Living Environment in Afghanistan

There is no single nationwide package of services for the living environment in Afghanistan. Urban planning and infrastructure are primarily the responsibility of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing. Municipalities and city administrations, known in Dari as shārwālī (شاروالی), manage waste, drainage, parks, sidewalks and public spaces. The National Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for environmental regulation, monitoring, permits, and rules on air, water, noise and waste. The Urban Water Supply and Sewage State-Owned Corporation works on urban water and wastewater services. NGOs and UN organizations often supplement these structures through project- and donor-funded activities. Conditions vary greatly between Kabul, other cities, informal settlements and rural areas. Rapid urbanization increased Kabul's built-up area by about 72 percent between 2008 and 2021. Around 11.4 million people lived in urban areas in 2024, more than 27 percent of the total population. At the same time, gaps remain in water, wastewater, drainage, waste collection, electricity, sidewalks and safe public space. About 35 percent of households are connected to the electricity grid; reliable supply is significantly lower. In rural areas, solar energy, micro-hydropower and community-based solutions play a larger role. Access, cost and processing time depend on location, provider, project financing, income and the security situation. Water and wastewater services use groundwater, wells, water vendors, tanker trucks, municipal networks, and local gravity-fed and solar systems. Drought and falling groundwater levels are worsening the supply situation; 2025 was the fourth consecutive meteorological drought year. UNICEF estimated in 2025 that about 30 percent of the population lacked access to basic drinking-water services. For 2024, the share of households with basic water, sanitation and hygiene services was approximately 24 percent, including around 46.3 percent in cities and 16.5 percent in rural areas. An older World Bank benchmark indicated network coverage below 20 percent in Kabul, Kandahar and Herat, a lack of comprehensive wastewater collection, and non-revenue water losses of about 50 to 60 percent. UWASS provides customer service and is working on new pipelines; its hotline can be reached at 130. A connection does not automatically result from contacting it. Fees, responsibilities and processing times vary locally. During droughts, floods, acute watery diarrheal disease or cholera outbreaks, and situations involving returnees and internally displaced people, UNICEF, WHO and NGOs provide additional emergency services. Practical responsibilities include using water sparingly and protecting wells and springs from contamination. In 2026, UWASS was working on 132 water projects in 19 provinces and on decentralized wastewater treatment facilities. Air pollution occurs both indoors and outdoors. In winter, coal, wood and other solid fuels contribute to pollution; other sources include dust from unpaved surfaces, generators, industry and smoky vehicles. According to WHO data, only about 31 percent of the population relied on clean fuels in 2022. WHO estimated air-pollution-related mortality in 2019 at 269.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Measurements are available in Kabul, but the data remains partly limited or old; nationwide reliable live AQI coverage has not been established. NEPA uses regulation, inspections, filter requirements, controls on smoky vehicles and complaint channels, although actual enforcement may vary by location. For noise, NEPA maintains a regulation on noise pollution, known in Dari as مقرره آلودگی صوتی. Exposure is particularly common in cities and at commercially used locations. A reliable nationwide measurement or exposure series, as well as a comprehensive public procedure with uniform deadlines and fees, has not been established. Depending on the location, complaints may be attempted through NEPA or municipal channels. Directly experienced green spaces (ساحات سبز) include parks, street trees, flower beds and recreational areas. In Kabul, the city's greening directorate manages maintenance and expansion. A 2026 municipal report mentions more than one million maintained seedlings and several parks under construction. There is no uniform nationwide rule on entry, maintenance or opening hours. In Chahar Qala, a facility supplies nearby green spaces with treated wastewater at approximately 80 to 100 cubic meters per day. Access to parks and public space is severely restricted for women and girls by current restrictions. A safe living environment includes dealing with flash floods, drought, earthquakes, landslides, water shortages, contaminated land, unsafe waste or wastewater, and explosive remnants of war. The floods in May 2024 killed about 210 people according to UN information and destroyed more than 4,000 houses. At the beginning of 2026, more than 1,000 square kilometers of land were contaminated; 471 casualties from explosive ordnance were recorded in 2025. Suspected objects must not be touched, and contaminated areas must not be entered. Reports and referrals can be made nationwide through the free multilingual reporting service (Awaaz 410); awareness, surveying and clearance are carried out by DAFA and UN partners, not by Awaaz itself. Community participation (سهم‌گیری جامعه) may involve local community groups, local leaders, neighborhood representatives, ward representatives (wakil-e guzars), municipal information and complaint channels, and project-specific feedback systems. The UNDP ABADEI program used local priority-setting, 70 community groups and platforms for complaints and feedback. Awaaz 410 operates in multiple languages and refers concerns to more than 260 partners. The reach and safety of these channels depend on telephone access, region, gender and the presence of NGOs. According to the available information, no women held local government positions in 2024; 80 percent of surveyed women had no contact with local authorities on central issues. The living environment is changing because of climate change, the drought from 2022 to 2025, falling groundwater levels, floods, earthquakes, returnees, internal displacement, informal expansion and low investment. The UN and World Bank water platform established in 2024 and climate-resilient projects are intended to improve data and supply. In 2025, UNICEF reported 92 climate-resilient water systems, access to safe water for more than two million people, 45 observation wells and 100 data loggers. UNDP supports solar, energy and infrastructure projects in all 34 provinces. Such measures are usually project- or donor-funded and do not create a uniform nationwide entitlement; implementation and timing depend on financing, access, tendering and local approval. The Environmental Law and NEPA rules provide formal instruments such as environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA), initial environmental examinations (IEE), environmental permits, and controls on air, water, noise and waste. NEPA lists a fee of 1,000 AFN for a local environmental permit and 5,000 AFN for a foreign or mixed permit with a nominal term of three years. Other review fees concern projects and operators and do not automatically constitute residents' entitlements. Enforcement and actual access to authorities remain inconsistent. Nature belongs here only insofar as climate, water or green spaces are directly experienced as part of the living environment. Housing law, complete transport systems and general natural areas do not belong to this area; sidewalks, accessibility and traffic-related emissions count only through their direct effect on the environment.