Kabul, June 22 (IANS) As many as 16 million people in Afghanistan will need access to clean water and sanitation services in 2026, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday, local media reported.
The OCHA said water scarcity is exposing children to greater health risks and affecting daily life in Afghanistan, forcing people to taking coping mechanisms amid deteriorating conditions. The agency stated that access to safe drinking water and sanitation in Afghanistan is a critical humanitarian challenge, Afghanistan’s news agency Khaama Press reported.
Over the years, Afghanistan has faced recurring droughts, inadequate water-management infrastructure and poverty, resulting in millions of people facing difficulty in getting sufficient water for drinking, household use and agriculture. Humanitarian agencies have said that climate-related shocks are increasing pressure on already fragile communities in Afghanistan, Khaama Press reported.
The OCHA’s statement comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian crisis due to economic difficulties, food insecurity and reduction in international aid. Aid organisations said reduced funding has restricted the humanitarian agencies from expanding expand water, sanitation and hygiene services in several areas.
On June 16, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the nutrition crisis in Afghanistan is worsening, highlighting growing humanitarian concerns in the country.
In a statement on June 16, the OCHA said that 3.7 million children are expected to face severe malnutrition in 2026. It emphasised the need to have urgent funding to save lives in Afghanistan and stop irreversible harm, Afghanistan-based Pajhwok Afghan News reported.
OCHA stated that the nutrition situation in Afghanistan is rapidly worsening in 2026, with wasting levels worsening in 26 of 34 provinces in comparison to 2025. It further mentioned that deterioration is happening before the peak wasting season which is from July to September, indicating an early and deepening crisis, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.
–IANS
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