Residents of Kabul say worsening water shortages are making access to safe drinking water increasingly difficult, forcing many families to buy water at high prices or spend hours waiting in long lines to collect it.
The growing scarcity has become one of Kabul’s most pressing challenges, residents told Amu, as declining groundwater levels and rising demand leave many neighborhoods without reliable access to water.
Mohammad Ali, a resident of Kabul, said families in his neighborhood struggle every day to obtain water.
“People come down from the hills and wait for hours just to fill a single barrel,” he said. “There is simply no water.”
Others say their household wells have dried up, leaving them with little choice but to purchase water delivered by tanker trucks.
“There is no water anywhere in this area,” said Faisal, another Kabul resident. “I have to buy a tanker of water every day.”
Residents say the crisis has widened inequalities across the city, with only families that can afford the rising cost of water able to secure a regular supply.
Ali Mohammad, another Kabul resident, said many households have become increasingly reluctant to share what little water they have.
“Those who have money buy water,” he said. “Those who don’t depend on others. Some people share their water, but others refuse because they fear they won’t have enough for themselves.”
The United Nations has repeatedly warned that Kabul is facing a severe water crisis driven by rapid urban growth, over-extraction of groundwater and the effects of climate change. Aid agencies have cautioned that without urgent intervention, water shortages could become one of the city’s most serious humanitarian challenges.
Residents are calling on authorities to take immediate and long-term measures to improve water infrastructure and ensure reliable access to drinking water for the city’s growing population.
