Kabul is at risk of becoming the first modern city to run out of water due to climate change and governance failures. Groundwater levels have decreased dramatically, with extraction exceeding natural recharge by 44 million cubic meters annually. The aquifers may run dry by 2030, affecting three million residents. Nearly half of Kabul's bore wells are already dry, and 80% of the groundwater is contaminated. Contributing factors include population growth, climate change, and the impact of US-led military intervention in the country over two decades.
Kabul's aquifer levels have plummeted 25-30 metres in the past decade, with water extraction exceeding natural recharge by a staggering 44 million cubic metres a year.
If the current trend continues, Kabul's aquifers will become dry by 2030, posing an existential threat to the Afghan capital.
Experts point to a combination of factors behind the crisis: climate change, governance failures, and increasing pressures on existing resources as the city's population has expanded.
UNICEF projected that nearly half of Kabul's underground bore wells, the primary source of drinking water for residents, are already dry.
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