A first in the world! Alarm for water in the capital of 6 million people... It has already run out in some places

The long-standing water problem in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, is getting worse as the consumption rate of underground resources exceeds the natural renewal capacity.

According to the report cited by CNN from the US-based humanitarian aid organization Prosper Global, groundwater in Kabul is consumed much faster than it can renew itself. Therefore, the city of approximately 6 million people may become the first modern city to consume its water as early as 2030.

The report states that in Kabul, where groundwater levels have decreased by approximately 30 meters in the last 10 years, almost half of the boreholes have already dried up. Experts point out that in some neighborhoods, 'zero day' conditions where water resources do not meet the needs are actually starting to occur.

80 PERCENT OF THE CITY DEPENDS ON GROUNDWATER

Kabul's geographical location makes such a severe water crisis surprising at first glance. The city, built on a wide valley, is surrounded by the Hindu Kush Himalayan mountains. The water generated by the melting of snow and glaciers in the mountains feeds the Kabul River and the city's main underground water reserves. These aquifers play a critical role in meeting the water needs of approximately 80 percent of Kabul's residents.

With nearly half of Kabul's boreholes drying up, the annual deficit between water withdrawn from the ground and naturally replenished water is estimated at approximately 43.9 million cubic meters.

Only about one-fifth of the urban population has access to piped water networks, leaving millions of people dependent on wells, water transported by tankers, and common use points.

According to experts, the 2030 warning does not mean that all taps in Kabul will run dry at the same time on a certain date. The process called 'zero day' means that existing water resources cannot meet the needs of the urban population; It means that the wells dry up one by one, the outages become longer and people are forced to turn to alternative water sources for their daily needs.

ALREADY SOLD OUT IN SOME PLACES

In Kabul, this picture is no longer a scenario for the future. Professor Mohd Faizee from the United Nations University Water, Environment and Health Institute points out that water has already run out in some neighborhoods of the city and describes the situation Kabul is facing as a "humanitarian disaster".

THERE IS A BIG OBSTACLE TO THE RENEWAL OF RESOURCES

In the city where approximately 6 million people live, the basis of the crisis is not only drought. While rapid population growth, uncontrolled urbanization, inadequate water infrastructure and overuse of groundwater deepen the problem, hotter and drier conditions caused by climate change also make it difficult to renew resources.

WHAT DOES 'ZEROTH DAY' MEAN?

The term 'zero day' used by experts does not describe the day when all the taps of a city run dry at once.

The concept refers to the critical threshold at which existing water resources become unable to meet the needs of the urban population.

At this stage, the water supplied to the network decreases, wells dry up, water outages become longer and people are forced to turn to tanker water, common wells or hand pumps to meet their daily needs. Even if it is possible to access water, the cost of access can increase significantly.

Therefore, 'day zero' often means a slow process rather than a single date. What happened in Kabul is also shown as an example of this.

While residents in some areas can still get water from wells or mains, in some neighborhoods families have to wait in line for hours to get daily drinking and domestic water.