Afghanistan Floods Update: Floods hit the central, central highlands, northern, northeastern, southern and western regions of Afghanistan (17 April 2024)

Highlights

• Between 10 and 16 April 2024, Afghanistan experienced heavy rains and flash floods across the central, central highlands, northern, northeastern, southern and western regions.

• Preliminary reports indicate that almost 1,590 families have been affected, with 35 people killed and another 47 people injured, while 46 families have been displaced. The most severely affected provinces that had fatalities were Badghis (4), Farah (2), Hilmand (5), Kabul (3), Kandahar (4), Laghman (2), Nangahar (1), Parwan (2) and Uruzgan (12).

• Additionally, more than 930 houses have been destroyed (198) or damaged (738), along with around 63,700 acres of agricultural land and at least 470 livestock reportedly killed.

• A new wave of rains is expected in the central, south, southeast and southwest regions of the country over the next week, with up to 30 mm of rainfall daily. These volumes are of concern because water reserves are filled to capacity, thus flooding is to be anticipated.

• OCHA, humanitarian partners and ANDMA are closely monitoring the situation.

Overview

Reports indicate that heavy rains and flash floods have been experienced across several regions, including 19 districts in the central region (Kabul, Kapisa, Panjshir and Parwan provinces), four districts in the central highlands region (Daikundi province), 33 districts in the eastern region (Nangahar, Kunar, Laghman and Nuristan provinces), five districts in the northern region (Faryab and Samangan provinces), four districts in the northeastern region (Badakhshan and Kunduz provinces), 22 districts in the southern region (Hilmand, Kandahar, Nimroz and Uruzgan provinces) and another 21 districts in the western region (Badghis, Farah, Ghor and Herat provinces).
In addition to the civilian casualties and damage and destruction sustained to homes noted above, critical civilian infrastructure such as roads, bridges and culverts are also reported to have been damaged causing disruption to transportation networks. In the eastern region, the road between Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal districts was closed due to the water levels, while the roads between Mondal and Duab districts, as well as the road to Farashghan Valley, were also closed due to water overflow and rocks sliding.
In the northern region, there were temporary road closures of the Mazar-Kabul and Mazar-Samangan highways due to the water levels, although they have since reopened.
On 16 April, the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) further reported that in Takhar Province in the northeastern region, a landslide occurred in the Namak-Ab centre, destroying a road that connects 30 villages to the district centre, and preventing the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance to the villages.
In the western region, the road leading to Shahrak, DoLayna and Charsada districts was destroyed, while in Jawand and Balamurghab districts communities are experiencing limited access due to road closures.
The highway connecting Herat to Kandahar has also been flooded thus limiting movements.