At least 180 dead in Afghanistan after weeks of heavy rains, flash flooding
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Aug. 25 (UPI) -- More than 180 people have died in Afghanistan due to heavy flooding over the past month that has also damaged or destroyed thousands of homes, authorities said on Thursday.
Taliban officials in Afghanistan said that at least 182 people have died as a result of the flooding, which was caused by heavy seasonal rains. Spokesman Mohammad Naseem Haqqani said the government is working to mobilize support for the affected areas.
"First, we provided essential needs for the flood-affected people. Second, we held meetings with organizations in the capitals and provinces to encourage them to provide assistance," Haqqani said according to Tolo News.
People clean up their damaged homes after heavy flooding in the Khushi district of Logar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Shafiullah Zwak)
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is also sending aid to Afghanistan.
"The teams are providing life-saving assistance to people including food, water and sanitation, tents, healthcare service, psychosocial support and other essential supplies," the OCHA said in a statement.
Flash flooding has occurred throughout Afghanistan for much of August, and in some locations the magnitude of the flooding is unprecedented.
Forecasters have warned that more rains are expected in most of Afghanistan in the coming days, creating concern about new flooding. Heavy rain and floods were responsible for at least 40 people in July and 19 in June.
Afghanistan's Bakhtar state news agency reported that Haqqani visited Ghazni province recently to assess damage and found hundreds of destroyed homes.
OCHA said the flooding has affected nine Afghan provinces in central, eastern, western and southeastern regions of the country and 3,400 homes have been destroyed or damaged. Agha Wali Qureshi, head of the Afghan information and culture department in Uruzgan, also acknowledged that figure.
The U.N. office also noted that at least 256 people have died in floods in Afghanistan in 2022 -- a 75% increase over last year.
Afghanistan Deputy Minister of Disaster Management Malawi Sharafuddin Muslim said that emergency food aid has been sent to the flooded areas.
"Winter is arriving soon and these affected families that include women and children do not have shelter to live under. All their agricultural farms and orchards have either been completely destroyed or their harvest has been damaged," he said according to CNN.
"Over the past few days, eastern, southern and central regions of Afghanistan have been hard hit by torrential rain and flash flooding, destroying homes as well as infrastructure, and leaving thousands of people in need of urgent assistance," the Organization of Islamic Organization said in a tweet.
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