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More than 160 people have died from the cold in Afghanistan this month in the worst winter in more than a decade, the authorities said on Thursday, as residents explained that they could not afford fuel to heat their homes in temperatures below freezing.
“162 people have died due to cold weather since January 10 until now,” said Shafiullah Rahimi, spokesman for the Ministry of Disaster Management. About 84 deaths have occurred in the past week.
The coldest winter in 15 years, which has dropped temperatures to -34 C, has left Afghanistan in the middle of a severe economic crisis.
Many aid groups have partially suspended operations in recent weeks because the Taliban government has ruled that most female NGO workers cannot work, leaving agencies unable to carry out many programs in the conservative country.
In a snowy field west of the Afghan capital, children rummage through trash for plastic to burn to help their families, unable to buy wood or coal.
Nearby, 30-year-old shopkeeper Ashour Ali lives with his family in a concrete basement, where his five children are freezing.
“This year, the weather is very cold and we cannot buy coal for ourselves,” he said, adding that the small amount made from the store is not enough for fuel.
“The children wake up from the cold and cry during the night until the morning. They are all sick. Until now, we have not received help and we do not have enough bread to eat most of the time.”
During a visit to Kabul this week, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said the world body had asked for an exception to the ban on female aid workers who would arrive at one of the most vulnerable times for many Afghans.
“The Afghan winter … as everyone in Afghanistan knows is a great messenger of suffering for many families in Afghanistan as we experience these years of humanitarian need …
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