AFGHANISTAN: Dam burst causes flooding in Ghazni

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

ANKARA, 30 Mar 2005 (IRIN) - The Band-e Sultan dam in Afghanistan’s southeastern Ghazni province burst on early Tuesday causing flooding in the area, a UN official told IRIN from the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday.

"Initial reports indicated that there was flooding in two districts," Martin Battersby, a public information officer with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said, although he noted that it was hard to get confirmation at the moment.

Battersby also said that the provincial capital of Ghazni town was flooded. “The reason was that big metal containers were blocking the river [causing] water to run into the town. A crane was used to remove the containers and once that was done the river water levels went down," he said, adding that according to preliminary reports the situation was under control as of Wednesday.

Some reports claimed that there were casualties due to flooding, but Battersby said that there were lots of different figures circulating and nothing had been verified yet. Assessment teams have been sent out to the area to get a clearer picture of the situation, he added.

The BBC reported on Tuesday that the flooding had killed at least six people and caused widespread devastation. The governor of Ghazni province reportedly said that thousands of hectares of land had been washed away and hundreds of shops destroyed.

Battersby explained that even if information was patchy at present on the number of houses destroyed or number of casualties, they would still be able to send initial assistance to areas reportedly affected by the flooding.

According to UNAMA, the Afghan Ministry of Defence helicopters were deployed very rapidly to help get an understanding of the problem and there was also food and tents sent from the Afghan government which arrived quickly in the affected area.

The Afghan Red Crescent Society is also sending tents, kitchen kits and blankets to the affected population, with around 70 volunteers working in the area.

In addition to this, the US-led Coalition forces were also working to help people in the area, the American Forces Information Service said on Tuesday.

"The coalition quickly responded by providing helicopters and truck support at the site of the break to help victims of the flooding. Coalition engineers were also sent to the dam to make assessments," the report said.

Afghanistan has suffered heavy flooding in recent weeks caused by melting snow, with some 200 people dead.

Meanwhile, a special one-day training course aimed at introducing a uniform system of reporting on humanitarian needs and providing reliable and timely information for improving humanitarian coordination was under way in Kabul, according to UNAMA.

Plagued by conflict for more than 20 years, Afghanistan is prone to various natural disasters, including earthquakes, avalanches, floods and landslides. Flooding and mudslides are common, particularly in the spring when snow starts melting. It is estimated that natural disasters have killed more than 19,000 people and affected about 7.5 million Afghans since the early 1980s, according to a recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

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