An Afghan boy shovels mud from the courtyard of a house following flash floods after heavy rainfall at a village in Baghlan province on May 11.ATIF ARYAN/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
Of the three, she says, Afghanistan has a more difficult time addressing the crisis for a variety of reasons: the sanctions against the Taliban government have put a huge dent in international aid and the country has one of the world’s highest number of internally displaced people due to internal conflict as well as climate-related disasters – nearly 6 million. “When you are living in a camp, you are much more exposed to the impact of flash floods,” Otto notes.
Even as the Taliban government in Afghanistan and international NGOs scramble to support flood victims, climate experts warn that the disasters are far from over. Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns have escalated climate-related crises, and Afghanistan is not equipped to deal with the looming catastrophes.
“Afghanistan still receives some amount from EU and U.N. projects, but this is less than 10% of the previous aid,” Mayar says. “It has left Afghans weaker, vulnerable and more exposed to the hazards of climate events.”IMC has also experienced a drop in funding, especially for its climate projects in Afghanistan.
In earlier floods, survivors could be rescued by military and security personnel, says Sadid. He notes that Afghanistan no longer has fully functioning air capabilities.