UN Warns Kabul Faces Severe Water Crisis Threatening Millions

Kabul is grappling with a severe water shortage that impacts millions of residents and jeopardizes the capital's future, according to a warning from the United Nations. The crisis stems from a confluence of factors, including rapid population growth, the overexploitation of underground aquifers, and the effects of climate change.

Stephanie Luce, head of the UN-Habitat office in Afghanistan, highlighted the multifaceted challenges posed by the water scarcity. The city's population has surged in recent decades, fueled by the return of Afghan nationals from neighboring countries, internal displacement due to prolonged conflict, and uncontrolled urban expansion. This demographic pressure has driven water extraction rates far beyond the natural capacity of the aquifers to replenish themselves.

Compounding the issue, reduced snowfall and recurring droughts have diminished a primary source for recharging Kabul's subterranean water reserves. A 2025 report by the humanitarian organization Mercy Corps revealed that Kabul's aquifers have declined by 25 to 30 meters over the past decade. The report further estimated that water extraction exceeds natural recharge by approximately 44 million cubic meters annually. Mercy Corps cautioned that without urgent intervention, Kabul's groundwater could be exhausted as early as 2030.

Further exacerbating the situation, Mercy Corps indicated that nearly half of the wells in Kabul province have already run dry. Additionally, up to 80% of the groundwater may be contaminated with wastewater, salinity, arsenic, or other health-hazardous elements. This critical water crisis unfolds against a backdrop of declining international aid to Afghanistan following the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, which has constrained both emergency humanitarian responses and investments in essential infrastructure. Programs focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene in Afghanistan received only a fraction of the necessary funding in 2025, making access to safe drinking water a major vulnerability for the population.

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Kabul faces a severe water shortage. This crisis affects millions of people and poses challenges for many reasons, impacting the city and its population now, but also in the future. Rapid population growth leads to overexploitation.