Kabul to run out of water by 2030? Here’s all you need to know about latest warning

The Afghan capital, Kabul, is close to becoming the first modern city to get completely run out of water. A report by the NGO Mercy Corps warned that water levels in Afghanistan’s largest city have dropped by up to 30 metres over the past decade. This came as a result of rapid urbanisation and climate breakdown, the report claimed.

Also, 50 per cent of Kabul's boreholes – the primary source of drinking water for residents - have dried out. Water extraction currently exceeds the natural recharge rate by 44m cubic metres each year.

If the situation remains unresolved, all of Kabul’s aquifers will run dry as early as 2030, posing an existential threat to the city’s seven million inhabitants.

Dayne Curry, Afghanistan country director for Mercy Corps said, “There should be a committed effort to document this better and to draw international attention to the need to address the crisis.”

“No water means people leave their communities, so for the international community to not address the water needs of Afghanistan will only result in more migration and more hardship for the Afghan people,” he added.

The report also said Kabul is likely to go through water contamination challenges. It said that Kabul’s 80 per cent groundwater is deemed unsafe.

As per The Guardian, up to 30 per cent income of Kabul residents goes to water. Some are even in debt due to spending on water.

“Afghanistan is facing a lot of problems, but this water scarcity is one of the hardest,” Nazifa, a teacher living in the Khair Khana neighbourhood of Kabul, told the British newspaper.

“Every household is facing difficulty, especially those with low income. Adequate, good quality, well water just doesn’t exist,” she added.