21 million people in Afghanistan face shortage of safe drinking water

Officials from the National Environmental Protection Administration (NEPA) said 21 million people are in a shortage of drinking water in Afghanistan due to climate change.

The Islamic Emirate-controlled Bakhtar news agency reported on Monday that millions of people in Afghanistan do not have access to safe drinking water, according to Mawlavi Abdeslam Haqqani, deputy director of the National Environmental Protection Agency.

He said Afghanistan is a country that has been severely affected by climate change due to “wars.”

Officials from the National Environmental Protection Agency have previously stated that climate change has had a negative impact on the environment in Afghanistan.

The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Coordinating in Afghanistan (OCHA) warned that millions of women and children in Afghanistan lack access to safe water and health services due to a lack of funds.

Climate change in Afghanistan has reduced access to water for families by 60 percent, according to the agency.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that 7 out of 10 people do not have access to safe water.