KABUL - Residents of Salang district in Parwan said the water level in the Salang River has also dropped considerably.
The Afghanistan Meteorological Department says the average rainfall across the country this year is 30 percent down against previous years.
Although showers are expected through March until April, the department said the amount of rain that has fallen so far is considerably less than usual.
Officials said they are seriously concerned about this situation adding that a lot less snow has also fallen this year.
“We are in the third month of the year 2018. Rainfall as relatively lower but it was normal in February. The showers have been fairly good in different provinces,” head of the department Sayed Reza Musawi said.
Areas close to Salang district in Parwan province are prime examples of reduced snow and rain as only light snow has been recorded this year, residents in the area said.
The residents said the Salang River water level is also considerably lower than usual.
The Salang River stretches for 438km in Afghanistan, and flows through Parwan. It is a tributary of the Indus, Ghorband, Panjshir and Kabul rivers.
“There was two, three or less than one and a half meters in previous years, but this year, it is just 50 centimeters,” a resident said.
“Everywhere is dry. The snowfall was not enough this year. We witnessed it once, and we did not see it again,” said another resident of the district.
The National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) is also concerned about the lack of rain and snow.
“The source for our agriculture is generally the snow on mountains and the glaciers and unfortunately we witnessed fewer snowfalls around our glaciers compared with previous years,” said Mohammad KazimHumayun, head of planning at NEPA.
This comes just days after government officials raised concerns about the substantial drop in Kabul’s underground water level in the last year. (Tolo news)