Kabul could become the first modern city in the world to run out of water by 2029, the UK head of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has warned following a week-long visit to Afghanistan.
Flora Alexander, Executive Director of IRC UK, said the growing water crisis comes as millions of Afghans already face food insecurity and limited access to health services and clean water.
Alexander called on the international community to continue supporting Afghans despite competing humanitarian crises elsewhere in the world.
“Kabul is predicted to become the first modern city in the world to run out of water by 2029. So, I hope your viewers understand that turning away from the people of Afghanistan is not the right thing for the international community to do,” Alexander said.
The warning follows earlier concerns over Kabul’s rapidly falling groundwater levels.
A 2025 Mercy Corps report found that nearly half of Kabul’s boreholes had dried up, while groundwater levels had fallen by up to 30 metres over a decade. The organisation warned that the city’s aquifers could run dry as early as 2030 without urgent action.
UN-Habitat has also said Afghanistan is rapidly urbanising and projected that one in two Afghans could be living in cities by 2060, placing further pressure on urban infrastructure.
An Afghan government spokesman had not responded to AnewZ by the time of publication. However, officials have previously said the Ministry of Energy and Water, the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and other organisations are working to manage the country’s water resources.
Alexander said Afghanistan’s water shortages are part of a wider humanitarian crisis, worsened by the return of Afghans from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran as well as cuts to humanitarian funding.
The United Nations estimates that 21.9 million people, around 45 per cent of Afghanistan’s population, require humanitarian assistance in 2026.
Alexander also raised concerns over restrictions on women’s employment and girls’ education, while urging continued international support for the Afghan population.
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U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said Washington believes the Russian President is prepared to reach a peace agreement under the right conditions, as U.S., Russian and Ukrainian delegations began trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 10 November.
Armenia could lose its voting rights within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on 11 November after failing to pay membership fees for more than two years, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 11 November. Today, we cover Russia-Ukraine peace talks, political tensions in Washington, strikes in Spain, espionage allegations involving Nvidia's CEO, and climate negotiations at COP31 in Türkiye.
Pakistan is pushing for urgent global action and greater climate funding as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attends COP31 in Türkiye, warning that melting glaciers, devastating floods and extreme heat are putting millions of lives and livelihoods at risk.
Armenia has lost its voting rights and the ability to nominate officials for certain posts within the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The decision was taken at a summit in Moscow on 11 November, amid years of strained relations between Yerevan and the alliance.
Heavy rain and strong winds have flooded around 70,000 tents across Gaza, leaving displaced Palestinian families exposed to cold, hunger and worsening living conditions as winter approaches, according to local authorities.
Trade along the Middle Corridor is accelerating, opening new opportunities for Central Asia and the South Caucasus as countries strengthen transport links between China and Europe. Cargo volumes reached around 4.7 million tonnes in 2025, up from less than one million tonnes in 2021.
Kazakhstan says the North Aral Sea’s water volume has risen by 24 per cent since 2022, reaching 23.4 billion cubic metres. The figures were unveiled at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, as the country outlined ambitious plans to accelerate restoration.
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