with the departments concerned on implement existing projects and preventing the negative impacts of climate change.

sa/mud