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SITUATION OVERVIEW
On 10 May 2024, flash floods swept across multiple provinces in the northeast region of Afghanistan.
The provinces that were most impacted by the flash floods were Badakhshan, Baghlan, and Takhar. As of 12 May 2024, based on the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) rapid assessment, over 230 fatalities have been reported and numbers are expected to rise as many are still reported missing. More than 9,500 families have been affected with an estimated 250 injured and 50 people missing. An estimated 9,100 livestock and close to 20,800 acres of agricultural land were destroyed. There are also numerous reports of bridges being destroyed, of which the total numbers are yet to be confirmed.
The nationwide impact is estimated to exceed one million people.
The 10 May 2024 flash floods intensified the floodings across the Northeast region of Afghanistan that have been ongoing since 16 April 2024. The combination and accumulation of these floodings have caused severe humanitarian needs in this region. A total of 25 provinces (out of 34 provinces in Afghanistan) have been impacted by floods. The situation continued to develop over the subsequent days and rainfall is still forecasted in the affected areas in the coming days.
This situation also happens in the backdrop of the ongoing crises across Afghanistan following the compounding impacts of multiple shocks including severe drought, multiple instances of flooding and earthquakes, as well as public health emergencies, and economic hardship. The political changes of August 2021 prompted the application of a sanction’s regime, which has fueled economic hardship due to constrained international banking.
It is worth noting that Afghanistan faces numerous challenges caused by climate change, despite not being a significant contributor to it. The Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index ranks Afghanistan among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and least prepared to adapt. The recent and ongoing floods have come at a time when the coping capacities of households are already stretched by compounding factors, including economic hardship and ongoing struggle to recover from previous events.
An estimated 4 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance to survive as the country enters its fourth consecutive year of drought conditions and the third year of crippling economic decline, while is still reeling from the pre-existing effects of decades-long conflict. Following the INFORM risk index 20241, Afghanistan ranked fourth country in the world at highest risk of humanitarian crises and disasters that may require international assistance.