2022 Afghanistan floods explained

2022 Afghanistan floods
Duration:May - August 2022
Damages:$2 billion USD
Fatalities:670
Affected:Most of Afghanistan

In May 2022, floods affected several parts of Afghanistan, killing 429 people.[1] [2] It was later reported the 182 people died due to flooding in August, as well as 40 people in July and 19 in June.[3] [4] [5] From June to August, just as the country was recovering from an earthquake in Khost Province, floods hit again, killing 19 in June, 39 in July, and 182 others in August.[6] [7] [8]

Impact

Afghanistan has weathered drought and climate change, with low crop yields creating food shortages. This has exacerbated poverty caused by decades of war, a drop in foreign aid and the freezing of assets abroad after the Taliban came back and U.S.-led forces withdrew in August.

May

Flooding in May killed approximately 400 people.[9] [10] The rain and flooding was particularly severe in the provinces of Badghis, Faryab and Baghlan. Hassibullah Shekhani, head of communications and information at Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority, said 500 homes have been destroyed and 2,000 more damaged, 300 head of livestock killed and some 3,000 acres of crops damaged. He also stated that the International Committee of the Red Cross was helping and officials would approach other international organisations for help.

June–August

In June, 19 people died due to flooding.[11] A further 39 others were killed in July.[12] Flooding in August killed at least 182 people.[13] Over 3,000 houses were damaged or destroyed due to the floods.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Afghanistan – Flash Floods Cause Fatalities and Severe Damage. Richard Davies. 5 May 2022.
  2. Web site: Recent floods in Afghanistan caused by incessant rain kill 400 people. 23 June 2022. business-standard.com. 5 August 2022. 27 June 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220627034545/https://wap.business-standard.com/article-amp/international/recent-floods-in-afghanistan-caused-by-incessant-rain-kill-400-people-122062300241_1.html. live.
  3. Web site: Afghanistan Floods, Quakes Kill Over 1,500 People in Two Months. Bloomberg. 3 September 2022.
  4. Web site: Flash floods kill 18, injure 40 in Afghanistan's Kunar province. 29 August 2022. Xinhua News Agency.
  5. Web site: 25 August 2022 . Heavy rains set off flash floods, killing 182 in Afghanistan . Arab News.
  6. Web site: 29 August 2022 . Flash floods kill 18, injure 40 in Afghanistan's Kunar province . Xinhua News Agency.
  7. Web site: 25 August 2022 . Heavy rains set off flash floods, killing 182 in Afghanistan . Arab News.
  8. Web site: Richard Davies . 13 July 2022 . Afghanistan – Thousands of Homes Damaged, 39 Lives Lost After More Flash Floods .
  9. News: Heavy rain and floods in Afghanistan kill 22, destroy hundreds of homes . Reuters . 5 May 2022 . 5 May 2022 . 21 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220821152057/https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/heavy-rain-floods-afghanistan-kill-22-destroy-hundreds-homes-2022-05-05/ . live .
  10. Web site: 5 May 2022 . Afghanistan – Flash Floods Cause Fatalities and Severe Damage . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220505093918/https://floodlist.com/asia/afghanistan-floods-may-2022 . 5 May 2022 . 7 May 2022 . FloodList.
  11. Web site: Afghanistan – 19 Killed in Flash Floods in Eastern Provinces. 1 July 2022. Richard Davies.
  12. Web site: Afghanistan – Thousands of Homes Damaged, 39 Lives Lost After More Flash Floods. 13 July 2022. Richard Davies.
  13. Web site: Nearly 100 dead in Afghanistan floods, officials say. Tara Subramaniam. Masoud Popalzai. Alex Stambaugh. CNN. 23 August 2022.