UNHCR has launched a large-scale airlift to provide tents to those fleeing drought and conflict in Afghanistan.
UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, began the first in a series of airlifts to western Afghanistan this past Saturday, bringing thousands of tents to people displaced by a confluence of factors, primarily due to conflict and an ongoing severe drought.
Together the drought and ongoing conflict have seen over quarter of a million Afghans displaced in this region of the country since April, a statement said.
Winter to create more desperation
The UN agency noted that ''some 220,000 families are living in makeshift shelters in the western provinces of Herat, Badghis and Ghor — and, with winter approaching, in conditions that are increasingly desperate." The UN's statement focused on the danger this brings, especially to the most vulnerable: "Already we are seeing an increase in child deaths.''
UNHCR's airlift ''will comprise 12 flights in total, bringing 15,100 family-size tents — with the aim of easing the plight of almost half the displaced population. The tents are being loaded in Pakistan's Lahore and being shipped in as close as possible to the affected populations via the airport in Herat. There, ground crews have been handing them over to our partners for delivery,'' the agency said.
''The tents are part of a larger aid delivery being organized by the Afghan Government and its partners to Herat and Badghis. With many displaced having settled on private land and now facing risk of eviction, UNHCR is also supporting the government's efforts to make land available,'' the statement added.