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Eight-year-old Noorullah and his twin brother Sanaullah spend their days carrying yellow jerrycans on a wheelbarrow through Kabul’s dusty streets instead of attending school—highlighting a family’s struggle that mirrors Afghanistan’s worsening water crisis.
Once, their household relied on their own well for water, but since it dried up four years ago, the family of 13 has been forced to wait in line at communal taps or pool funds for expensive water tankers.
Climate change has led to more frequent droughts and unpredictable rainfall in Afghanistan, making Kabul one of the most water-stressed cities in Asia, according to aid organizations. These shortages are contributing to the spread of disease, malnutrition, and dropping school attendance rates.
The independent Kabul-based research group, Afghanistan Analysts Network, warned earlier this month that the city’s groundwater could be depleted by 2030, with other Afghan cities experiencing similar crises. The water shortage is deepening social inequality, as impoverished families spend up to 30% of their income on tanker water, while wealthier residents dig deeper private wells.
The twin brothers line up with dozens of children at a communal tap, where tensions often flare into fights due to the intense heat.
Noorullah, who has epilepsy, recounted a time he fainted during a water-fetching trip. Sanaullah added, “Sometimes we wait in line for three hours. When it’s too hot, we feel dizzy.”
Their father, Assadullah, a 42-year-old shopkeeper, feels he has no choice. Sitting outside his small shop with empty water barrels nearby, he explained, “From morning until night, my kids go for water six or seven times a day.”
“Sometimes they cry because they can’t carry more. But what else can we do?” he asked.
The water shortages have also hit his income hard. On good days, he makes just two to three dollars, but often he leaves his shop to help his sons carry water loads.
“We used to buy water from a company that lasted three or four days, but now that’s gone,” he said.
In their yard, Assadullah’s wife washes dishes in a plastic basin, carefully measuring each jug of water. She mentioned her husband has developed a stomach ulcer, and she herself contracted H. pylori, a bacteria linked to unsafe water. “I boil water twice before giving it to our children, but it’s still a struggle,” she admitted.
Kabul’s population has exploded beyond six million over the past two decades, yet infrastructure investments in water supply have fallen behind. Years of war have damaged much of the distribution network, pushing residents to rely on wells or costly water tankers, both of which are failing.
Nearby, community volunteer Mohammad Asif Ayubi, 52, said more than 380 households face similar hardships. “Even wells 120 meters deep have dried up,” he explained, pointing to what was once considered a reliable water source.
Droughts and unpredictable rainfall patterns have drastically reduced snowmelt—once a vital source—to replenish Kabul’s water basin. The city’s riverbeds are dry for most of the year. Najibullah Sadid, a water researcher based in Germany, confirmed that Kabul is among the most water-stressed areas globally.
Earlier this month, UN envoy Roza Otunbayeva warned the Security Council that ongoing climate shocks, droughts, and migration could lead Kabul to become the first modern capital to run out of water “within years, not decades.”
For Assadullah, the wish is simple: “If we had enough water, my children wouldn’t have to run around all day. They could go to school. Our whole life would change.”
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