The U.N.'s humanitarian response to devastating earthquakes in Afghanistan is severely impeded by an inability to reach hundreds of remote villages, prompting fears of a rising death toll and a potential cholera outbreak as winter approaches.
Shannon O’Hara, head of strategy and coordination for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan, issued a stark warning on Monday, emphasizing the urgent need for a flexible and rapid response.
O’Hara, speaking to reporters by videoconference from Jalalabad, detailed a grim reality on the ground, where out of 441 villages affected by the magnitude 6+ earthquake on Aug. 31 and subsequent aftershocks, only 49 have been accessed for initial assessments.
That leaves 392 communities cut off from aid, with the full scale of destruction and human suffering largely unknown. In the villages reached, U.N. assessments have already confirmed 5,230 homes destroyed and 672 damaged.
"The only road in and out is a narrow single-lane track carved into the mountainside," O’Hara said about a recent field visit to a World Food Program hub in Kunar Province.
The arduous journey of approximately 100 kilometers took over six and a half hours, complicated by landslides and heavy traffic, including trucks loaded with humanitarian assistance.
The OCHA official described observing families displaced and walking away from the epicenter, carrying what little they could, many still in the same clothes they were wearing when the earthquake hit.
She noted that upon reaching the Mazar Dara area, the "overwhelming" smell of dead animals was a testament to the comprehensive destruction of homes, farms, and livelihoods.
A particularly alarming concern is the severe lack of clean drinking water and sanitation. O’Hara said initial assessments indicate "92 percent of these communities are practicing open defecation."
Given that cholera is endemic in the region, she warned that "the potential for a cholera outbreak is alarming," a threat compounded by the approaching winter.
Half a million people affected, over half children
The U.N. has released $5 million from its Central Emergency Emergency Fund to kickstart the response, and a comprehensive response plan is set to be launched tomorrow to address "immediate lifesaving needs."
O’Hara stressed that "additional funding is urgently needed," warning that without swift support, "the weeks ahead risk compounding this tragedy, with preventable disease outbreaks, further displacement and additional loss of life."
The earthquake is estimated to have affected up to 500,000 people, more than half of whom are children, with the current death toll at 1,400 and over 3,500 injured — figures that could significantly increase once more remote areas are accessed.
O’Hara noted that while Afghanistan's ruling Taliban authorities have taken the lead in search and rescue, there have been no major obstructions to humanitarian operations. She affirmed that the U.N. is working to ensure women are included in health teams and aid distribution efforts.
"If we don't act now," she said, "these communities may not survive the coming winter."
