Don’t drop the ball – Postcard from Afghanistan

Damage from sandstorms and drought in 2008 is still affecting communities

I work in Ghoryan and Pashtun Zarghon districts, Afghanistan where unemployment and poverty are acute. Living conditions here are poor – many people’s houses are made of mud, leaving them vulnerable to environmental disasters. People in Pashtun Zarghon district also don’t have access to basic services that many people around the world take for granted – like clean drinking water and electricity.

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Extreme weather is a great problem here. We’ve witnessed increasing intensity of floods, tornados, dust storms and regular, dense fog. Floods destroy crops, tornadoes damage homes and dust storms and fog can cause health problems.  Most of these hazards are related to seasonal weather patterns.  For example, storms get worse during the dry period from June to September when they pick up dust and blow it into the villages.  In Pashtun Zarghon district, children now face asthma, diarrhoea, vomiting and eye problems. The majority of these infections and diseases are caused by sand storms.  Destruction of the physical environment, such as clearing bushes, cutting trees and saplings, makes the land vulnerable to soil erosion and sand storms which then exacerbate the storms.

Severe cold and snow lasted for 40 days

In 2008, high levels of snowfall killed most of the livestock in Ghoryan district. This was disastrous for many of the people here because the animals are the main source from which they make a living. The severe cold and snow lasted for 40 days. In the same year, the people faced a drought. This destroyed almost 70 per cent of crops. And while the men and women were trying to rebuild after this, a sand storm struck causing damage that lasted until this year.

These events compound an already precarious position for communities living in Ghoryan and Pashtun Zarghon. Because it’s more difficult to make a living and growing or getting food is tougher because of the weather, many people go to other countries such as Iran in search of work.

If I was given two minutes with the British government, I would urge them to support people in Afghanistan to become more resilient to these hazards. Afghan authorities need to ensure water and land are well managed and that people can seek financial support or paid work when trying to survive during a drought, flood or other hazard.

I believe that the cooperation of other countries such as the UK will be important so that we can become more resilient in dealing with the long-term and unpredictable weather that we face.

Yours

Farooq

Farooq works with Sanayee Development Organization, Afghanistan

CAFOD is campaigning on climate justice during 2011. Find resources and take action at cafod.org.uk/dontdroptheball