Confronting Afghanistan's Environmental Challenges

Jun 24, 2018 | Zia Nezam
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Water scarcity, air and water pollution, deforestation, soil degradation, overgrazing, and desertification present daunting challenges, yet all can be ameliorated, as domestic and international development projects have shown. The current persistent drought and over population – and as always the terrorist violence – compound these challenges. However, the latter two are being addressed. The three predominant factors leading to the current environmental situation in Afghanistan are its four decades of war and armed conflict, the country-wide drought, and natural resources neglect and mismanagement. Nearly forty years of conflict with all types of weaponry and equipment with their detritus, the destruction of personal and public infrastructure, destroyed cultivated land, deforestation, groundwater pollution, and fires have taken a very heavy toll. But, actions must be taken now where possible to aid Afghanistan's post-war recovery.