Afghanistan: Cold Wave - Mar 2024

On 3 March 2024, the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) under the auspices of the Vice President convened an Emergency Task Force Meeting in response to the heavy snowfall and extreme cold temperatures that affected several high-altitude provinces of Afghanistan during the first week of March. The event resulted in casualties, heavy losses of livestock, blocked roads, and disruption to economic activities among other challenges. According to public authorities, news agencies, and the ARCS, at least 35 human lives have been lost, dozens of people injured, and thousands of livestock perished, depriving affected households of their livelihoods due to the heavy snowfall and cold temperatures. The provinces most affected include Badakhshan, Badghis, Balkh, Farah, Faryab, Ghor, Herat, Jawzjan, Kunduz, Nuristan, Sar-e-Pul, Uruzgan, and Zabul. The March 2024 event is almost reminiscent of the cold wave of January 2023 in terms of scale, but the impacts are considered more severe. According to ECHO, temperatures plummeted to as low as -33 degrees in provinces like Ghor, and over 70,000 cattle perished across several provinces and also causing 70 deaths.Prior to the cold wave in early March, on 19 February 2024, a landslide triggered by heavy snowfall claimed 25 lives, destroyed at least 20 homes, and displaced 350 households in the province of Nuristan. (IFRC, 21 Mar 2024)

Subsequent and more detailed assessments confirmed the true scale of the impact wrought by the event, with the National Disaster Organization reporting that as many as 325,205 people were affected across at least 18 provinces, and thousands of livestock perished, significantly affecting households and livelihoods. The provinces most affected include Badakhshan, Badghis, Balkh, Farah, Faryab, Ghor, Herat, Jawzjan, Kunduz, Nuristan, Nangarhar, Sar-e-Pul, Uruzgan, and Zabul. (IFRC, 25 Apr 2024)