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Kabul at Risk of Becoming First Modern City to Run Out of Water_ Report Warns
- Mercy Corps reported in 2025 that Kabul's groundwater has dropped up to 30 meters over a decade, threatening full depletion by 2030.
- Rapid population growth from 1 million in 2001 to nearly 7 million in 2025, combined with ongoing drought and climate change, has caused excessive water extraction.
- Nearly half of Kabul's boreholes are dried, 80% of groundwater is contaminated, and households spend up to 30% of income on water amid inadequate infrastructure and frozen aid.
- The $170 million Panjshir River pipeline project completed design phases in late 2024 and could supply clean water to 2 million people if funded amid political instability.
- Without immediate intervention and renewed international support, Kabul faces a humanitarian crisis marked by increased migration and severe water scarcity consequences.
27 Articles
27 Articles
The Mercy Corps report: by 2030, the levels that supply it will be dry. The level of reserves has dropped by 30 meters in a decade
The capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, could become the first modern city to run out of water completely, experts warn.
Kabul Could Become First Modern City Globally to Run Out of Water: Report
A new report from Mercy Corps, an NGO, has warned that Kabul, Afghanistan could be the first modern city in the world to run out of water. The city is nearing a tipping point, the report said, with water extraction far exceeding the rate of natural recharge and extensive water contamination problems for what limited water is available. According to Mercy Corps, Kabul is facing a water crisis that endangers the 6 million people living there. The …
The Afghan capital is facing an unprecedented water crisis, which could deprive it of its livelihood in a few years' time, says an NGO. The last hope now rests on this.
Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, with over 7 million inhabitants, faces a water crisis so severe that it could become the first modern metropolis that remains completely without underground resources. The water level has fallen by up to 30 metres in the last decade, and nearly half of the water sources have dried up. International NGOs and environmental experts warn that the situation could become irreversible by 2030, in the absence of urgent…
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