A man is seen in a flood-hit area in Borka district, Baghlan province, northern Afghanistan, on May 13, 2024. (Photo by Mehrabuddin Ibrahimi/Xinhua)
Afghanistan is among the most vulnerable countries to climate change. It has been experiencing a rise in extreme weather conditions, including floods and drought, according to United Nations agency.
by Abdul Haleem
BORKA, Afghanistan, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Busy in search operations along with several villagers to find the bodies of their family members under the mud, Naqibulla lamented in despair the loss inflicted by the devastating flood, which had devoured what they had.
More than 330 were killed, mostly in north Afghanistan's Baghlan province and some in Takhar, Badakhshan and Ghor provinces, as heavy downpours and floods lashed the country on Friday, according to the World Food Programme and local Afghan officials.
"There were 22 families in the village with a mosque... Our house was here and all were turned to ruin," Naqibullah, a survivor of the flood in Borka district of Baghlan, told Xinhua with sorrow.
A man is seen in a flood-hit area in Borka district, Baghlan province, northern Afghanistan, on May 13, 2024. (Photo by Mehrabuddin Ibrahimi/Xinhua)
"Ten people were killed in our village, three of them from my family and the remaining from our neighbors'. We (the survivors) fled to the mountain and took refuge there," Naqibullah said.
Scores of the flood-hit families have been living in the hilltops or with relatives to survive the aftermath of the floods.
Despite their dire circumstances, male members of these families scoured the flood-destroyed areas, searching for belongings and the bodies of the loved ones.
People are seen in a flood-hit area in Borka district, Baghlan province, northern Afghanistan, on May 13, 2024. (Photo by Mehrabuddin Ibrahimi/Xinhua)
Naqibullah estimated the cost of rebuilding a house to be more than 1 million afghanis (about 13,900 U.S. dollars), a staggering sum for those impoverished families left with nothing in the wake of the flood.
"The government has to pay attention to our plight. We need a plan to live. The floods have washed away what we had," Naqibullah said.
Global charity Save the Children said Monday that some 40,000 children have lost their homes in Baghlan province during this round of devastating floods.
People clear the mud in a flood-hit area in Borka district, Baghlan province, northern Afghanistan, on May 13, 2024. (Photo by Mehrabuddin Ibrahimi/Xinhua)
The natural disaster has destroyed thousands of acres of agricultural farms and gardens and killed thousands of cattle.
"Virtually it was a mountain-like devil that devoured everything including the trees and houses. It killed several persons in the village and the people climbed to the mountain to survive," Qahar told Xinhua at the site of his destroyed house in Baghlan-e-Markazi district, which along with Borka were the two hardest-hit regions in the province.
People are seen in a flood-hit area in Borka district, Baghlan province, northern Afghanistan, on May 13, 2024. (Photo by Mehrabuddin Ibrahimi/Xinhua)
"No one has assisted us, the women are living in the open ground, there is no tent and no one has provided assistance," said Qahar, who clung to the hope that aid would arrive swiftly.
Provincial director for Information and Culture Mawlawi Mustafa Hashimi said that the administration would provide assistance to the flood-affected families with the least delay possible.
Afghanistan is among the most vulnerable countries to climate change. It has been experiencing a rise in extreme weather conditions, including floods and drought, according to the United Nations. ■
