Survivors face aid cuts and the Taliban a year after Afghanistan's devastating earthquake

People had only seconds to flee their homes when the terrifying sound of earth cracking echoed throughout Afghanistan's western Herat province.

No one knows for sure how many people died in the 6.3 magnitude earthquake on October 7, 2023, or in the powerful aftershocks that followed. The Taliban government estimated that at least 4,000 people were killed. The United Nations provided a much lower figure of about 1,500. Survivors stopped counting, exhausted after digging in the dirt to rescue or bury their loved ones.

The biggest challenge for the Taliban

This was the deadliest natural disaster to hit Afghanistan in recent memory.

It was also another major challenge for the Taliban since they seized power in 2021, a test of their readiness to lead a country struggling with economic hardship, isolation and devastation caused by decades of war and vulnerability to shocks such as earthquakes and climate change.

“At that time, the government really cooperated in transporting the sick and the dead,” said Ismatullah Rahmani, from the epicenter in the Zinda Jan district, where every house, usually built of mud and wood, was flattened. His brother and nephew were killed, and he spent hours trying to free his wife from under a meter and a half (60 inches) of soil. She survived.

“They opened hospitals and gave people free water and food,” he told The Associated Press from his new home in Zinda Jan. He added that the Taliban went to the camps and helped survivors over several months, a blessing before Herat's harsh winter. .

“After that, our aid stopped,” Rahmani said.

Charitable organizations intervened to build housing for survivors. But the accommodation they built lacks walls and therefore no privacy, while poor design makes them vulnerable to storms or heavy rain. Either the houses do not have bathrooms or the bathrooms do not have a roof.

Rahmani village, Naib Rafi, still does not have a health clinic or school. Instead, children learn in tents.

There is no financial assistance from the government

He said that the government did not provide financial assistance. Senior officials and Islamic scholars visited the communities several times, listened to the problems of the people and left.

Ahmed Allah Muttaqi, spokesman and member of the Herat Earthquake Committee, said authorities worked with charities and non-governmental organizations to provide shelter and medical assistance.

“People's problems have not been solved, of course, but the first necessity is to build houses so they can stand on their feet. They have received food and hospitals are still working,” he said. They are still working on rebuilding mosques, schools, religious schools and parks, he said.

He did not answer questions regarding the authorities' preparedness to confront future disasters.

Afghans were already suffering from displacement, food insecurity and poverty before the earthquake, and the tragedy caused further pressure on public services. Aid agencies, which had been supporting Afghan health care and education for the past three years under Taliban rule, are becoming more overwhelmed.

The International Rescue Committee set up feeding corners after the earthquake so mothers could safely breastfeed their babies and get nutritional advice. The relief agency said it also repaired water systems and provided emergency cash, hygiene kits, and medical and psychological support to tens of thousands of people.

But as other global crises rage, this support is limited.

International funding for Afghanistan has received less than a third of its target. Changing political priorities, economic troubles and wars are hitting the pocketbooks of donors, especially in the West.

Widespread opposition to the Taliban's treatment of Afghan women and girls has also had an impact.

“There is certainly donor fatigue, but perhaps the biggest problem is the nervousness many donors feel about supporting anything but the most urgent, life-saving aid,” said Mark Calder of World Vision International.

The United Nations says that international recognition of the Taliban as the legitimate government in Afghanistan is almost impossible in light of the restrictions imposed on female education and employment.

The Taliban movement rejects this position, demands Afghanistan's seat in the United Nations, and says that the sanctions and continued isolation of the country are harming the people.

Calder said investing in high-quality development aid would disproportionately benefit Afghan women and girls, sometimes in their name encouraging reductions in aid to Afghanistan.

He added: “It is difficult to imagine that Afghan societies are more prepared to face natural disasters than they were a year ago.”

Herat authorities were unable to fully meet humanitarian needs, while damaged infrastructure hampered recovery efforts. Almost complete reliance on aid organizations for basics such as health care and shelter has left people vulnerable.

Four of Gul Ahmed Usmani's sons died in the disaster. He heard the screams of boys under the soil in his village. He said it was impossible to get them out.

He and his surviving family members spent the winter in a tent. “The government took care of us, kept my wife and children in the camp, but we did not see anything from the government for them, such as flour, cooking oil or rice,” Usmani said. “Our people, the people of Afghanistan, have been bringing food for days.”

Helping hands came from other cities, regions and governorates to remove rubble, bury the dead, and distribute daily necessities such as clothes.

But it has been almost six months since NGOs or well-wishers came to the aid of Zinda Jan residents. A kind doctor from the northern Baghlan province donated money recently.

“There are still earthquakes and these new houses are heavy,” Osmani said. “The children are afraid. The earthquake assistance did not help us.”

Published – 06 October 2024 02:08 PM IST

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