The International Organization for Migration has announced that nearly five million Afghans have been affected by natural disasters in the first quarter of 2025.
This figure represents approximately 10 percent of Afghanistan’s total population who have suffered from severe floods and heavy avalanches.
On Wednesday, July 30, the organization posted a warning on X social media platform that climate hazards in Afghanistan are alarmingly on the rise.
Statistics show that during this period, 175,000 people have been internally displaced, with 79 percent of these displacements caused by climate events and natural disasters.
Additionally, 396,000 others have been forced to migrate. The United Nations emphasized that rural communities have been hit hardest, with their shelters destroyed and facing severe drinking water shortages.
According to the IOM, food insecurity has been the biggest concern during this period, with 47 percent of communities citing food shortages as their main challenge.
Afghanistan is among the 10 countries most severely affected by the negative consequences of climate change, including drought, floods, irregular rainfall, and diminishing water resources.
Previously, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights for Afghanistan, had expressed concern about the climate shocks and environmental degradation facing the country.
Cloudflare