Emergency Response - North Afghanistan Flooding

In May 2024, Baghlan Province, in Afghanistan, suffered from devastating floods, which have affected over 60,000 people. The flood destroyed extensive hectares of agricultural land and impacted the normal routine of numerous families. In this context, Action for Development initiated an Emergency Support Project, aiming to help those local people. 

First, an assessment of the affected areas was conducted to determine the extent of the damage and the immediate needs of the affected communities. The AfD Afghanistan office then sought for the help of local partners to find those who had lost their homes, family members, and sources of livelihood. In that regard, six critical needs were identified: basic food items, safe drinking water, temporary tents and blankets, kitchen materials, water buckets, and other essential utilities. In the initial stage of support, the AfD operational team in Afghanistan and our local partners mobilised to distribute these urgent critical supplies to the people affected by the floods. Our main goal was to stabilise their situation and provide some relief, but as our financial resources were limited we could not immediately reach all the affected population. 

Accordingly, 100 food packages containing rice, lentils, cooking oil, and canned food were provided to ensure the nutritional needs of those affected. Similarly, to ensure access to clear water, 1200 bottled (1 liter) and 3000 litter portable water were distributed. After that, basic kitchen materials such as pans, pots and cooking stoves were distributed too, to facilitate the preparation of the foods. However, given the lack of resources, over 1000 ready-to-eat meals were distributed immediately after the disaster for a period of a week. In addition, water buckets were handed out to facilitate the collection and storage of the water for drinking and hygiene purposes. 

To offer immediate and temporary shelter to those who had lost their homes 50 tents and 50 blankest were distributed to provide 50 families with temporary housing and warmth. These tents were easy to set up and provided essential protection from the elements.

Despite the initial support provided, there remains a significant need for further assistance to prevent additional post-flood disasters in Baghlan and neighbouring provinces. The affected population requires ongoing support to meet their basic needs for food and shelter.