RASC News Agency: As Afghanistan’s people continue to endure a relentless cascade of crises marked by chronic poverty, rampant unemployment, an unstable economy, and the mass expulsion of migrants from neighboring countries they now confront yet another formidable adversary: the devastating impact of natural disasters. The recent catastrophic floods in the southeastern provinces of Khost and Paktia have once again plunged hundreds of families into ruin, exposing the dire consequences of decades-long neglect and the Taliban’s abject failure to safeguard vulnerable communities. Over the course of two relentless days, torrential rains triggered severe flooding in the Zadran district of Paktia and along the banks of the Shamal River in Khost. Eyewitnesses and local sources report widespread destruction: entire neighborhoods have been submerged, houses reduced to rubble, agricultural fields swept away, fruit orchards devastated, and critical infrastructure retaining walls and irrigation canals crippled or obliterated.
Farmers describe the floods as a complete annihilation of their crops, including staple maize fields that are central to local food security. “Our livelihoods have been washed away,” lamented a resident of Zadran. “Many families have lost their homes, with nowhere left to shelter. What compounds our despair is the utter absence of any aid or official response.” This grim picture starkly contrasts with the Taliban’s complete silence and inaction in both Khost and Paktia provinces. Despite the overwhelming scale of the disaster, the de facto authorities have neither mobilized emergency relief efforts nor offered even symbolic expressions of concern. This deafening silence has intensified public outrage and further eroded the already fragile trust in Taliban governance.
Environmental analysts attribute the escalation in flood frequency and intensity to a lethal combination of climate change, unregulated exploitation and mismanagement of water resources, and the systematic collapse of Afghanistan’s rudimentary infrastructure. Without comprehensive policy frameworks or strategic investments in environmental resilience, rural communities remain perilously exposed to climate shocks with no recourse to protection or recovery. The absence of a functioning disaster response system compounded by the Taliban’s ideological rigidity and administrative incompetence has exacerbated the vulnerability of agrarian populations. This leadership vacuum not only imperils immediate survival but also threatens to trigger a prolonged crisis of food insecurity and economic destabilization across Afghanistan’s rural heartlands.
As floodwaters wash away homes and harvests alike, the stark question confronting Afghanistan and the international community remains: In a nation crippled by autocratic misrule and diplomatic isolation, who will bear responsibility for protecting the livelihoods and dignity of those left most exposed to the wrath of nature and the indifference of their rulers?
