Afghanistan Disaster Management Authority of the Islamic Emirate (IEA) has informed that more than 170 people have died from the cold weather across Afghanistan this month in the worst winter in more than a decade.
A spokesperson of the ministry for disaster management has told media that more than 170 people have lost their lives due to cold weather in the country.
“More than 170 have died from the cold in Afghanistan,” said Safiullah Rahimi, a spokesperson for the ministry of disaster management. He added that more casualties have been reported from Ghor, Badakhshan, Bamyan, Paktika and Paktia provinces, saying that more than 260,000 cattle have been also perished in 20 provinces of the country.
He further said that the chilly weather this winter had negative impact on the country’s economy too and just 30,000 people who were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance have been provided with humanitarian aid.
The head of the Afghanistan Meteorological Department has described this year’s cold season as the “coldest” winter in recent years. The number of deaths from cold in Afghanistan will probably increase in the coming days. Earlier, it was also reported that 45 drug- addicts have died due to cold in Herat, in the western province of Afghanistan since the beginning of winter.
Most people in Afghanistan are not afforded to buy firewood and coal in winter because of the economic crisis. Transportation problems, especially in the winter season, will make it more difficult for humanitarian organizations to provide assistance to those who are in urgent need of humanitarian aids.
The United Nations Office for Coordination Humanitarian Aid (UN OCHA) in its report released in late December 2022 said the deteriorating economy has caused sharp declines in income, rising debt and high unemployment. Due to a severe increase in commodity prices, people now spend 71 percent of their income on food. This means they have less to spend on other basic but essential needs, such as education and health care. To boost families’ livelihoods, bolster economic opportunities and to preserve basic services, it is vital to restore financial and trade systems and scale up international development assistance.
While the cold months in Afghanistan have never been easy, this winter is shaping up to be brutal. Sixteen months after the Islamic Emirate came to power, there’s no end in sight to the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost since August 2021 and the rising prices of staple goods, including wood and coal, mean many Afghans will struggle to keep warm this winter. International aid organizations say some 24.4 million people will need emergency assistance.
Saida Ahmadi
Cold weather claims more than 170 lives in Afghanistan
