The worst earthquake in Afghanistan in 20 years
Amid a twin economic and humanitarian crisis, the Afghan government is ‘financially incapable of providing needed assistance’
Author: Qian Xiaoyan
At 1 am on June 22, Ms. Gao, a Chinese living in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, was resting at home. Suddenly, a strong vibration shook her awake, “I felt the house shaking from side to side”.
Ms. Gao has been in Afghanistan for many years. She told the First Financial reporter: “Earthquakes are very frequent here, and it happened once two or three days ago.”
Ms. Gao, who has experienced many earthquakes in Afghanistan, didn’t care at first, but this time is obviously very different, she said, “After the first wave swayed, the second wave came again after only a short interval, and it continued. longer time.” This made her uneasy, and immediately rushed out of the room.
According to the China Seismological Network, an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 occurred in eastern Afghanistan at 1:24 on June 22, local time. The epicenter of the earthquake was near the city of Khost in the eastern province of Afghanistan, about 200 kilometers from Kabul. The mountainous area in this area is the production area of Afghan pine nuts.
According to the latest news, the earthquake has killed at least 1,100 people and injured more than 1,650 people. This is the deadliest earthquake in Afghanistan in 20 years.
Professor Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Afghanistan Research Center of Lanzhou University, told Yicai.com that after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the international community paid less attention to Afghanistan, but the Afghan problem has not eased and is still very serious. The earthquake caused huge casualties and is a concentrated manifestation of the systemic crisis in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan appeals to international community for rescue
In Khost and Paktika provinces in eastern Afghanistan, many places are already broken and rubble.
Mud-stone houses in rural Afghanistan were unable to withstand the impact of violent earthquake waves, and most of them collapsed directly, endangering the lives of the people inside. Since many people are still trapped under the rubble, rescue is also difficult. The death toll is likely to rise.
Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, head of the information and culture department of Paktika province, told the media that the (rescued) people were in fact digging one “grave” after another.
In order to help the people survive the natural disaster, Muslim, Deputy Minister of National Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs of the Afghan Interim Government, said that the government department will give 100,000 Afghanis (about 7,536 yuan) to the families of the victims as compensation and to the injured. Pay 50,000 Afghanis (about 3768 yuan).
The Acting Prime Minister of Afghanistan’s Interim Government, Mohammad Hassan Akhund, chaired an emergency meeting on the morning of the 22nd, requesting all relevant agencies to rush to the scene immediately, use all resources to save lives, and provide all necessary assistance to the affected people.
The Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan’s interim government said on social media on the 22nd that the Ministry of Defense has sent seven helicopters carrying life-saving equipment and medical personnel to the disaster area, and dozens of medical rescue teams are also on their way to the disaster area.
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, Ramiz Alakbarov, also told the media that the Taliban government also sent more than 50 ambulances and medical personnel to the disaster area. He said a large number of people needed immediate assistance, but severe weather with heavy rainfall, strong winds and snowfall in the area affected rescue operations.
Zhu Yongbiao told the first financial reporter that the Taliban’s response after the earthquake was relatively timely, and the top leader Ahonzada rarely spoke.However, the post-disaster response also reflects that there are still many challenges in the Taliban’s governance capabilities.common peopleRescue by yourself. Although the government also sent helicopters to participate, but to a large extent it is only symbolic and does not help the overall rescue progress.
Afghan interim government spokesman Mujahid called on the international community and people to sympathize with the victims of the earthquake in Afghanistan and provide rescue cooperation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on the 22nd that Afghanistan is a friendly neighbor of China, and China is willing to provide emergency humanitarian assistance according to Afghanistan’s needs. Wang Wenbin also said on the 23rd that China’s follow-up assistance will be released in due course.
U.S. National Security Adviser Sullivan said President Biden “is watching progress and has directed USAID and other federal government agencies to evaluate U.S. response options to help those affected.”
Zhu Yongbiao told reporters that after the Taliban came to power, on the one hand, they expressed their ability to solve their own domestic problems and emphasized their independence, but at the same time they did not refuse, and even welcomed the international community to provide assistance to Afghanistan. The post-disaster rescue and reconstruction of the earthquake may provide an opportunity for the Taliban to communicate and communicate with the international community.
The epitome of a systemic crisis
Afghanistan is located at the junction of the Eurasian plate and the Indian Ocean plate. It is one of the most active areas of crustal movement in the world and is prone to earthquakes. According to the European Mediterranean Seismological Center, the earthquake was reported to be felt in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, which are more than 500 kilometers away from the epicenter, affecting more than 100 million people.
However, USGS seismologist Robert Sanders said that in most parts of the world, earthquakes of this magnitude would not cause such damage, and the damage caused by earthquakes is more related to geography, the quality of buildings related to population density. According to a report released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, earthquakes have killed an average of 560 people in Afghanistan each year over the past decade.
Local media in Afghanistan believe that the earthquake occurred late at night, and many people were sleeping too late to escape. Second, the disaster area is one of the poorest areas in Afghanistan, with poor housing quality.
Zhu Yongbiao said that the local houses are mostly mud-stone structures made of local materials, and there is basically no concrete. They are built on mountains, which are prone to secondary disasters.
In addition, it is currently the rainy season in South Asia, and a large amount of heavy rainfall is more likely to cause landslides. Flash floods occurred in eight provinces in northern Afghanistan in recent days, resulting in the closure of many highways. The flash flood has killed 11 people, injured 50 and damaged more than 500 houses.
In addition to the simple dwellings that were damaged by the earthquake, the biggest headache for the local victims was the problem of eating. One of the victims, Kowsar, told the media that all the houses in his area had been destroyed, saying: “Our food is buried under the rubble. We desperately need food.”
According to a report released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in May this year, nearly 20 million people in Afghanistan are currently facing severe hunger, accounting for about half of the Afghan population.
The United Nations Food Programme has provided emergency food and nutrition assistance to 18 million people across Afghanistan this year. In May, the agency provided food aid to 320,000 people in Khost province, where the earthquake struck, and more than 590,000 people in Paktika province.
The country is in a dual economic and humanitarian crisis. Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesman for Afghanistan’s foreign ministry, said bluntly that the government “is financially unable to provide the people with the assistance they need.”
Zhu Yongbiao believes that the disaster caused by the earthquake is a concentrated manifestation of the systemic crisis in Afghanistan. The main reason why the earthquake caused heavy casualties is that the economy has not developed and people’s livelihood has not been improved. This is a comprehensive problem.
He told China Business News that the current government resources in Afghanistan are extremely limited. When natural and man-made disasters break out, they can only tear down the east wall to make up for the west wall. However, from past experience, if they focus on providing resources to one aspect, It is very likely that there will be problems in another aspect, or even affect security and stability.
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Responsible editor: Li Tong