CNN - For the first time in modern history a capital city is on the verge of running dry
“It’s a health crisis, an economic crisis, and a humanitarian emergency all in one.”
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A recent article from CNN highlights a growing water crisis in Kabul, Afghanistan, where population growth, climate pressures, and over-extraction are pushing the city toward an unprecedented scenario: becoming the first modern capital to run dry. For residents, daily life revolves around securing enough water to meet basic needs — often at great financial and physical cost.
Kabul draws nearly all its water from groundwater, replenished by snow and glacier melt from the nearby Hindu Kush. But a decade of excessive pumping, combined with reduced snowfall and inadequate infrastructure, has caused water tables to drop dramatically. According to Mercy Corps, nearly half of the city’s boreholes are already dry, and up to 80% of remaining groundwater is contaminated — posing serious health and hygiene risks.
Without consistent access to safe water, many households are relying on long-distance hauling, private water tankers, or shallow wells that often provide unsafe water. These coping strategies are disrupting education, household income, and quality of life, especially for women and children who are disproportionately affected.
The crisis in Kabul underscores the compounded nature of water insecurity — it is not only a resource management challenge, but also an economic, health, and social equity issue. As climate variability increases and urban populations grow, the importance of long-term water planning, sustainable extraction policies, and integrated monitoring systems becomes more urgent.
Projects like Canada1Water (C1W) exemplify the type of national-scale hydrological modelling and climate forecasting that are essential for anticipating and addressing such crises. C1W integrates surface and subsurface water data to support informed decision-making and water resilience planning. While Kabul’s challenges are uniquely complex, they reflect a broader global reality: water security must be treated as a foundation for sustainable development, requiring investment, collaboration, and foresight.