KABUL, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Around 1.3 million people in Afghanistan are subject to torrential rains and floods in Afghanistan, a local newspaper Etilaat-e-Roz reported Monday.
Quoting Minister for Natural Disaster Management Ghulam Bahaudin Jilani, the newspaper warned that "deforestation, usurpation of lands along the riverbanks and lack of greenery coat around the seashores were among the factors causing severe damages emanated from torrential rains and floods" in parts of the country.
Afghan forests and jungles have been badly damaged due to protracted wars and conflicts.
"Forests should be further rehabilitated and the government should prevent deforestation to control the floods," the newspaper quoted the official as saying.
Hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmlands and gardens are washed away or badly damaged and hundreds of people rendered homeless due to flash floods in Afghanistan annually, especially in spring and winter.
The official assured that the government would provide assistance to the flood-affected people in the country.
The process of distributing 1,000 tons of wheat has already been kicked off for the 160,000 flood-affected people in the western Herat province, the minister said. Enditem
