Afghan air pollution could be deadlier than war

(13 Nov 2019) Afghanistan's authorities are trying to tackle the pollution in the country's capital, which may be even deadlier than its 18-year-old war.

There are no official statistics on how many Afghans die of pollution-related illnesses, but the research group State of Global Air said more than 26,000 deaths could be attributed to it in 2017.

In contrast, 3,483 civilians were killed that year in the Afghan war, according to the United Nations.

Yousuf fled with his family from his home in eastern Afghanistan eight years ago to escape the war, but he couldn't escape tragedy.

In the capital, Kabul, five of his children died, not from violence or bombings, but from air pollution, worsened by bitter cold and poverty.

At the camp for displaced people they live in, they and other families keep warm and cook by burning the garbage that surrounds them.

One by one over the years, each of the children got chest infections and other maladies from the pollution and never made it to age seven.

Yousuf, who works as a porter in a vegetable market earning barely a dollar a day, said he struggles to feed his family and provide medical care.

Like many Afghans he uses only one name.

Kabul, a city of some six million, has become one of the most polluted cities in the world, as decades of war have wrecked infrastructure and caused waves of displaced people.

On most days, a pall of smog and smoke lies over the city.

Old vehicles pump toxins into the air, as do electrical generators using poor quality fuel.

Coal, garbage, plastic and rubber are burned by poor people at home, as well as at the many brick kilns, public baths and bakeries.

Many apartment buildings have no proper sanitation system, and garbage is piled on roadsides and sidewalks.

The large majority of victims are poisoned by the air in their own homes, as families burn whatever they can to keep warm in Kabul's winters, with frequent sub-zero temperatures and snow.

Children and elderly are particularly vulnerable.

At least 19,400 of the 2017 deaths were attributable to household pollution, which also contributed to a loss of two years and two moths of life expectancy at birth, according to the State of Global Air survey.

Yousuf's camp, home to more than hundred families, has no proper water or sanitation system and is surrounded by garbage dumps.

His and other families' children search through the garbage for paper, cloth, sticks or plastic, anything that can be burned for fuel.

Decades of war have worsened the damage to Afghanistan's environment and have made it a huge challenge to address the issues.

Kabul's environmental department has launched a new program to control old vehicles, one significant source of pollution.

Authorities warn that this winter is expected to be colder than usual and fear that will only increase the use of pollution-creating fuels to keep warm.

Kabul Municipality spokesperson Nargis Mohmand said pollution could be controlled if residents stop burning garbage for heat and instead use fuel.

But fuel is either too expensive or not available for many in Kabul.

Electrical heaters are too pricey for most, and power outages are frequent.

Doctors at Kabul's Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital say they've seen the numbers of patients with pollution-related illnesses increase, though they could not give exact figures.

In the winter, hundreds of children a day sometimes come in, suffering from respiratory illnesses, according to hospital officials.



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