The media reported on the threat of complete disappearance of water resources in Kabul by 2030

Kabul risks becoming the first modern city to run out of water completely. On Sunday, June 8, The Guardian newspaper wrote about this, citing a report by Mercy Corps.

According to experts, the water level in the aquifers of the Afghan capital has fallen by 30 m over the past 10 years. The main reasons are rapid urbanization and climate change. Almost half of the city's drinking water wells have already dried up. Water intake exceeds natural replenishment by 44 million cubic meters. m per year.

If current trends continue, Kabul will completely exhaust its groundwater resources by 2030. This could pose an existential threat to the city's 7 million residents.

"The lack of water means that people are leaving their communities. If the international community does not meet the needs of Afghanistan, it will lead to even more migration and hardship," said Mercy Corps Afghanistan Director Dane Curry.

According to the organization, up to 80% of Kabul's groundwater is considered polluted. High levels of sewage, salinity, and arsenic make the water unsafe to consume. More than two thirds of residents have debts related to water costs, and some families spend up to 30% of their income on it.

Residents also face speculation. Private companies are digging new wells and reselling water at inflated prices.

"We used to pay 500 Afghani every 10 days, now we pay 1,000. The situation is getting worse," said Nazifa, a local resident.

In August 2024, analysts at the Council on Foreign Relations, Kristina Buri and Stephen Cook, said that climate change would make the Middle East uninhabitable. According to them, migration to less hot European countries is the only outcome for residents of the Middle East, who will inevitably face the abnormal effects of climate change in the foreseeable future.