Urban Water Crisis in Kabul City: Key Challenges and Solutions

Abstract

Water is an essential human need for survival. However, billions globally wake up daily with accessible and affordable clean water. Rapid population growth, urbanization, climate change, precipitation regime changes, industrial development, and environmental degradation increase pressure on urban water resources. As a result, water demand is continuously rising, leading to prominent shortages in many cities in developing and developed countries, regardless of their developmental condition. One such city facing significant water scarcity is Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, where rapid urbanization has outpaced local water supply infrastructure, resulting in unsustainable exploitation of groundwater resources. This directly threatens the well-being of millions of residents in this city. In anticipation of the exhaustion of local water sources, Kabul will soon need to explore alternative water supply methods, such as inter-basin water transfers, to meet the growing demand. This paper aims to offer a broad overview of urban water crises, evaluating the key drivers of water shortages, exploring the specific water crisis facing Kabul, and analyzing previous research, reports, papers, flow data, groundwater data, maps/charts, field observations, surveys, GIS data, and statistical analysis as the methods for this work. So, to combat declining groundwater levels, a sustainable groundwater management approach is crucial. The approach includes water conservation methods, the implementation of efficient irrigation techniques, and the adoption of water pricing mechanisms.