Kabul Faces Imminent Water Crisis as Aquifers Deplete, Aid Remains Frozen
Kabul, Afghanistan, is on the brink of a severe water crisis, with its aquifers depleting at nearly double the rate they are refilling, and almost half of its boreholes already dry. Groundwater levels in the Afghan capital have fallen by 25 to 30 meters over the past decade, according to a report by Prosper Global, formerly Mercy Corps. The extraction of water exceeds natural recharge by approximately 44 million cubic meters annually. If current trends persist, the aquifers supplying most of the city could be dry by 2030, potentially displacing around 3 million of Kabul's roughly 6 million residents, as projected by UNICEF. The city's three main aquifers hold over 5 billion cubic meters of water, but only a fraction of this capacity is being maintained. Over 120,000 unregulated borewells, along with numerous factories and greenhouses, are extracting water faster than rivers can replenish it. The city's population has surged from under one million in 2001 to about six million today, intensifying the demand ...
