UN Solar Project to Tackle Afghanistan’s Water Crisis

DID Press: As Afghanistan faces its most severe drought in decades, the UN, in collaboration with the World Bank, launched a $5.23 million project to expand solar-powered irrigation across five provinces of the country.

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) announced in a statement that the project will be implemented over 600 hectares of land, aiming to reduce dependency on traditional water sources, boost agricultural productivity, and support local economies.

Amid a backdrop of climate change and mismanagement of water resources, which have pushed Afghanistan’s traditional agriculture to the brink of collapse, the use of solar energy could provide a scalable model for underdeveloped regions.

The initiative is being carried out in cooperation with local authorities and rural communities and is part of the UN’s broader efforts to promote sustainable development in Afghanistan. However, alongside this initiative, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that without immediate financial assistance, the damage to Afghanistan’s agricultural sector could lead to deeper crises, such as food insecurity, internal displacement, and even regional instability. According to FAO, the northern, northwestern, and northeastern provinces have suffered the most, and $34.5 million is urgently needed for emergency intervention in these areas.

In reality, the UN’s solar project is just the tip of the iceberg in addressing a crisis that may trigger a new wave of migration and social collapse in Afghanistan’s rural areas. The question remains whether the international community is prepared to offer a broader and more effective response to Afghanistan’s environmental crisis—or whether such projects are merely temporary painkillers for a deeply rooted wound.