Lack of snow sparks worry for drought-hit Afghanistan

Published January 17, 2024
A view of residential buildings against the backdrop of mountains in Kabul. Afghanistan has seen no snow this year so far — a testament to the heavy toll of global warming.—AFP
A view of residential buildings against the backdrop of mountains in Kabul. Afghanistan has seen no snow this year so far — a testament to the heavy toll of global warming.—AFP

KABUL: Afghanistan saw almost no snow as of mid-January, a new sign of the heavy toll of global warming on the Central Asian country which is usually accustomed to harsh winters, experts say.

The exceptionally low level of rain in a country that relies heavily on agriculture has forced many farmers to delay planting.

“In previous years by January we had a lot of rain and snow,” said Rohullah Amin, head of climate change for the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA).

But “now we don’t have enough of anything at all”, he said.

“It is very worrying, as there could be serious droughts in the future, putting heavy pressure on livelihoods and the economic sector.”

Already in its third year of drought, Afghanistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, according to the UN.

The lack of snow, predicted by experts to arrive in December, threatens the vital snowpack that provides water in hotter months, Amin said.

Members of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) flew over the country in recent days, from the southern Helmand province to Kabul.

“On all the mountains, there is no snow at all,” FAO spokesman Robert Kluijver said.

“It’s very serious.”

Farmers in the southwest of the country are hardest hit by drought, according to Amin, followed by those in southern provinces _ although dry conditions have touched every part of the country.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

Trump 2.0
Updated 07 Nov, 2024

Trump 2.0

It remains to be seen how his promises to bring ‘peace’ to Middle East reconcile with his blatantly pro-Israel bias.
Fait accompli
07 Nov, 2024

Fait accompli

A SLEW of secretively conceived and hastily enacted legislation has achieved its intended result: the powers of the...
IPP contracts
07 Nov, 2024

IPP contracts

THE government expects the ongoing ‘negotiations’ with power producers aimed at revising the terms of sovereign...
Rushed legislation
Updated 06 Nov, 2024

Rushed legislation

For all its stress on "supremacy of parliament", the ruling coalition has wasted no opportunity to reiterate where its allegiances truly lie.
Jail reform policy
06 Nov, 2024

Jail reform policy

THE state is making a fresh attempt to improve conditions in Pakistan’s penitentiaries by developing a national...
BISP overhaul
06 Nov, 2024

BISP overhaul

IT has emerged that the spouses of over 28,500 Sindh government employees have been illicitly benefiting from BISP....