The current rainfall in Afghanistan seems to be turning into a curse than a blessing. It is believed that the countries and the people with limited resources and unpreparedness seem to suffer more than expected when they face any natural disaster. Same is the case with Afghanistan; the current floods and landslides resulting from heavy rainfall in certain parts of the country have taken many lives that could be saved. As, there is no effective mechanism to respond to the emergencies in most of the remote areas of the country, the disasters have proved to be gigantic and the poor people have suffered misery and agony.

According to a tragic news report around 2,100 people have been killed and many others are missing after the landslide hit the northwestern province of Badakhshan on Friday. In a statement Gen. Fazal Din Ayar, the provincial police chief revealed that the landslide hit a village in Aab Barik area of Argo district at around 1:30 pm after days of heavy rains. He also added that as a result around 300 houses were flattened as a result of the landslide and the rescue team could not reach the area as it as it was beyond the capacity to the deal with the aftermath. The Natural Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is also of the opinion that it is really difficult to provide aid and assistance to the effected which could result in more deaths. Abdullah Dehqan, the provincial director of NDMA said, “It is impossible rescuing the people trapped under the rubble… Rescue teams are striving to provide aid to 700 families living under the open sky”.

Provincial council head Abdul Wahed Tabibi said tens of people were inside a mosque, which was also buried. He warned the individuals trapped under tonnes of mud could die if rescuers did not reach the site in time.

As the situation seems really grave; the government must take all the possible measures help the people in trouble. At the same time, the international organizations must come to the support in order to control the situation and at least save the people who could be saved. United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in this regard, has already decided to play its role to support Afghan organizations and government.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan talking about the increasing number of deaths because of natural disaster said in a statement, "On behalf of the UN humanitarian agencies, I wish to extend our condolences to all those families who have lost loved ones as a result of these landslides. There have now been more Afghans killed through natural disasters in the past seven days than all of 2013."
Highlighting the importance of saving all those who are now caught in the

"The foremost priority at the moment is saving as many lives as possible of those still beneath the rubble," Mr. Bowden said. "The UN system is fully engaged in the ongoing effort and is mobilizing more capacity and resources to bolster the response."
"Given these ongoing risks and vulnerabilities, the critical importance of investing in disaster risk reduction and enhanced mitigation measures must remain a key priority in those communities most prone to hazards," Mr. Bowden added.

It is really tragic in Afghanistan that common Afghan people have not only been victimized by the wars and conflicts but natural disasters have also made their lives fragile. Whether it is flood or famine or even earthquake, the severest of the shocks shake the existence of the poor and destitute. They are the most effected, in two different ways. First, they do not possess a strong and reliable shelter and other facilities that can safeguard them against the natural disasters, which make them easy victims. Second, the facilities that should be there after the disaster to minimize the level of destruction, never reach them, as they are at the remotest of the areas.

Leave the disaster aside, even when there are severe weather conditions, which cannot be even termed as disasters; the loss of life and property incurred by the poor Afghans is really immense. The example of the last winter season, in this regard, can be mentioned here. The severe cold weather made many poor people in Afghanistan sick and many others to breathe their last.

As the people in the affected areas, because of their wretched and torn shelters and no fuel or wood to burn, were being victimized, there was no support from the relevant officials to provide them the facilities to fight against the death. The result was misery. And when the severe cold weather turned into disasters in the form of avalanche's in some parts of country, the incapacity of the government to help its people out of the disaster was exposed to a large extent.

There are many lives that can be saved through proper and timely efforts. Moreover, there are many other areas as well that are necessary to be given proper attention by the government so that such disasters and incidents should be properly handled. Among them making a very well-equipped and properly trained disaster management unit is the most important one. At the same time making the different parts of country accessible through proper roads is also an important one. Many places happen to be in the remotest of the areas, where the rescue teams and equipment take a very lengthy time to reach as there are no proper roads.

Though security has been the most dominant issue in Afghanistan, there are many other issues as well that kill more people than the lack of security. The proper attention of the government in that regard and its services can save many lives. So, government must pay due consideration and concentration in such areas, as well.