At least 39 people have died and thousands more have been made homeless in flash flooding following heavy rain across northern Afghanistan this week. A total of twelve people have been confirmed dead in the province of Jawzjan, with ten confirmed dead in Herat, eight in Faryab, eight in Badghis, and one in Sar-e Pul, with the number of unrecorded casualties likely to be larger in all these provinces.
Flooding in the Enjil District of Herat Province this week. Jalil Ahmad/Reuters.
Flash floods and landslides are a frequent problem in northern
Afghanistan, where a mostly dry climate is broken by occasional bouts of
heavy rainfall. The dry nature of the climate means that little of the
landscape is covered by extensive vegetation (which can stabilise
hillsides with root-growth), making the area vulnerable to flash floods.
This situation is made worse by the widespread use of dried mud bricks
as a building material, resulting in buildings that offer little
protection against flooding and are easily swept away.
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