Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

The Wrath of Severe Weather

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The Wrath of Severe Weather

The rain and snowfall this year are considered to be late but they still have shown the same intensity and have struck Afghanistan hard in certain provinces. Particularly, the northern and central provinces, as usual, are among the most affected areas. Badakhshan and Panjsher are the most unfortunate ones. According to news reports on February 25, 72 people were confirmed dead after gigantic avalanches buried more than 100 people alive in central Panjsher province. Abdul Rahman Kabiri, the acting governor of the province, has revealed that of 106 people, 18 were rescued while around the same number of people is still missing. 30 people were killed by avalanches in the Arghach area in Abdullah Khel Dara region of Paryan district and 13 people lost their lives near Parakh, the provincial capital. The dead included women and children. Another three people were killed in the Kojan area of Paryan district after five people were buried by snow in their home. The remaining two were still missing. Another 10 people among a group of 35 people buried in snow were frozen to death in the Hessa Awal district last night, while 10 of them were rescued in injured condition and the remaining five were still missing as of Wednesday afternoon. Another four people were killed when an avalanche hit a house in the Khanj area of the Hessa Awal district and two more were killed in the Safed Chahr area of the district. Seventeen people died in the Paryan district’s Pas Mazar area after avalanches buried several homes.

The snow also hit the central provinces and according to the news reports four members of a family were killed in Yakawlang district of central Bamyan province when an avalanche, ill-fatedly, hit their house. 

Rain and snowfall are considered to be a blessing as they provide for water requirements but in Afghanistan, particularly, the blessing seems to be turning into a curse. 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 avalanches 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.

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, avalanches, 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. Last year as well the severe cold weather victimized many poor people as they did not have enough capacity to secure themselves. 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 avalanches 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. It requires to institutionalize its efforts and put to practice National Disaster Management Plan. Department for Disaster Preparedness must be made fully functional and must be equipped and capacitated enough to carry out its responsibilities during and even before disasters. The developed countries of the world, through institutionalized efforts, have minimized the risks of disasters and have the capacity to react rapidly when such disasters take place and thus save the valuable lives of its people as much as possible. Therefore, the government of Afghanistan must also pay consideration and concentration in such areas and must make sure that poor people do not lose their lives worthlessly.

Dilawar Sherzai is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at Outlookafghanistan@gmail.com

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