Afghanistan has been facing serious challenges regarding social and political stability. Country, at the moment, is going through a very crucial phase of its history. The transition from the international forces to national forces and the election process have made the situation very serious. There are questions and concerns about how the country would deal with the situation and extract itself out of such a phase. However, the hopes are high that both the people and the government would be able to guide the country towards its true destination, as far as social and political stability is concerned.
At this decisive juncture, nonetheless, there are certain other issues as well that are further making the situation more challenging. Among them the current wave of natural calamities is the most dominant one. The series of rainfalls, floods and landslide have hit certain parts of the country very hard and have taken the lives of the poor people of Afghanistan. People have not yet forgotten the pains of the floods and landslide in Badakhshan, that now they hear the tragic news of the floods in Baghlan province.
According to the news reports more than 100 people have been victimized by the flash floods in Guzarga-i-Noor district of Baghlan province. The reports also say that thousands of families have become homeless. Deputy Governor of the province, Abdul Qadim Niazi, said in a statement, “The flooding followed Friday’s evening torrential rains, killing more than 70 people and destroying hundreds of homes.” However, Guzarga-i-Noor’s administrative chief Noor Mohammad Guzar said that 200 people died in the floods and more than 100 houses were washed away. He also complained that they lacked resources to search of those missing and recover the dead from flooded areas. The floods left the district centre completely disconnected from the affected villages. This is really tragic and unfortunately, the efforts that are carried out as a response to such situations in our country are not very helpful. Though the people, themselves, have a very cooperative approach and they always want to support their neighbors and their countrymen but unfortunately because of the limited resources, they cannot assist as much as they desire.
Natural disasters are really accidental and it is not in the control of the authorities to stop them, but there can be measures carried out before the incidents take place and after them. However, the resources that are available at the disposal of the authorities and people in the remote areas are very much limited and do not help at all in dealing with the serious disasters.
The government really requires being ready for such situations and at present when the wave of torrential rainfall is not slowing, the readiness has to be further improved. Apart from the flood in Baghlan, there has been a report that a man and a woman were killed and a third person sustained burn injuries when struck separately by thunderstorms in northeastern Badakhshan province, where flash floods destroyed several homes. The flooding also washed away crops on several hectares of land in Khwahan, Raghistan and Yawan districts.
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.