Environmental Issues

Being a country that is heavily dependent on agriculture, most of the fertile lands in Afghanistan have been severely degraded. This is due to constant farming, illegal harvesting, and widespread grazing. To make the matter worse, the ceaseless activities of warfare, civil disorder, lack of governmental support and natural disasters such as drought, floods and earthquakes have contributed to an even greater toll on Afghanistan’s human resources. With the decrease in the nation’s natural resources, Afghanistan has become extremely vulnerable to food shortages and other related crises. Pollution in both rural and urban environment is serious. People in many parts of the country do not have access to clean drinking water, especially those who live in rural areas. United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been bringing safe drinking water to the country by providing sanitation facilities and education on hygiene behavior in order to increase the 12 percent of Afghans who have access to drinking water in rural areas. However, environmental degradation remains the most serious concern in Afghanistan. The once fertile top soils are dried and no longer capable of supporting the large population of people who rely on agricultural inputs greatly. If the problem continues to worsen, many more will be left with diminishing hope despite the effort that non-governmental organizations or USAIDS have made.