Key points
- Aquifers are depleting faster than they are replenished
- Kabul’s population has grown sixfold in 25 years
- Only 20pc Kabul residents have access to piped water
- International aid cuts make things worse
ISLAMABAD: Tensions are boiling in Kabul as the city faces an escalating water crisis, with residents clashing over access to dwindling supplies.
One recent evening, a heated exchange at a mosque tap saw Aman Karimi accuse a woman of cutting the queue. “You come with four canisters and you cut the line,” he shouted, snatching the hose.
Kabul’s Water Crisis: A Failing Lifeline
What happens when a capital city runs dry? Kabul, home to nearly 7 million people, is on the verge of becoming the first modern capital to face complete water depletion.
Once home to just 1 million in 2001, the city has expanded rapidly,… pic.twitter.com/sehz4hjr7C
— Pak Asia Youth Forum (@payf_official) July 6, 2025
Once fed by snowmelt and rivers, Kabul is now drying up, according to a report published by the New York Times.
Financial shortfalls
Experts warn that the city’s underground water reserves could run out by 2030. Aquifers are being drained almost twice as fast as they can refill, and the Taliban government, facing financial shortfalls, has failed to bring water from nearby dams or rivers.
Kabul’s population has grown sixfold in 25 years, yet there’s been little investment in water infrastructure. Today, only around 20 per cent of its six million residents have access to piped water. Even government offices rely on daily tanker deliveries as wells run dry.
Incomplete projects
“We are increasingly fighting because water is like gold for us,” said Karimi, who pushes 40 gallons home in a wheelbarrow for his family of five. His new house, like many, lacks running water.
Efforts to address the crisis have stalled since international donors withdrew support in 2021. Major dam and pipeline projects remain incomplete due to lack of funding and recognition of the Taliban regime.
Residents rely on mosque taps, private deliveries or charity, with yellow cooking oil canisters now a common sight across Kabul’s hilly streets. “Where is the money for that?” asked retired engineer Haji Muhammad Zahir, whose pipes run every three days.
Nearby projects could help, but without foreign aid, solutions remain out of reach. Meanwhile, women like Atefeh Kazimi walk long distances, as local wells run dry.
