UN: Two Million Afghans Face Severe Food Shortages Due to Drought

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has warned that at least two million people in Afghanistan are facing severe food shortages due to drought. In a report released on Saturday, June 4, it stated that farmers in 20 provinces, mostly in the north and west of the country, have delayed planting and reduced wheat cultivation due to lack of rainfall. The UN indicates that over two million people in two-thirds of Afghanistan's provinces are experiencing a food supply crisis. According to the report, due to the 'El Niño' phenomenon, most regions in Afghanistan have faced a 70% reduction in rainfall. This reduction in rainfall has harmed wheat cultivation for the fifth consecutive year. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs adds that with the absence of snow and rain, ponds and waterfalls have dried up, and rivers are either low on water or completely dry. Consequently, with the drying of pastures and overgrazing, villagers and nomads have been unable to provide food for their livestock. Nearly one and a half million goats and sheep in Kunduz in northeastern Afghanistan are facing food shortages, and 600 out of a thousand villages in this province lack water. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs states that of Afghanistan's 30 million population, about 14.8 million people are somehow dependent on agriculture and livestock. Since the beginning of this month, due to drought and food shortages, the first wave of migration from Badghis and Ghor to the city of Herat has begun, with the number of migrants exceeding 21,000 by mid-May. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that since the beginning of 2018, over 108,000 people have left their homes in Afghanistan due to war and natural disasters. In 2017, over 445,000 people were forced to migrate from their places of residence due to insecurity. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has called for an immediate $115 million aid to provide food and shelter for those affected.