RASC News Agency: Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, is currently engulfed in a dense blanket of toxic smog and airborne pollutants. The air pollution crisis has reached a level that can no longer be described as a routine environmental issue; it has become a silent catastrophe and a direct threat to the lives and health of millions of residents.
According to air-quality monitoring data, concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Kabul have repeatedly exceeded 11 times the maximum level recommended by the World Health Organization. This has placed Kabul among the world’s most polluted major cities. At several points, the city has ranked as the second most polluted city globally on the Air Quality Index (AQI), a level considered extremely hazardous particularly for children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions.
Air pollution in Kabul worsens dramatically during the winter months. As electricity shortages persist and clean fuels remain unaffordable for much of the population, thousands of households are forced to burn coal, wood, and, in many cases, plastic and rubber to heat their homes. These practices, combined with emissions from aging industrial facilities and generators, pump large volumes of toxic substances into an already stagnant atmosphere.
The autumn and winter silence of Kabul no longer brings calm. Instead, every breath has become a health risk, slowly damaging lungs, hearts, and immune systems. The air often visibly thick and opaque has turned into an invisible weapon, particularly against children and older adults. Public-health experts warn that air pollution has become one of the most serious yet least addressed threats to life in the city.
Reports indicate that thousands of people across Afghanistan die each year due to air-pollution-related illnesses, with Kabul accounting for a significant share. Hospitals in the capital register thousands of visits annually for respiratory complications linked directly to poor air quality. In the past week alone, Afghanistan’s health authorities reported that hundreds of people sought medical treatment after exposure to polluted air, with dozens of deaths attributed to the crisis.
Environmental and health specialists identify several key factors driving the situation:
• Aging vehicles and chronic traffic congestion, releasing continuous plumes of exhaust into the city’s air;
• Widespread use of low-quality fuels, including coal, plastic, and rubber, for household heating;
• Uncontrolled urban expansion and a severe lack of green space studies indicate that Kabul has only about five square meters of green area per capita, far below international standards.
These problems are further compounded by rapid population growth, the return of large numbers of displaced people, and the expansion of informal settlements. During the cold season, Kabul’s geographic and meteorological conditions trap pollutants in the lower atmosphere, preventing dispersion and intensifying exposure.
Residents describe daily life as suffocating. Visibility in some neighborhoods is reduced to just a few meters, forcing many to wear protective masks outdoors. Families express growing anxiety over the long-term health consequences for their children, particularly as schools and playgrounds remain exposed to toxic air.
Environmental and public-health experts warn that without immediate and coordinated action including emissions reduction, regulation of fuel use, expansion of urban green spaces, and investment in clean energy the situation will not improve. Instead, Kabul risks sliding deeper into a prolonged public-health emergency, with social and economic consequences that will extend far beyond the environmental realm.
