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Surviving the devastating floods in Maidan Wardak
Freshta Ghani and Najib* authored this report for the Zan Times in Persian, and it was translated into English by Rustam Seerat
It’s the sixth night that Farida and her family are spending under a tent. She’s unable to close her eyes as a fierce wind shakes the tent, which contains just a nylon carpet and a thin mattress, tucked into a corner. Farida, 35, tries to hold back tears but they fall uncontrolled. Her throat choked with emotion as she realizes that, other than her husband and one son, nothing remains of their former life.
Farida, her husband, and four young children lived in a large home with her extended family, including her father and uncles and their families in the Jalrez district of Maidan Wardak province. In total, 62 relatives lived together. Then, on the night of July 23, 2023, the rains that had devastated parts of Afghanistan, destroyed her home and her family.
That night, the sound of roaring water woke Farida at about 2:00 a.m. She went to the roof, saw a flood angrily rushing toward their house and sounded the alarm, shouting loudly, “Get up! The flood, the flood is coming!” Farida, her 4-year-old daughter, and her 14-year-old daughter grabbed their one-year-old brother and tried to get to the upper…
