Afghanistan floods: ‘I found my family’s bodies in the streets’

Mohammad feels fortunate that his family has survived, but says he has lost everything else.

He shows me the fields where his crops have been ruined.

“This was the only source of income I had,” he says. “I feel helpless.”

Like 80% of Afghans, he depends on agriculture for his income. Mohammad says he is not sure how they will survive.

He points to the remains of his house in the distance. He cannot return because the flood waters are still too high.

“I don’t have anything now, what should I do? I have family to provide for but I have nothing.”

Even before the floods hit, the UN estimated that about 24 million people, more than half the population of Afghanistan, would need some form of humanitarian assistance this year.

It is not just crops that have been affected. Mohammed says his neighbour lost his two cows in the floods. They were the man’s only way of making a living.

And Noor, who is staying with his daughter, says the only possessions he has left are the clothes he is wearing. He had lived in the house that was swept away since he was a young boy – his father built it 65 years ago.

“I had hopes about the future,” he says. “My son and granddaughter were teachers and I was proud because they were contributing to the future of the country.”

Both are now dead. “The floods took everything,” he says.

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