Funding cuts hampering Afghanistan earthquake relief, warns UN relief chief

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN relief chief on Friday warned that shrinking funding is severely hampering relief efforts in Afghanistan following the deadly earthquake that struck the country over the weekend.

"The Afghanistan earthquake has caused massive devastation. Hundreds of thousands of people in remote areas already scarred by decades of conflict and displacement have lost their homes and livelihoods," said Tom Fletcher in a statement, adding that those affected communities "had only just begun to rebuild their lives."

"Explosive ordnance compounds the danger," he added.

Fletcher stressed that the crisis "is the latest to expose the cost of shrinking resources on vital humanitarian work," noting that "massive funding cuts have already brought essential health and nutrition services for millions to a halt; grounded aircraft, which are often the only lifeline to remote communities; and forced aid agencies to reduce their footprint."

Despite the challenges, the UN relief chief affirmed that UN teams "are nevertheless active, led by Humanitarian Coordinator Indrika Ratwatte."

He added that "within hours of the earthquake, OCHA's pooled funds released US$10 million to kickstart the response to provide shelter, food, water, child protection, health and logistics support."

"But this isn't enough. Failing to rally resources now will mean deeper suffering and more lives lost, with winter fast approaching," he said, urging donors to step up for people of Afghanistan once again.

The earthquake hit Afghanistan late Sunday, killing more than 2,200 people and injuring around 4,000 others and causing great devastation in the eastern province of Kunar.