Southern Afghanistan may face a water emergency
due to the continuing drought there, according to the United Nations weekly
humanitarian update for Afghanistan.
Until water can be obtained from melting
snow in the Central Highlands -- where snowfall was reportedly low -- five
provinces in the south may be facing an emergency that could involve a
lack of drinking water in urban areas, increased outbreaks of disease,
severe loss of livestock and crop failure in the country's breadbasket,
the UN office in Afghanistan said.
January and February were unusually dry, and followed two years of sparse rainfall, the UN reports. Meanwhile, the next rains are not expected until December. One of the region's major waterways, the Helmand River, can now be crossed on foot in some areas.
A UN/NGO task force was formed in mid-March to assess and plan a response to the developing situation.