Afghan Authorities stated on Thursday that more than 160 people in Afghanistan had died from the cold this month during the worst winter in more than a decade, as villagers spoke of their inability to pay for fuel to heat their houses in well-below-freezing conditions.
A spokesperson for the Minister of Disaster Management Shafiullah Rahimi stated that 162 people had died as a result of the cold weather since January 10 up until this point. The past week saw the deaths of about 84 people.
Afghanistan has had its coldest winter in 15 years with temperatures as low as -34 degrees Celsius (-29.2 degrees Fahrenheit). At the same time, the country is experiencing a dire economic crisis.
Due to the Taliban administration’s decision that the majority of NGO employees could not work, several assistance organizations have temporarily ceased activities. As a result, many programs in the nation could not be carried out by agencies.
Ashour Ali, a 30-year-old business owner, lives nearby with his family in a concrete basement, where his five kids tremble in the cold.
He explained to local media, “This year, the weather is exceptionally cold, and we couldn’t buy coal for ourselves. The little money I get from my shop is no longer adequate for fuel.”
The UN’s chief humanitarian official, Martin Griffiths, stated this week that the organization was looking for exceptions to the ban on the majority of female aid workers because it was coming at a time when many Afghans were at their most vulnerable.
