Environmental issues in Afghanistan

Last updated

Qalat, Zabul Province in 2010 Environmental work decreases impact on Afghanistan's natural and cultural resources 100515-A-CE099-001.jpg
Qalat, Zabul Province in 2010

Environmental issues in Afghanistan are monitored by the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA). [1] These issues predate the political turmoil of the past few decades. Forests have been depleted by centuries of grazing and farming, practices which have only increased with modern population growth.

Contents

In Afghanistan, environmental conservation and economic concerns are not at odds; with over 44% of the population dependent on herding or farming, welfare of the environment is critical to the economic welfare of the people. Environmental hazards cause about 26% of all deaths in the country. [2]

Climate change

This section is an excerpt from Climate change in Afghanistan.[ edit ]
Graph showing temperature change in Afghanistan between 1901 and 2021. Temperature Bar Chart Asia-Afghanistan--1901-2020--2021-07-13.png
Graph showing temperature change in Afghanistan between 1901 and 2021.

In Afghanistan, climate change has led to a temperature increase of 1.8 °C since 1950. This has caused far-reaching impacts on Afghanistan, culminating from overlapping interactions of natural disasters (due to changes in the climate system), conflict, agricultural dependency, and severe socio-economic hardship.

Due to a combination of political, geographic, and social factors, Afghanistan is one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change impacts. [3] [4] The country ranks as the 7th least prepared to manage the impacts of climate change. [5]

Combined with infrequent earthquakes, climate-related disasters such as floods, flash floods, avalanches and heavy snowfalls on average affect over 200,000 people every year, [6] causing massive losses of lives, livelihoods and properties. [7] [8] [9] [10] These interacting factors, particularly protracted conflicts which erode and challenge the ability to handle, adapt to and plan for climate change at individual and national levels, often turn climate change risks and hazards into disasters.

Although the country itself contributes only very little to global warming with regard to greenhouse gas emissions, droughts due to climate change affect and will affect Afghanistan to a high degree.

Deforestation

A location in Zabul Province of Afghanistan A bull walks at the foot of a mountain during the construction of a dam near Combat Operating Post Mizan in Zabul, Afghanistan, July 1, 2011 110701-A-UJ825-009.jpg
A location in Zabul Province of Afghanistan
U.S. Army soldiers observing illegal timber smuggling in 2009, which has been commonly done through the Narang Valley of Kunar Province into neighboring Pakistan. Flickr - The U.S. Army - Stopping timber smuggling.jpg
U.S. Army soldiers observing illegal timber smuggling in 2009, which has been commonly done through the Narang Valley of Kunar Province into neighboring Pakistan.

Afghanistan has lost nearly half of its forests. [11] [12] [13] About 2.8% of the country is believed to be forested, which amounts to nearly 2,000,000 ha (4,900,000 acres) of the land. [14] Though some believe it may be less than that, [15] forests can be increased significantly by planting more trees. [16] [14] Felling is illegal in all provinces of Afghanistan. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] This is because as forest cover decrease, the land becomes less and less productive, threatening the livelihood of the rural population, and the floods are washing the agricultural lands and destroying the houses. Loss of vegetation also creates a higher risk of floods, which not only endanger the people, but cause soil erosion and decrease the amount of land available for agriculture. To reverse this destruction, Afghans seek to turn their land green again by planting millions of trees every spring, particularly on 10 March, which is recognized as national tree plantation day in the country. [22] [14]

Afghanistan has a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 8.85/10, ranking it 15th globally out of 172 countries. [23] Residents of the country have historically depended on forests for firewood and the revenue generated by export of pistachios and almonds, which grow in natural woodlands in the central and northern regions. The provinces of Badghis and Takhar have lost more than 50% of pistachio woodland.

Denser forests in the eastern Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan and other provinces are at risk from timber harvesting by timber mafia. Although the logging is illegal, profits from exporting the timber to neighboring Pakistan have been very high. [24] [25] The timber made its way not only to Peshawar but also to Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Lahore, where most of it has been used to make expensive furniture. The Afghan government has formed special park rangers to monitor and stop these activities. [26]

Wildlife

Hunting is illegal in Afghanistan because much of the country's wildlife is at risk of being extinct. [27] Exotic birds and wild animals continue to be smuggled out of the country. [28] In 2014 around 5,000 birds were smuggled out of Afghanistan, which included falcons, hawks and geese. [29] In 2006, Afghanistan and the Wildlife Conservation Society began a three-year project to protect wildlife and habitats in Band-e Amir National Park and Wakhan National Park. [30]

Snow leopard Lightmatter snowleopard.jpg
Snow leopard
Siberian crane Grus leucogeranus.jpg
Siberian crane

Endangered species

Critically endangered species

Little is known about the status of the salamander Batrachuperus mustersi , which is found only in the Hindu Kush.

Water management

A bridge over a canal used for irrigation diverting water from a river Flood prevention -a.jpg
A bridge over a canal used for irrigation diverting water from a river

Most of Afghanistan's fresh water flow by fast-flowing rivers into neighboring countries. [35] This benefits those countries but not Afghanistan. [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] The primary threat to Afghanistan's water supply is the drought in parts of the country, which often creates food shortages and hunger. [41] [42] The resulting agricultural crises between 1995 and 2001 have driven many thousands of families from rural to urban areas. [43]

In response to drought, deep wells for irrigation have been drilled which decreased the under ground water level, further draining groundwater resources, which rely on rain for replenishment. [44] To fix these problems, more dams and reservoirs are being built all across the country. [45]

Around 82% of Afghanistan's population has access to clean drinking water, with urban dwellers at 99%. [46] Companies that provide drinking water to the public include Cristal, [47] Alokozay, Noshaq, [48] and others. Cristal is more expensive then the others but it is the cleanest and safest. Those that do not buy bottled drinking water rely on springs and mineral water from deep wells. [49] [50]

Between 1998 and 2003, about 99% of the Sistan wetlands were dry, another result of continued drought and lack of water management. [51] The wetlands, an important habitat for breeding and migrant waterfowl including the dalmatian pelican and the marbled teal, have provided water for agricultural irrigation for at least 5,000 years. They are fed by the Helmand and Farah rivers, which ran at 98% below average in drought years between 2001 and 2003. As in other areas of the country, the loss of natural vegetation resulted in soil erosion; here, sandstorms submerged as many as 100 villages by 2003.

The Kajaki Dam in Helmand Province with its spillway (on the right) Kajaki Dam and spillway in 2012.jpg
The Kajaki Dam in Helmand Province with its spillway (on the right)

Some of the major water reservoirs and dams include the following:

Pollution

The city of Kabul has the highest air pollution in Afghanistan Kabul City.jpg
The city of Kabul has the highest air pollution in Afghanistan

Since 2002, over 5 million Afghan citizens that were residing in Pakistan and Iran have returned to Afghanistan. Many of them settled in Herat, Jalalabad, Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, Mazar-i-Sharif and other Afghan cities.

Air pollution

Air pollution in Afghanistan's major cities is becoming a serious problem to public health. [52] [53] Residents of Kabul suffer the most from air pollution. [54] [55] Over 2,000 Kabul residents die from air pollution each year. [56] One of the main reasons for this is the large number of old vehicles in the city. [57]

Nationally, an estimated 5,000 people die from air pollution. [58] [59] Some sources have given a much higher number of deaths in the past. [60] Old vehicles are also blamed for the air pollution in the other cities. [61]

Domestic and industrial waste

Due to the decades of wars since 1978, Afghanistan was left behind in building a modern sewage system. Only some wastewater treatments have been built recently, [49] including for farming purposes. [62] Most of Kabul's sewage is collected by trucks from septic tanks and then dumped at nearby agricultural lands. Some homes have all their plumbing connected directly to storm drains. The water and waste from there eventually run into nearby Kabul and Paghman rivers. [63]

Nuclear waste by Pakistan

In 2008, the Afghan government stated that it was investigating allegation that Pakistan had dumped nuclear waste in southern Afghanistan during the Taliban rule in the late 1990s. [64]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "NEPA Says Air Pollution in Kabul Increased Significantly Over Past Week". TOLOnews. 10 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  2. ↑ "Environmental health". World Health Organization. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  3. ↑ "Afghanistan ranked as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change". Ariana News. December 18, 2020. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  4. ↑ "ADB's Focus on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management". Asian Development Bank. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  5. ↑ Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative. "Country Index Rankings" . Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  6. ↑ "223,000 Afghans Affected by Natural Disasters: OCHA". TOLOnews. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  7. ↑ "200 flood affected families receive food aid in Paktia". Ariana News. August 11, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  8. ↑ "511 dead, 3,700 injured in flash floods over the past year in Afghanistan". Ariana News. August 18, 2022. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  9. ↑ "Flash Floods Cause Casualties, Damage in Several Provinces". TOLOnews. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  10. ↑ "Overlapping vulnerabilities: The impacts of climate change on humanitarian needs" (PDF). Norwegian Red Cross. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2022-01-18– via Relief Web.
  11. ↑ "'We're in crisis': The high price of deforestation in Afghanistan". Al Jazeera. July 4, 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  12. ↑ "Deforestation in Afghanistan Multiplies Climate and Security Threats". September 14, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  13. ↑ "Made worse by tree loss, flooding forces migration in Afghanistan". Reuters. September 8, 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  14. 1 2 3 "Afghanistan Takes Nationwide Steps to Protect Forests, Combat Deforestation". TOLOnews. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
  15. ↑ "Dust Storms Due to Drought Affect Afghanistan, Region: NEPA". TOLOnews. 16 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  16. ↑ "'Green Future' campaign: Daikundi activist's efforts to restore forests, pastures". Pajhwok Afghan News. 17 November 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  17. ↑ "7 detained in Badghis over illegal logging". Pajhwok Afghan News. 30 November 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  18. ↑ "Afghanistan 6th Vulnerable Country to Climate Change: NEPA". TOLOnews. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  19. ↑ "Unknown individuals axing down trees in Nangarhar, allege residents". Pajhwok Afghan News. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  20. ↑ "3 men arrested for cutting down trees in Nangarhar forest". Pajhwok Afghan News. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  21. ↑ "Unit established in Kunduz to prevent illegal tree felling". Pajhwok Afghan News. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  22. ↑ "National tree plantation campaign begins: MAIL". Pajhwok Afghan News. March 10, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  23. ↑ "Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 5978. 2020. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 . ISSN   2041-1723. PMC   7723057 . PMID   33293507.
  24. ↑ "Afghanistan's Forests A Casualty Of Timber Smuggling". NPR. March 18, 2013. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  25. ↑ "Afghanistan's Forests Are Turning a Profit for the Islamic State". Foreign Policy. July 15, 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  26. ↑ "Govt to Create 'Green Unit Force' to Protect Forests". TOLOnews. December 5, 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  27. ↑ "Afghanistan losing its wildlife to war, poaching and climate change". Ariana News. May 22, 2021. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  28. 1 2 "Hunting of Rare Animals, Birds Worries Farah Residents". TOLOnews. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  29. ↑ "Arabs hunt rare birds in Farah". Ariana News. January 8, 2015. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  30. ↑ "Afghanistan To Protect Wildlife And Wild Lands". Science Daily. 2006-06-28. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
  31. ↑ "Pakistani Authorities Seize 74 Smuggled Falcons". TOLOnews. October 18, 2020. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  32. ↑ "Falcon smuggling attempt thwarted in Karachi". Pajhwok Afghan News. October 18, 2020. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  33. ↑ "More than 300 houbara bustards released from Afghan breeding facility". Ariana News. February 10, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  34. ↑ "Snow leopard kills dozens of sheep in northern Afghanistan". Ariana News. December 31, 2021. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  35. ↑ "Afghanistan and Pakistan's Looming Water Conflict". The Diplomat. December 15, 2018. Retrieved 2021-03-10. Afghanistan has abundant water resources. It produces 80 billion cubic meters of water a year, pumping 60 billion cubic meters of it to the neighbors — particularly Pakistan.
  36. ↑ "Afghanistan commits to Iran's water rights but faces its own shortages: Mansoor". Ariana News. July 23, 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  37. ↑ "Afghanistan's Rivers Could Be India's Next Weapon Against Pakistan". Foreign Policy. November 13, 2018. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  38. ↑ "Afghanistan and Iran: From water treaty to water dispute". The Interpreter. October 14, 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  39. ↑ "A Pak-Afghan water treaty?". The News International. July 9, 2018. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  40. ↑ Ranjan, Amit; Chatterjee, Drorima (December 27, 2020). "Cutting across the Durand: Water dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan on river Kabul" . World Water Policy. 6 (2): 246–258. doi:10.1002/wwp2.12033. S2CID   234658030 . Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  41. ↑ "Over 3M Afghan Children Expected to Face Acute Malnutrition in 2023: WFP". Ariana News. January 27, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  42. ↑ "Afghanistan falls six places to 109th in Global Hunger Index". Ariana News. October 15, 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  43. ↑ "Drought Map, Understanding Afghanistan: Land in Crisis". National Geographic. 2001-11-15. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
  44. ↑ "Afghanistan Hires Lockdown Jobless to Boost Kabul's Water and Trees". KCET. June 15, 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  45. ↑ "More than 150 check dams to be constructed this year: MoWE". Pajhwok Afghan News. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  46. ↑ "Afghanistan". The World Factbook. Retrieved 2025-12-01.
  47. ↑ "Afghanistan Beverage Industries Limited". abi-af.com/. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  48. ↑ "Noshaq Non Alcoholic beverage industry". noshaqwater.com/. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  49. 1 2 "Purifying contaminated water into a lifeline for communities". UNICEF. 4 May 2025. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  50. ↑ "Kabul Faces Ongoing Water Crisis Amid Winter Cold". TOLOnews. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  51. ↑ Alex Kirby (2003-02-07). "Afghan wetlands 'almost dried out'". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
  52. ↑ "Kabul air quality ranks second most polluted: IQAir". Pajhwok Afghan News. 3 October 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  53. ↑ "Concerns Mount Over Increase of Air Pollution in Kabul". TOLOnews. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  54. ↑ "80 percent diseases in Kabul attributed to air pollution". Pajhwok Afghan News. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  55. ↑ "NEPA Finds '4,500' Kinds of Air Pollutants in Kabul". TOLOnews. January 12, 2021. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  56. ↑ "More than 2,000 people die each year due to air pollution in Kabul". Ariana News. October 16, 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  57. ↑ "Kabul air pollution reduces as vehicles decrease: Residents". Pajhwok Afghan News. November 19, 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  58. ↑ "Air pollution killed almost 5,000 people in Afghanistan in 2020, health ministry says". German Press Agency. Daily Sabah. January 13, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  59. ↑ "Air Pollution Claimed Almost 5,000 Lives In Afghanistan Last Year". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. January 13, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  60. ↑ Sadat, Sayed Khodaberdi (February 1, 2020). "Afghanistan:Air pollution more dangerous than civil war". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  61. ↑ "Growing air pollution in Jalalabad City raises eyebrows". Pajhwok Afghan News. December 26, 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  62. ↑ The Kabul Municipality has constructed a modern water treatment plant on YouTube
  63. ↑ "Sewage from US Embassy, NATO headquarters dumped into Kabul River due to aging infrastructure". Stars and Stripes (newspaper). September 12, 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  64. ↑ Vennard, Martin (1 April 2008). "Pakistan 'dumped nuclear waste'". BBC News. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.