Source: United Nations (video statements)
According to the latest assessments, more than 2,200 people have lost their lives and approximately 84,000 people have been affected by the earthquake in Afghanistan, a UN Development Programme (UNDP) official said.
Addressing the press today (05 Sep) from Dubai, Stephen Rodriguez, UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan said, “According to the latest assessments, more than 2,200 people have lost their lives, and nearly 3,700 have been injured. At least 6,700 homes have been destroyed, and we have seen entire villages built on steep hillsides have collapsed.”
He continued, “Approximately 84,000 people affected by the earthquake. Schools, health facilities have collapsed. 68 major water sources have been destroyed, cutting off access to safe water for thousands of people, and FAO indicates that perhaps close to a million livestock have also been affected in some of those provinces.”
He said, “The emergency response is scaling up. Thousands of tents and nonfood items are now arriving for distribution. Mobile health teams are treating the injured. More than 20,000 people have already received food assistance, and water trucking and sanitation facilities are being set up to prevent the outbreak of disease.
He highlighted, “This tragedy, and this is one of the main points I want to convey, comes on top of multiple overlapping crises that Afghanistan has been experiencing.”
He stressed, “75 percent of the population – that’s 3 out of every 4 Afghans are struggling to survive at a subsistence level, meaning they can barely afford to meet their basic needs.”
He added, “So, the region that has been shot by the earthquake is also one of the main areas where returnees are resettling, and they’re often in extremely poor housing conditions and with limited livelihood opportunities. Host communities already under significant pressure are now facing even greater challenges, and this is why our response must go beyond immediate relief.”
He also said, “While the restrictions are going to remain a broad structural issue, in this specific earthquake response, we have not seen evidence of a systematic ban on women either participating in the relief efforts or receiving urgent medical care.”