Experts warn that Kabul may be the first modern city to completely run out of water by 2030 due to declining aquifer levels caused by urbanisation and climate change. A report from Mercy Corps highlights that about half of the city's boreholes have dried up, and water extraction exceeds natural recharge rates. Meanwhile, up to 80% of groundwater is unsafe, leading to severe water access challenges. With escalating living costs, households spend significant portions of their income on water, fueling a cycle of hardship and potential migration.
Every household is facing difficulty, especially those with low income. Adequate, good quality well water just doesn't exist.
If these trends continue, all of Kabul's aquifers will run dry as early as 2030, posing an existential threat to the city's seven million inhabitants.
The report also highlights water contamination as another widespread challenge. Up to 80% of Kabul's groundwater is deemed unsafe, with high levels of sewage, salinity and arsenic.
No water means people leave their communities, so for the international community to not address the water needs of Afghanistan will only result in more migration and more hardship for the Afghan people.
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