Afghan Women Face Serious Challenges Amid Flooding

Maqsooda and her daughters now drink as little water as possible during the day. They prefer to spend hours in discomfort rather than be forced to relieve themselves where they can be seen.

"There is no place for showering or going to the bathroom," said Maqsooda, who was forced to flee her house with her daughters when floodwater inundated the area.

Multiple provinces in Afghanistan declared a state of emergency over the span of a few weeks in May as flash floods tore through the country’s valleys. Earlier in May, the United Nations’ World Food Program estimated that flash floods had killed over 300 and left many more injured as of May 11. At least 50 more people were killed in new flooding in mid-May.

Survivors, especially displaced women, face numerous challenges. Many of them are living in relatives' houses.

A lack of functioning toilets in the flooded villages is one significant, yet overlooked, issue, posing a health hazard for everyone, and particularly causing misery for women and girls. In Afghanistan, men have priority access to available facilities, and women are not allowed to use the men’s toilets.

“There are only a few toilets available. Multiple households in the village share the same facilities. We are not permitted to use the toilets our male relatives use,” Maqsooda said. “We live behind the veil, how can we use the same toilet?” she added, referring to the strict segregation between genders practiced in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is home to many conservative Muslim communities.

When the sun sets, and darkness falls on the village, the women seek a secluded spot away from the neighborhood. They take turns keeping watch and warning off any approaching men. “I don't know what we can do if someone decides to watch us,” said Maqsooda.

“Where can I send my daughters alone? When we squat to relieve ourselves, we fear some man might approach.”

She expressed deep shame at having to relieve herself in the open, especially after catching a man watching her.

The pregnant among the displaced can’t wait all day, so they relieve themselves in the floodwater.

Dr. Ghafar Khan, a volunteer in the flood-affected areas of Baghlan province, reports that many of the patients he has seen recently have developed diseases due to the lack of toilets and clean water.

“In the past three days, I have treated around 300 patients, many of whom exhibit symptoms of malaria, cholera, and other waterborne diseases,” said Khan.

“The lack of clean water and proper sanitation facilities are the main contributing factors to the rise in these diseases,” he said.

Volunteer doctors work tirelessly to see as many patients as possible each day, but the region faces a significant challenge due to the shortage of female doctors.

“For critically ill female patients, families are often left with no choice but to seek help from male doctors due to the lack of female physicians,” said Khan.