RAWA, May 18, 2024

RAWA Mobile Healthcare Team Offers Services to Flood-Affected People in Baghlan

Every area we visited was completely devastated

On May 10, 2024, devastating floods ravaged several villages in Nahrin and Burka districts of Baghlan province, including Saihazare, Fullol, Qashuktarasha, Gandecheshmah, Mistrykhodaiqol, and Mohibullah Khan. The floods resulted in numerous casualties and caused significant damage, particularly affecting Fullol village. The residents of these areas rely on agriculture as their primary source of income, making the financial impact of the floods severe and irreparable.

Baghlan province has long been plagued by insecurity, with even its central city of Pul Khomri lacking basic facilities. The surrounding villages suffer from a lack of essential services such as electricity, hospitals, and schools.

The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) responded swiftly to the crisis by dispatching a health team, including female doctors, equipped with medical supplies and sanitary materials. After a night and day of traveling through the long and flood-damaged road, the medical team reached the district of Burka, but the Taliban did not allow them to go to the village of Fullol to treat the injured and survivors of this heartbreaking incident. They authoritatively said that permission from the health official was required, but the ‘health official’ had turned off his mobile phone during this emergency situations and was not responding!

In Borka, the Taliban had taken over a large fortress and had forcibly collected all the aid materials from any organization that came, storing them there to be distributed later according to their own prepared list. Even the cooked food in disposable containers, which some had prepared to give to those in need, was seized by the Taliban and squandered there. Outside the fortress, a number of elders and representatives of the affected villages had gathered and were arguing with Mawlawi Obaida, the official responsible for distributing aid, demanding that the relief materials should be sent to the villages as soon as possible because the people had lost all their possessions and had no food for their children. But the Taliban official rudely ordered that there were no materials at the moment and they would be sent after a survey.

Despite the Taliban’s pressure, we refused to hand over the packages of medicines and sanitary equipment to them, and we were also unable to establish contact with the health official. Finally, after several hours of delay and with the cooperation and support of the local people’s representatives who said that the affected villages were in urgent need of medical help, we managed set off towards the villages."

Every area we visited was completely devastated. Only one or two walls of the houses remained standing, and the agricultural fields were buried under a thick layer of mud. When the health team arrived, the people were overjoyed, expressing that this was the first real help they had received. The young and old came together to set up our tent, and with order and understanding, we prioritized treating women and children, followed by the men. The presence of female doctors in our team attracted sick women from surrounding villages, who were grateful for the specialized care they received.

Banafshah Bibi, a mother who suffered severe psychological trauma, shared her harrowing experience:

"My son came running in a panic, saying that a flood was coming and everyone was fleeing the village. I couldn't believe it. My husband went to investigate, and when he returned, he was frantic, grabbing our two children's hands. He called for me to run as the flood had reached our village. My one-year-old was still in the crib. By the time I reached him, our house was already flooded. I struggled to find higher ground with all my strength, but the water pressure was too strong, and my child and I were submerged. Local residents saved us, but our belongings were destroyed. Now we sleep at our neighbor's house at night. Both my husband and I are injured, and all the children in the village are terrified. Our lives are shattered. What kind of disaster is this?!"

Another woman, overcome with grief, tearfully shared her heartache:

"We didn't have a proper home. Several families lived together in one house, with six or seven of us sleeping in one room. Last year's winter was harsh, and we dug through snow to build our rooms. Finally, we had our own house just in time for Eid. We even managed to buy some household items. We had a bountiful harvest this year due to heavy rains, and my husband believed we would finally escape our debts. We thought good rain would bring us a good life.

But the flood arrived at once. Most mothers could save one or two of their children, but those who were further away fell victim to the raging waters. Two children in our family lost their lives...

Now all I see is an empty field where our house once stood. The furniture and walls are buried under mud. My husband has lost all hope and hasn't eaten for days. He says everything is lost. We don't even have a tent anymore. The government offered no assistance."

"This is the first aid that has actually reached our village. As you can see, we are left with nothing—no home, no livelihood—everything disappeared in an instant under the mud. When we went to the district seeking aid for our village, the authorities dismissed us, claiming that since we were downstream, the wood and supplies brought by the flood from other villages would be enough for us; we didn't deserve any further help!"

Rozudin, a 65-year-old man who lost his house and land in the flood, recounts:

"I had a son who worked as a laborer in Iran for ten years. He sent money to build a room for himself and arrange a wedding not long ago. Six months ago, he returned from Iran and got married, but the flood washed away the fruits of his decade-long hard work—it destroyed everything in an instant. We lost all our rooms, belongings, and our garden. During the flood, my son rushed to save his pregnant wife but tripped and fell due to his tied leg, sustaining serious injuries. They both spent two nights in the district hospital, and sadly, their child was miscarried." Another elderly person shared his painful story.

What intensifies the agony such tragedies is the presence of Taliban groups patrolling with drone cameras, callously capturing souvenir photos. The Taliban arrive in luxury cars and helicopters solely to document the devastation before swiftly departing. The heart-wrenching natural disasters and loss of our fellow countrymen are shamelessly exploited by the current corrupt and dictatorial rulers as a cash cow. Helpless and impoverished victims in Paktika, Herat, and beyond have repeatedly witnessed a mere fraction of aid reaching them, while the majority lines the pockets of these criminals and looters.

Samia, a mother of several young children, tearfully recounted:

"Last night, my children cried out for bread, yet we received only a meager supply for the entire night. No one in our vicinity had anything to eat. We wept together, going to bed on empty stomachs. Our lives are in ruins; the lands we toiled over for months, yielding our year's income, were obliterated in an instant. We are left with no shelter, no belongings, and no sustenance. How am I to care for my eight children? My husband, burdened with a heart condition, labored through the winter chill on the fields, only to see our harvest reduced to mud."

"Journalists questioned us why we chose to settle here. Tell me, would we live in such destitution if we had means? We lack money, land, possessions—how could we afford a city home? Two decades ago, we arrived at this plain, built a house, and tilled the clay. This year, abundant rain and a successful season led to devastation by floodwaters.

Currently, all aid is centralized in the district and committee. We haven't even received a tent for shelter. My wife, children, and I possess only the clothes on our backs—no water, no food, no refuge. Government officials claim help will come when our turn arrives. When will that be? Lives were lost to the flood; now we must await hunger, thirst, and heat until assistance potentially reaches us?" Mir Ahmad lamented after losing his home, garden, and possessions.

Under the rule of corrupt and backward leaders, the impact of such catastrophes magnifies as these corrupt administration prioritize personal gain over saving lives. The savage Taliban, brain-washed in Pakistani religious schools and devoid of education or civilization, view natural disasters as "divine tests," absolving themselves of any responsibility.

Recent painful experiences underscore that until these treacherous Taliban hold power, it falls upon our impoverished masses to unite and provide mutual aid during times of profound suffering, as these mercenary leaders offer no genuine assistance or relief. One should not expect any genuine concern for their people's welfare from a terrorist group whose only concern is females' scarfs and educations or men's grooming.