Mohammad Assem Mayar - BEFORE THE DELUGE: - How to mitigate the risk

1 Before the Deluge: How to mitigate the risk of flooding in Afghanistan Mohammad Assem Mayar BEFORE THE DELUGE: How to mitigate the risk of flooding in Afghanistan Afghanistan Analysts Network Economy, Development, Environment May 2024 Almost a quarter of all casualties caused by natural disasters in Afghanistan are due to floods, with the problem only likely to worsen, given the climate crisis i. [...] For example, the Band-e Kamal Khan, built in the eleventh century to direct water for irrigation and prevent floods in Sistan, met its demise at the hands of Timur’s forces at the end of the thirteenth century as a punishment to the region. [...] The bulk of the cost of flood damage is typically to the commercial and residential sectors, according to the World Bank, amounting, respectively, to 40 and 30 per cent of the total cost of damage. [...] In 2016, the ministry did submit a draft of the national flood management policy to the office of the second deputy of the president, who was responsible for legislative affairs, but it was rejected. [...] It should comprise the reconstruction of destroyed facilities and the implementation of new measures to reduce the severity of flood hazards in the future.