As a result of heavy snowfall in some provinces of the country over the past three days, 15 people have died, and nearly 30 others have been injured.
Statistics received from the provinces of Balkh and Faryab by TOLOnews indicate that, in addition to human casualties, nearly ten thousand livestock have also perished due to the recent snowfalls.
“The snow is ongoing and very heavy, and people are anxious as their livestock have suffered losses, many roads are blocked, and there is hardly any movement,” said Abdul Qadir, a resident of Sar-e-Pul.
Amanullah, another resident of Sar-e Pul, said: “By the grace of God, there is a lot of snow; however, the road is blocked, and the snowfall is heavy, and people’s sheep are hungry, the government should help,” said Amanullah, another resident of Sar-e-Pul.
Concurrently, the Islamic Emirate has announced the formation of a committee composed of various ministries to address the damages in different provinces, especially to livestock owners, and stated that fifty million Afghanis have also been allocated for the livestock owners of the provinces of Balkh, Jawzjan, Badghis, Faryab, and Herat.
“Committees have been formed in all provinces, and since yesterday, these committees are trying to open the blocked roads and have started their service to distribute food and fodder to the people and also to rescue those who are stranded,” said Misbahuddin Mustaeen, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock.
“So far, winter service workers have been able to assist individuals in Badghis, Ghor, Farah, Kandahar, Helmand, Jawzjan, Nuristan, and several other provinces who have been affected by the recent snowfalls,” said Erfanullah Sharafzoi, spokesperson for Afghan red crescent society.
The snowfalls of the past two days have caused the Salang Pass and the route to several provinces of the country, including Ghor, Badghis, Ghazni, Herat, and Bamyan, to be blocked to traffic.
“Due to the snowfalls of the past two days, the Salang highways, several routes in the Bamyan province, Daikundi, Ghazni, and in some provinces have been temporarily blocked,” said Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Work.
“Heavy snowfall in the province of Faryab has caused the roads in most districts to be blocked, and residents living in remote areas were stranded due to the heavy snow. One person in the jurisdiction of the Chahar Sada district on the border with Turkmenistan has died,” said Esmatullah Muradi, spokesperson for the provincial governor of Faryab.
So far, the final statistics on fatalities and livestock losses have not been shared with TOLOnews by the officials of the Islamic Emirate, and the number of victims of this event and livestock losses may increase in the coming days.
The city of Kabul was blanketed with snow on Thursday, something that was widely celebrated by the residents amid severe economic challenges that have affected millions of Afghans across the country.
Many Kabul residents expressed their happiness about the snowfall but vulnerable families said they are unable to afford the expenses of heating their houses.
“The snowfall happened in Kabul. Kabul can be without gold but not without snow,” said Sayed Ghafar, a resident of Kabul.
“As the snowfall happened, everyone, including children and adults, is happy and you see that everyone is playing,” said Mohammad Noor, a Kabul resident.
Other residents said they enjoyed the snowfall and took many pictures of it.
“Today was the first snow in Kabul and some other provinces,” said Hamid, a Kabul resident.
Some other residents said they are facing a tough life as they cannot pay for wood or coal to heat their homes.
“We don’t have anything to eat or to use,” said Sakhi Agha, a Kabul resident.
“I have no food to eat and no wood to heat our home,” said Totia, a Kabul resident.
The snowfall has also caused the closure of some highways, including the northern parts of the country.—Tolonews
