On Sunday, Aug. 31, Afghanistan was rocked by a 6.0-magnitude earthquake, the most deadly that has been recorded in the country since 1998.
The epicenter was near the city of Jalalabad in the far east of the country, and light tremors were felt as far west as Kabul and as far east as Islamabad in northern Pakistan. The current death toll of the earthquake is over 3,000, and over 4,000 were injured. In addition, more than 5,000 homes were destroyed by the tremors and the ensuing landslides and avalanches.
Afghanistan, a large and mountainous country between Central and South Asia, is prone to earthquakes and other natural disasters. This is mostly due to its position upon the Eurasian tectonic plate. Its close proximity to both the Indian and Arabian tectonic plates is the cause of the frequent earthquakes due to the friction between the constantly-shifting plates.
The Hindu Kush mountains, the westernmost part of the greater Himalayas, add greater danger when it comes to earthquakes; large rocks and debris slide down mountains as a result of the tremors, and the difficult terrain makes search-and-rescue and the delivery of foreign aid much greater challenges than they already would have been. Civilians have reported hours-long waits for rescue operations to pull their loved ones out of the wreckage of their homes.
Afghanistan has experienced hundreds of powerful earthquakes over the past 30 years. About 100 of these have caused significant damage. Occasionally these earthquakes will occur in rapid succession, which causes even more death and destruction.
On average, 560 Afghanis are killed in earthquakes per year, which is the most out of any country. The annual cost of the damage to homes and infrastructure is about $80 million per year, of which the greatest proportion comes out of the capital and largest city of Kabul.
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is currently led by the Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist group that has been ruling the country since 2021, and has had on-and-off control of the government since 1994. Some states, not including the United States, recognize the Taliban as a terrorist group, and many more, including the United States, do not recognize it as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
Despite its history of refusing foreign aid to its citizens, the Taliban is now requesting help from foreign countries and international organizations. Early this year, the United States pulled out of $1.7 billion in contracts to send aid to Afghanistan. Three other G7 member states, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, promptly followed the US’ lead.
Despite this, the United Kingdom has promised $1.3 million in funding for the people affected by the earthquake, and the European Union has donated another $1.16 million. The neighboring countries of China and India have also promised aid. The White House has offered its condolences but no aid.
Every time that Afghanistan is hit by a powerful earthquake, the survivors have to rebuild their homes, sometimes after losing friends and family members. The diminished amount of foreign aid only amplifies this struggle. If Afghanis can find a way to rebuild structures to be more earthquake-resistant yet still affordable, then future earthquakes may not be as deadly or costly.
