Tag: floods

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Afghanistan Asia News Environment

Floods in Afghanistan’s Ghor, Faryab provinces kill dozens

Thousands of homes, hundreds of shops and thousands of acres of farmland have been destroyed in these floods and thousands of livestock have perished.

Nearly 70 people have been killed in recent floods in Ghor and Faryab provinces of Afghanistan, Afghanistan-based TOLO News reported. Local officials in Ghor province have reported that 10 people are still missing, and the death toll from the floods that occurred on Friday might rise.

Thousands of homes, hundreds of shops and thousands of acres of farmland have been destroyed in these floods and thousands of livestock have perished.

Nearly 80 per cent of the city of Ferozkoh has been devastated in the floods that occurred in Ghor. Furthermore, the heavy rainfall has submerged the surroundings of the Minaret of Jam in Ghor, sparking concerns about the potential destruction of 800-year-old monument.

Taliban-appointed Ghor province’s spokesperson Abdul Wahid Hamas has said that 50 people, including women and children have died and several are missing in recent floods.

Speaking to TOLO News, Abdul Wahid Hamas said, “In these floods, fifty people, including women and children, have died, and several are missing. Two thousand houses have been completely destroyed, and more than four thousand houses have been partially damaged. Furthermore, two thousand five hundred shops in the city of Ferozkoh and the districts of this province have been destroyed.”

The districts of Shahrak, Dolina, and Tiura alongside the city of Ferozkoh have been impacted by the floods in Ghor. The main Herat-Ghor highway and roads connecting the districts to Ferozkoh have been destroyed and blocked. Homeless people have been facing difficult conditions.

Speaking to TOLO News, Nazar Mohammad, a resident of Ferozkoh city, said, “These floods have left us without clothes or a morsel of bread. I am in dire need of ten afghani. Two families lived here, and the flood destroyed both homes.”

Another resident of Ferozkoh Abdul Hai said that his orchard, home and livelihood “are all gone and nothing is left intact.” He further said, “Nothing is left intact, and even our food has been taken by the flood. The floods have destroyed the wells, and we have no drinking water.”

As many as 18 people have died in the deadly floods in Faryab province and caused financial losses to residents of Faryab and Sar-e Pol provinces, according to TOLO News report.

Taliban-appointed Faryab governor’s spokesperson Esamatullah Moradi said, “The severe flood that hit Faryab province mainly affected the districts of Belcheragh, Pashtun Kot, Khwaja Sabz Posh, Qaisar, and Almar, causing significant financial losses to the local residents. Eighteen people have been martyred, and two have been injured in these floods.”

Taliban-appointed Sar-e Pol Governor’s spokesperson Habibullah Masroor said, “In the villages of Khawal and Qala Shahr in the Kohistanat district, more than 60 residential houses have been either destroyed or partially damaged. Dozens of shops and hundreds of acres of agricultural land have been destroyed,” the report said.

Recent floods in many parts of Afghanistan, particularly Ghor, have been unprecedented. On Saturday, Taliban-led Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation has announced that the provinces of Panjshir, Nuristan, Kunar, Kapisa, Parwan, Bamiyan, Faryab, Jawzjan, Herat, Farah, Ghor, Badghis, Badakhshan, Takhar, Baghlan and Samangan will experience heavy rainfall and potential flooding on Sunday. (ANI)

ALSO READ: ‘Curbs on Afghan girls will increase child marriages by 25%’

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-Top News Environment World

Heat, Flames, Floods: Summer 2023’s Triple Threat

Heat, wildfires, floods make summer of 2023 ‘a summer of extremes’

The summer of 2023 is “a summer of extremes” due to the scorching heat, wildfires and floods that have resulted in major damage to people’s health and the environment, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said.

Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the WMO, said at a press briefing here on Friday that dangerous weather, including intense heat and devastating rainfall, has impacted large parts of the world in this “summer of extremes”, reports Xinhua news agency

She said many new station temperature records around the world were broken in July, and the start of August also saw a winter heat wave in parts of South America.

In a series of updates on extreme weather, WMO said earlier this week that many countries like France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Algeria and Tunisia all reported new maximum daytime and overnight station temperature records.

Large parts of the US have also been gripped by extensive heat waves.

“We need to broaden focus beyond maximum temperatures because the minimum temperature is most important for health and critical infrastructure,” said WMO extreme heat senior advisor John Nairn.

WMO pointed out that heatwaves are among the deadliest natural hazards with thousands of people dying from heat-related causes each year, while the full impact of a heatwave is often not known until weeks or months afterwards.

According to WMO, sea surface temperatures of the Mediterranean are set to be exceptionally high in the coming days and weeks, exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in some parts, and more than 4 degrees Celsius above average in a large part of the western Mediterranean.

WMO believes that the impacts of marine heatwaves include migration of species and extinctions, arrival of invasive species with consequences for fisheries and aquaculture.

A wildfire is seen in Riverside County of Southern California, the United States.(Xinhua/IANS)

Speaking at Friday’s press briefing, the WMO spokesperson also said that Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season on record.

In Canada, record-breaking wildfires continue to burn big forest areas.

More than 650 wildfires were out of control as of July 24.

And earlier this week WMO said wildfires had forced evacuation of hundreds of residents and tourists on the Greek islands of Rhodes, Evia and Corfu since July 17.

The emissions of these wildfires have reached record levels.

Heavy rains and flooding also caused severe damage and loss of life in parts of the world.

India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel during the rescue operation of people stuck in the flood-affected Rishi Colony area after heavy monsoon rains caused rapid rise in the water level of Badi Nadi river, in Patiala. (ANI Photo)

“As the planet warms, the expectation is that we will see more and more intense, more frequent, more severe rainfall events, leading also to more severe flooding,” said Stefan Uhlenbrook, director of hydrology, water and cryosphere at WMO.

WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas noted that “the extreme weather — an increasingly frequent occurrence in our warming climate — is having a major impact on human health, ecosystems, economies, agriculture, energy and water supplies”.

“This underlines the increasing urgency of cutting greenhouse gas emissions as quickly and as deeply as possible,” said Taalas.

ALSO READ: Canada wildfire carbon emissions exceed 1 bn tonnes

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-Top News Africa News

Sudan declares emergency in 6 states over floods

Nearly 136,000 Sudanese people have been affected by the floods and heavy rains since June, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs…reports Asian Lite News

The Sudanese government has declared a state of alert and emergency in six states of the country over heavy rains and floods, the official SUNA news agency reported.

“In its meeting on Sunday, the Council of Ministers declared a state of alert and emergency regarding the flood disasters that affected six states, including River Nile, Gezira, White Nile, West Kordofan, South Darfur and Kassala,” the report said on Sunday.

The council stressed the need to mobilise official and popular efforts to attract internal and external humanitarian support from official and popular bodies to provide assistance to the affected people in the states, Xinhua news agency reported.

Acting Cabinet Affairs Minister Osman Hussein Osman affirmed the opening of an account in local and foreign currencies to attract support to the people affected by torrential rains and floods in the states.

“We announce mobilisation of the popular and official effort to help the affected people and strengthen early warning and follow-up systems in order to avoid potential damage,” SUNA quoted Osman as saying.

Wide areas in Sudan have recently been witnessing unprecedented heavy rains and floods. The latest death toll from the disaster has climbed to 80, according to a report of Sudan’s National Council for Civil Defence on Sunday.

Nearly 136,000 Sudanese people have been affected by the floods and heavy rains since June, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Sudan often witnesses floods caused by heavy rains from June to October.

Insecurity of aid workers

The United Nations humanitarian agency has decried attacks on aid workers in South Sudan, noting that such incidents may negatively impact the delivery of life-saving food supplies to those in need.

Sara Beysolow Nyanti, the Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, also called for a joint action to address the humanitarian crisis and an immediate end to attacks against civilians and humanitarian workers.

“I would like to highlight and honor the humanitarians, especially women, who work tirelessly on the frontlines in the most difficult environment, trying to reach thousands of crisis-affected people,” Nyanti told journalists in Juba, the capital of South Sudan ahead of the World Humanitarian Day to be marked on Friday.

She noted that the majority of humanitarian workers who have been killed in South Sudan are nationals who sacrificed their lives to provide assistance to the most vulnerable people in hard-to-reach areas.

Nyanti revealed that 8.9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the east African country in 2022, noting that aid agencies are targeting 6.8 million people affected by climatic shocks, drought, subnational violence, COVID-19, and others.

“It takes a village to raise a child. In the same way, it takes an array of partners to support crisis-affected people. We need urgent collective efforts to help the vulnerable population in South Sudan,” Nyanti said.

According to the UN, South Sudan has been one of the most dangerous places for aid workers since 2013, with 319 violent incidents reported last year targeting humanitarian personnel and assets.

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