Kabul, Aug 8 — Malnutrition cases have doubled in the past three months in several surveyed areas in Afghanistan as the war-torn country also faces further pressure due to return of migrants from Pakistan and Iran, local media reported on Saturday.
“The return of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan is placing further pressure on vulnerable communities. Half of the surveyed areas reported receiving returnees from the two countries, while 57 per cent said those returnees had received no humanitarian assistance after arriving,’ Afghanistan's leading Khaama Press news agency reported.
According to the assessment conducted by REACH supported by the United Nations (UN), there are significant barriers to healthcare as 77 per cent of areas reported shortages of medicines and medical equipment while 59 per cent showed treatment costs as unaffordable.
“The assessment, conducted from May 10 to June 7 across 401 districts and based on information from 12,854 key informants, found that rising food prices, economic hardship, climate shocks and declining humanitarian assistance are worsening food insecurity and increasing pressure on vulnerable households,” Khaama Press added.
It highlighted that Panjshir, Faryab and Laghman recorded the sharpest increases in reported malnutrition cases with 89 per cent, 85 per cent and 83 per cent, respectively.
“The assessment estimated that 21.9 million people, nearly 45 per cent of Afghanistan’s population, need humanitarian assistance. Food insecurity was reported as a serious or very serious problem in 65 per cent of surveyed areas, while 55 per cent reported significant food-price increases during the previous month,” it emphasised.
The key informants from 87 per cent of surveyed areas reported that due to insufficient income or food, there has been an increase in households selling livestock, noting that economic hardship is forcing families to sell essential assets.
“Humanitarian assistance was reported in only 29 per cent of surveyed areas during the previous three months, down from 37 per cent in March, highlighting the widening gap between humanitarian needs and available assistance,” the Afghan news agency reported.
It said that climate shock is also adding to the pressure as drought was identified as a contributing factor for displacement in 40 per cent of surveyed areas while 15 per cent of areas faced damage to houses due to floods.
According to a new alert by the UN World Food Programme, the return of six million Afghans pushed back mainly from Pakistan and Iran since September 2023, has increased the strain on Afghanistan's already fragile economy.
“In the past three years, close to six million Afghans have been forcibly expelled from neighbouring countries,” said John Aylieff, WFP Country Director for Afghanistan while briefing journalists in Geneva from Kabul.