By Zakia Shafayee
War and terror aren’t the only headlines out of Afghanistan: the last few months have been filled with news of drought, groundwater depletion, and pest infestations. And then there’s the flooding. In the last few months, the provinces of Parwan, Badghis, Faryab, Maidan Wardak, Nangarhar, Paktika, Ghazni and Logar have witnessed devastating floods, causing more than 180 deaths, 250 injuries and inestimable financial losses.
This shows that Afghanistan, like other parts of the world, is seriously exposed to the consequences of global warming and climate change.
Wars and political crises have always overshadowed environmental issues in Afghanistan. In the meantime, a small non-profit research institute, the Avisar Organization, is actively raising awareness about water-resource management and environmental protection.
In a conversation with Zan Times, Avisar president Alijuma Raisi said the NGO’s young founders established the organization in 2018 to address governmental and private indifference to environmental issues.
According to Raisi, Avisar has dozens of expert staff and hundreds of volunteer members, and is one of the few environmental organizations active in Afghanistan.
He explains the name comes from an old Persian compound word meaning waterlike, or purity. Avisar has written reports on environmental issues, climate change, and underground water depletion. It has organized numerous awareness programs for youth, government officials, and those who are effective in shaping public opinion about the importance of environmental protection.
Avisar has launched several campaigns: planting saplings, collecting garbage, reducing plastic use, channelling precipitation to underground water reserves, and hosting educational seminars.
Women with expertise have managerial roles at the NGO. Adila Yari, a graduate in hydrogeology, is one of the founders and the current vice-president of the organization. She says, “Despite the unsafe social environment and restrictions on their activities, women in Avisar play an active role — because they are aware of the dangers of the acute environmental issues and water shortage crisis.”
Yari cited their campaign against the use of plastic bags. Avisar distributed free reusable cloth bags, which was welcomed by citizens — particularly women.
“Our research and experience shows that families have a central role to play in managing environmental crisis and water depletion,” she says, which is why Avisar has focused its awareness campaigns on women in particular.
Raisi adds, “If families, especially women, would be more aware about the importance of the environment many of our problems would be reduced. Because families can raise children who are more aware of the environmental issues.”
Avisar members say that because of the consequences of climate change, Afghanistan will have difficult years ahead, and if preventive measures are not taken, natural disasters such as the ones of recent times will wreak further havoc. Hectares of agricultural land could become uncultivatable, resulting in mass migration. Then it becomes not just a local problem, but an international one — and everyone must work together to plan more robust preventive programs.
