The NRC warns of a “catastrophic” situation after the death of more than 40 people due to the floods in Afghanistan

Aug. 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Around 40 people have died and more than 18,000 have been affected by the recent floods in Afghanistan, the non-governmental organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Wednesday, stressing that the situation “is catastrophic” .

“The scale of the destruction is unparalleled. The floods have washed away entire sections of roads and other critical infrastructure such as bridges, mills, hospitals and schools,” said Neil Turner, NRC Afghanistan director.

Thus, he stated that “people have lost their businesses and entire families have seen their houses and fields destroyed,” before adding that many of the victims “are having problems surviving.”

“The disaster has affected nine of Afghanistan’s provinces, including Khost and Paktika, which witnessed a devastating earthquake in June,” he recalled. The earthquake left more than 1,200 dead, according to the balance provided by the authorities established by the Taliban.

In this regard, he stressed that “the situation in rural areas of Afghanistan was already critical before the floods” and explained that “the economic crisis after the Taliban took power last year led many farmers to serious debt due to problems paying for seeds and fertilizer for this growing season.

“Now that their crops have been devastated and winter is just around the corner, these communities do not have time to recover,” he warned, before showing his “deep concern” at the possibility of “another wave of poverty and displacement.” “.

“We need adequate and flexible humanitarian funding to meet the immediate needs of communities affected by the floods,” Turner defended, stressing that “the international community must take urgent steps to mitigate the damage caused by economic restrictions. imposed on the country.

The Taliban have called on the United States and other Western countries on numerous occasions to unfreeze funds from the Central Bank and withdraw the sanctions imposed on the country after their seizure of power in August 2021, arguing that the lack of funds is deepening the serious humanitarian crisis in the country.

Faced with this situation, the NRC has launched an emergency response to assist the victims in the provinces of Nangarhar, Uruzgán and Zabul, while it has reinforced its work in Jost and Paktika, where it continues to support the victims of the earthquake in June.

The NGO has highlighted that to date the death of 42 people has been confirmed due to the floods, while 56 have been injured in critical condition. In addition, 1,720 houses have been destroyed and 3,073 have suffered damage of varying degrees.