Afghanistan Flood : According to Taliban sources, flash flooding in northern Afghanistan has resulted in at least 60 deaths and over 100 injuries.
After intense rains struck five districts in the province of Baghlan, scores of people are still unaccounted for. There are concerns that the death toll may increase as two more storms are predicted to go across the area on Friday night.
Images shared on social media revealed a devastation-filled path left behind by rushing water that swept across homes in multiple settlements.
Over the past two weeks, the nation has seen exceptionally high rainfall, and since mid-April, floods have claimed the lives of over 100 individuals.
The BBC was informed by Abdul Mateen Qani, an official from Afghanistan’s interior ministry, that the deceased individuals were residents of the Borka district in the Baghlan province.
There, more than 200 individuals were stranded in their houses.
Helicopters have been dispatched to Baghlan, which is just north of Kabul, the official had earlier told the Reuters news agency. However, “the operation may not be successful” because there are not enough night vision lighting.
Hedayatullah Hamdard, a local official, informed the AFP news agency that rescue services, including the army, were “searching under the mud and rubble for any possible victims.”
The official said that some families who had lost their homes had received food, blankets, and tents.
There’s a road closure that leads from Kabul to the northern part of Afghanistan.
It follows floods that occurred in the country’s west last month, which left thousands in need of humanitarian aid and claimed the lives of several dozen individuals.
In addition, three mosques, four schools, and almost 2,000 houses sustained damage.
When rain falls so strongly that conventional drainage systems are overwhelmed, flash flooding occurs.
Experts claim that the soil’s ability to absorb rainfall has been hampered by a comparatively dry winter.
Every year, Afghanistan has torrential rains and flooding that claim lives, with poorly constructed homes in remote rural areas being especially vulnerable.
Experts say that Afghanistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change worldwide.
After decades of conflict that resulted in the withdrawal of a coalition led by the US and the Taliban regaining control in 2021, the country is among the poorest in the world.
Flooding is produced by a variety of sources, but heavy rainfall is more common due to climate change-induced atmospheric warming.
Since the start of the industrial age, the global temperature has already increased by roughly 1.1C, and unless governments everywhere drastically reduce their emissions, the global temperature will continue to rise.
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