‘A human cannot live there any more’: Afghan quake survivors plead for help

Khas Kunar, Afghanistan – When the ground shook beneath Andarlachak village in the Diwa Gul Valley on August 31, the already precarious lives of its residents collapsed along with the walls of their homes.

“Our houses now have huge cracks or collapsed walls. We can’t stay in our homes. The beams have cracked,” said Abdul Wahid, a 33-year-old English teacher. “All our homes are uninhabitable. We all moved to different camps around the valley.”

Thousands of others across eastern Afghanistan now face an uncertain future as they live in  makeshift tents pitched in the valley.

The magnitude 6 quake destroyed more than 5,000 homes and killed at least 2,200 people, according to officials. The United Nations estimated that half a million people have been affected.

For some, the earthquake turned already challenging lives into desperate journeys. From Aireth, a mountain village in Nurgal, Mohamed Khader walked for more than six hours with his family and neighbours to reach safety.

“Our village is very remote, high up in the mountains, and the earthquake was very powerful. There is no place to shelter there. There was no roof left on any home. A human cannot live there any more,” he said. “But if the government will help us rebuild, we will definitely go back to our village.”

Authorities said emergency efforts are under way. Trucks left behind by United States soldiers in their hurried 2021 withdrawal from the country are now being used to ferry supplies from a former US base in Khas Kunar converted into a government coordination centre.

Najibullah Haqqani, Kunar’s provincial director for the Ministry of Information and Culture, said the government is following a three-step plan: evacuating those at risk; providing food, shelter and medical care in camps; and eventually helping families rebuild or find permanent housing.

But villagers said tents will not protect them from the long, harsh winter.

Azim Khan, a 37-year-old farmer from Gagezu village in the Diwa Gul Valley, said every home in his community was damaged.

“We still have aftershocks, and the houses are in danger of collapsing,” he said. “We cannot rebuild on our own. We are all poor farmers. We ask our government and the international community to help us rebuild or help us with more permanent shelter. Inside a house, we can light a fire to keep warm in winter. How will we keep warm in a tent?”

Kunar Governor Mawlawi Qudratullah said cash donations are being directed towards reconstruction with promises of more support from NGOs and private donors.

“For the third phase of reconstruction, we require the support of the international community and NGOs. We have discussed with them already. Some NGOs have started some surveys, and after they will do their feasibility studies. They have made commitments to help with healthcare, reconstruction, education, water supply and other services needed,” he said.

For now, though, the uncertainty of the future weighs heavily on the survivors.