‘We lost everything twice’: Afghan returnees struggle after earthquake

Noorgal, Kunar, Afghanistan – Four months ago, Nawab Din returned to his location colony of Wadir, precocious successful the mountains of Afghanistan’s eastbound Kunar province, aft 8 years arsenic a exile successful Pakistan.

Today, helium lives successful a structure connected his ain farmland. His location was destroyed astir 3 weeks agone by the earthquake that has shattered the lives of thousands of others successful this region.

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“We are surviving successful structure camps now,” the 55-year-old husbandman said, speaking astatine his cousin’s store successful the adjacent colony of Noorgal. “Our houses were old, and nary were near lasting … They were each destroyed by large boulders falling from the upland during the earthquake.”

Din’s conflict captures the treble catastrophe facing a immense fig of Afghans. He is among much than 4 cardinal radical who person returned from Iran and Pakistan since September 2023, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The August 31 earthquake killed astir 2,200 radical and destroyed much than 5,000 homes, compounding a wide economical crisis.

Tents lodging radical displaced by the magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck Afghanistan connected August 31, successful Diwa Gul vale successful Kunar state [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

“We mislaid everything we person worked for successful Pakistan, and present we mislaid everything here,” Din adds.

Until 4 months ago, helium had been surviving successful Daska, a metropolis successful Pakistan’s Sialkot District, for 8 years aft fleeing his colony successful Afghanistan erstwhile ISIL (ISIS) fighters told him to articulation them oregon leave.

“I refused to articulation ISIL and I was forced to migrate to Pakistan,” helium explains.

His exile ended abruptly this twelvemonth arsenic the Pakistani authorities continues its nationwide crackdown connected undocumented overseas nationals.

He describes however Pakistani constabulary raided his house, taking him and his household to a campy to beryllium processed for deportation. “I returned from Pakistan arsenic we were told our clip determination was finished and we had to leave,” helium says.

“We had to walk 2 nights astatine Torkham borderline crossing until we were registered by Afghan authorities, earlier we could instrumentality to our village.”

Sadat Khan, 58, successful the colony of Barabat, successful Afghanistan’s Kunar state [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera] (Al Jazeera)

This conflict is echoed crossed Kunar. Some 12km from Noorgal, successful the colony of Barabat, 58-year-old Sadat Khan sits adjacent to the rubble of the location helium had been renting until the earthquake struck.

Khan returned from Pakistan willingly arsenic his wellness was failing and helium could nary longer find enactment to enactment his woman and 7 children. Now, the earthquake has taken what small helium had left.

“I was mediocre successful Pakistan arsenic well. I was the lone 1 moving and my full household was depending connected me,” helium tells Al Jazeera. “We don’t cognize wherever the adjacent repast volition travel from. There is nary enactment here. And I person problems with my lungs. I person occupation breathing if I bash much effort.”

He says his petition to section authorities for a structure for his household has truthful acold gone unanswered.

“I went to the authorities to petition a structure to instal here,” helium says. “We haven’t received anything, truthful I asked idiosyncratic to springiness maine a country for a while, for my children. My uncle had mercy connected maine and fto maine enactment successful 1 country successful his house, present that the winter is coming.”

One situation retired of many

The earthquake is lone the astir disposable of the crises that returnees from Iran and Pakistan are facing.

“Our onshore is barren, and we person nary watercourse oregon stream adjacent to the village,” says Din. “Our farming and our beingness beryllium wholly connected rainfall, and we haven’t seen overmuch of it lately. Other radical wonderment however tin we unrecorded determination with specified terrible h2o shortage.”

Dr Farida Safi, a nutritionist moving astatine a tract infirmary acceptable up by Islamic Relief successful Diwa Gul vale aft the quake, says malnutrition is becoming a large problem.

“Most of the radical affected by the quake that travel to america person nutrient deficiency, mostly owed to the mediocre fare and the deficiency of due nutrition they had entree to successful their village,” she explains. “We person to dainty galore malnourished children.”

The destroyed mudbrick location that 58-year-old Sadat Khan was renting successful Barabat colony [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Kunar’s Governor, Mawlawi Qudratullah, told Al Jazeera that the Kunar authorities person started gathering a caller municipality that volition see 382 residential plots, according to the plan.

This inaugural successful Khas Kunar territory is portion of the nationalist programmes directed by the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, with an nonsubjective of providing imperishable lodging for Afghan returnees. However, it is unclear however agelong it volition instrumentality to physique these caller homes oregon if farmland volition besides beryllium fixed to returnees.

“It volition beryllium for those radical who don’t person immoderate onshore oregon location successful this province,” Qudratullah said. “And this task has already started, abstracted from the situation effect to the earthquake.”

But for those surviving successful oregon adjacent to the ruins of their aged homes, specified promises consciousness distant. Back successful Noorgal, Nawab Din is consumed by the contiguous fearfulness of aftershocks from the earthquake and the uncertainty of what comes next.

“I don’t cognize if the authorities volition relocate america down successful the plains oregon if they volition assistance america rebuild,” helium says, his dependable dense with exhaustion. “But I fearfulness we mightiness beryllium forced to proceed to unrecorded successful a camp, adjacent arsenic aftershocks proceed to hit, sometimes truthful almighty that the tents shake.”

Villages damaged by the earthquake successful Nurgal valley, Afghanistan’s Kunar state [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]