UN stresses urgent need for Kabul water management

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations Human Settlements Programme in Afghanistan (UN-Habitat) has raised concerns over Kabul’s worsening water crisis, warning that urgent action is required to address the issue.

In a post on X, UN-Habitat wrote: “Kabul is facing an unprecedented water crisis. Water levels have dropped significantly, putting six million residents at risk.”

The agency emphasized that tackling the crisis will require large-scale investment, strong collaboration, and increased public awareness around water use and management.

This warning comes amid recent reporting by Pajhwok Afghan News, in which Qari Matiullah Abed, spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW), confirmed that water levels in some basins have dropped by as much as 90%. He noted that Kabul’s groundwater situation is now approaching a critical stage.

To address the crisis, the ministry has developed both short- and long-term strategies. In the short term, efforts are focused on equitable groundwater use and the construction of small dams around Kabul to capture surface water.

“Large national projects take time,” Abed said, referring to the Panjshir Water Transfer Project. “Technical studies and designs are complete—we now await approval and funding.”

Environmental experts warn that any delay in launching the Panjshir project could push the capital into a severe and potentially irreversible water crisis, underscoring the urgency of swift action.

hz/sa