Shelter needs urgent as temperatures drop

Weather patterns across the northeast Afghanistan were changing rapidly, and temperatures were expected to drop noticeably in the coming weeks as winter approaches, according to the weekly update from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan on Tuesday. The change in weather makd the shelter needs of the displaced more urgent, particularly as many of the internally displaced people (IDPs) were out in the open, especially in Khoja Bahauddin and Dasht-i-Qala, it said.

The IDPs would need not only with food but also tents, blankets and warm clothes, unless they can return home, according to humanitarian officials. So far, over 9,700 families have fled to Dasht-i-Qala, Khoja Bahauddin, Keshem, Faizabad and Yangi Qala, and aid agencies were currently looking into the heating requirements of public buildings that could be used to accommodate IDPs in the event that fighting precluded their return home, they added.