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OVERVIEW
Drought in Afghanistan is driven by complex interactions between climatic and human-induced factors, and has become a leading driver of humanitarian needs across the country. In recent decades, both the frequency and severity of droughts have increased. Since 1969, Afghanistan has experienced eight major drought events, affecting over 13 million people in 2018 and 11 million in 2021. Declining groundwater levels threaten water access for millions of Afghans.
Projections indicate that rising temperatures, melting Hindu Kush glaciers, and changes in precipitation patterns will lead to worsening drought conditions in many parts of the country. Key human-induced drivers of drought – including poor water storage and management, challenges in land management and governance, unsustainable water consumption, and environmental degradation – remain largely unaddressed by the Interim Taliban Authorities (ITA) as a result of significant financial and technical constraints.
While communities are still recovering from the severe drought of 2021–2023, alarmingly low snow levels in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region in June 2024 raised concerns about water scarcity and increased risk of hydrological and agricultural drought in the latter half of 2024. This is expected to be aggravated by the likely development of La Niña, which typically brings below-average precipitation across Afghanistan.