This year’s winter is said to be the harshest one over the past long years. Elders believed the ongoing freezing winter with a temperature of up to 33 degrees below zero, as one of the unprecedented and coldest weather in the past forty years in some northern and eastern provinces of the country.
Dozens of people, mostly children have been reported to have lost their lives and hundreds of others are still infected with respiratory disease in the remote and mountainous provinces with heavy snowfall in the country’s northern and eastern zones.
The country’s Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation’s Department of Meteorology said that this year’s temperature is 12 degrees lower than the last year.
The recent severe cold wave has affected many areas, particularly the western, northwestern, northern, and northeastern regions, as well as the country’s central regions over the past few days.
The temperature will continue to drop in the following week, as the meteorology department for the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation predicted.
According to reports, at least 16 people have died over the past four days due to severe cold weather in the country.
The casualty happens, while this is the beginning weeks of the current year’s harsh winter season.
The state ministry for disaster management has recently reported that the deaths happened in Badghis, Nimruz, Faryab and Ghazni provinces, where more than 3,000 cattle have died after being exposed to the coldest weather.
Nowadays, people, mostly those lack enough winter equipment are facing a lot of problems, as the ministry told media in connection to the recent deadly climate incidents in some provinces, including Ghor and Paktia.
Both the related organs of the Islamic Emirate and the aid agencies should do their best to provide all essentials for the winter affected people and take full preparation to prevent more possible harm to the people, as there are long days to undergo the severest freezing weather.
Temporal shelters, including tents, winter clothing and other edible and nonedible items should be provided for poor families prior to face any harms from any possible ensuing freezing weather.
In areas, where nomads and livestock owners reside, the organs concerned should help them purchase fodders and hays for their cattle, as due to long years of drought and lack of grass, thousands of cattle have been perished.
A proactive plan by the public health departments of each province in cooperation with the partner aid agencies should also be on the ground to treat those suffering from respiratory illness, as well. Let’s join hand for the welfare of the people as the move would help prevent mass migration and displacement on one hand and on the other hand, remove big gap between the system and the people.
Chilly winter requires officials’ attention to needy people
