Heavy rains and storms have caused devastating floods in eastern Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of approximately 40 people and leaving over 1,500 children homeless, according to Save the Children.
This disaster exacerbates the country’s worst humanitarian crisis in decades, the organization said.
Around 1.36 million people, including an estimated 858,000 children, reside in the districts of Nangarhar, Kunar, and Laghman provinces, which have been severely affected by the recent storms. These floods come just two months after heavy rainfall in the northeast claimed the lives of about 350 people, Save the Children said.
According to the organization, the latest floods have injured at least 350 people and caused significant damage to approximately 400 houses, as well as an infections and communicable diseases hospital in Jalalabad city, according to the de facto authorities. These numbers are expected to change as rescue operations continue and more accurate information becomes available.
Additionally, the storms have damaged a reception center in Torkham established for returnees, disrupting Save the Children’s health services and child-friendly spaces. Since September 2023, more than 649,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan after the country mandated that all undocumented foreigners must leave voluntarily or face deportation. Nearly half of these returnees are children.
Infrastructure damage has been reported, including disruptions to telecommunications networks and several roads, complicating access to affected communities.
Afghanistan is grappling with multiple crises, including the influx of returnees, economic instability, food insecurity, earthquakes, climate change, and consecutive cuts in international aid. The combined effects of climate change and poverty particularly impact the nation’s most vulnerable: children.
“Afghanistan’s children have endured decades of suffering, and now extreme flooding has battered the country again, bringing fresh devastation, destruction, and death,” said Arshad Malik, Country Director for Save the Children in Afghanistan. “These extremely heavy rains and floods are further evidence of our rapidly changing climate, outpacing families’ ability to adapt. They are especially harming those least responsible for the damage – children.”
Save the Children said it is addressing urgent needs through its existing health and emergency response programs.
