Aid for Returnees in Herat Falls Short of Shelter Needs

In Herat province, around 120 families who have returned from Iran and Pakistan have been given cash assistance to build shelter, but the amount is insufficient to meet the broader needs of returnees. The provincial Department of Natural Disaster Management said about 18 million afghanis has been allocated to 70 families for shelter construction and to another 50 families for repairing their homes.

Atal Amir, head of preventive projects at the Herat Department of Natural Disaster Management, said the aid, though limited, was necessary as winter approaches and given the difficult conditions facing families newly returned from Iran and Pakistan. These families have come back to the area over the past year and more and are facing an acute lack of shelter and basic facilities.

Returnees complain about a shortage of housing and livelihood problems, and stress the urgent need for more assistance. They are also calling for job opportunities from the Taliban administration and international aid organizations to prevent problems during the coming winter.

It is worth noting that over the past year and more, hundreds of thousands of people have returned to Herat from Iran and Pakistan, and due to poverty and the lack of shelter, they face serious concern over the harsh winter conditions ahead.