KABUL, Afghanistan — Nearly 39 percent of households in Afghanistan are struggling with water shortages as sources dry up, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Thursday.
According to OCHA, 23 percent of Afghan households rely on unimproved water sources, while 28 percent lack proper sanitation facilities.
“In 2025, partners require $264 million to prioritize water, sanitation, and hygiene services but have only received $8.4 million so far,” OCHA Afghanistan said in a post on X.
The warning comes as the U.N. estimates that nearly 23 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian assistance, a crisis compounded by U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s decision to cut foreign aid, including assistance to Afghanistan.
Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), recently warned that the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is being overlooked.
“Here in Herat, I met women who had been deported without their husbands, returning to deep poverty and hopelessness,” he said during a visit to Afghanistan.
