The worsening climate crisis has led to erratic weather patterns, which have become the norm across the country. Unusually high rainfall, which followed a dry winter that left the ground too hard to absorb rain, led to massive floods earlier this month. This was further compounded by unseasonably warm temperatures that melted mountain snow, swelling rivers that then swept through villages, burying them under mud.
Within hours of the latest floods, WFP provided affected people with fortified biscuits and children with nutritional supplements. Working with local bakeries, WFP also distributed bread to communities most hard hit. By the end of last week, WFP started giving food rations to people in the affected districts, and providing cash assistance where markets were still functional.
As the climate crisis worsens, the losses from flooding are expected to increase every year. The floods come after years of drought that impacted most of the country.
WFP is investing in climate adaptation projects designed and built by communities to shield them from the impacts of the climate crisis. These include protective walls, dams and irrigation canals. During the Baghlan flood, a WFP-supported protection wall safeguarded 670 families and 400 acres of agricultural land.
For the flood response, WFP needs an additional US$14.5 million to cover emergency food and nutrition assistance and resilience building projects.