floods in afghanistan

Kabul (EFE).- The Taliban government has raised the death toll to 342 and more than 600 injured in the devastating floods this Sunday that have affected several parts of Afghanistan, with officials and NGOs seeking assistance. Working around the clock to deliver.

Most of the deaths were concentrated in the northern province of Baghlan, with 315 deaths reported in various areas of the region, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said in a statement.

Amid the chaos caused by days of incessant rain and floods that submerged entire cities and destroyed key infrastructure such as bridges and roads, the Taliban has claimed that the number of victims could continue to rise.

“Considering the number of victims and damage caused by the floods, a large number of people in Baghlan and other provinces such as Badakhshan or Takhar (…) are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance,” the ministry said.

help survivors

Disaster management teams under the command of the Taliban, which took over the country in August 2021, are distributing tents and food to survivors.

The United Nations Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan said much of Baghlan province is inaccessible by trucks.

“WFP has had to resort to every option possible to deliver food to survivors who have lost everything,” the UN agency said on social networks, showing donkeys loaded with sacks of flour.

Some locals criticized the response of the government and international organizations, many of which have significantly reduced their presence in Afghanistan.

“So far we have only received drinking water, and rescue teams from the Taliban government are working in the area, but there are no other institutions that would at least give food to those in need,” Qais Muhrain, a resident, told EFE. From Burka district of Baghlan.

Muhreen said that rain this Sunday brought relief to the area, which facilitated rescue efforts.

According to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Afghanistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change in the world and the least prepared to adapt, including due in large part to international disruption. Is included. After the Taliban returned to power, aid and money to the country was banned.

In July 2021, at least 260 people died after a series of floods caused by heavy rains in the Nuristan region, which was under the control of the Taliban at the time, even though they had not yet taken control of the country.