Over 175 people dead due to severe cold in Afghanistan
Jan 25, 2023
Kabul [Afghanistan], January 26 : The impact of the intense cold wave has got worse in Afghanistan as it has claimed the lives of more than 175 people, Khaama Press reported on Wednesday.
Suffering from one of its coldest winters, the livestock in the war-torn country has been severely affected as well.
Temperatures are dropping to as low as minus 28 degrees Celsius, far below the country's average temperature of 0-5 degrees Celsius.
A spokesman for the Taliban's Ministry of Disaster Management, Shafiullah Rahimi, on Tuesday said that around 70,000 livestock have also frozen to death across the country, according to Khaama Press.
The impact of the harsh winter has been exacerbated by the disruption in aid distribution to vulnerable families as a result of the country's ban on women employees of non-governmental aid organisations.
"The harsh winter has been disastrous - taking the lives of vulnerable people and livestock, with limited aid ordinary people receive. We call on the international community and aid organizations to extend their helping hands to the people of Afghanistan during these difficult times," a local resident in Kabul said to Khaama Press.
The residents of Afghanistan have time and again called on the Taliban to provide sustainable electricity to the people and lamented that amid the cold weather, it has become a tough task for them to manage on a daily basis.
A number of Kabul residents said the government and aid organizations should provide support to them during this winter. The distribution of relief to those in need has been hampered by the shutdown of numerous important roadways in numerous regions due to extreme weather and snowstorms, TOLOnews reported.
"We call on Islamic Emirate to help the needy people this winter," said Ramin, a Kabul resident.
The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has put the country under a severe economic as well as a humanitarian crisis.
Despite the assistance, Afghanistan's poverty, malnutrition, and unemployment rates are still at their peak.
