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Snow Brings Hope In Drought-Hit Afghanistan
KABUL, Jan 31 (News Agencies) - Three days of snowfall and rain has brought hope that Afghanistan's devastating drought might break in time for the next harvest season, just months away, an official report said.
"It has raised the hopes of the people to have ... a new blessed season of blessing and greenery in the country," the ruling Taliban militia's Heywad daily said.
It said that heavy snowfall was continuing in many central and northern provinces, blocking roads in some areas.
Between half and one meter (up to three feet) of snow had been reported in the northern province of Samangan, as well as in the central highlands of Ghor, one of the regions hardest hit by the drought, and nearby Bamiyan province.
Snow also fell in the central provinces of Sar-i-Pul, Mazar-i-Sharif, Wardak and Kunduz, Heywad said.
It added that the cities of Herat, Kandahar, Faryab, Jawzjan, Helmand, Zabdul and Takhar had a combination of steady rain and snow.
Afghanistan, already torn apart by 22 years of conflict, was hit by a severe drought last year, affecting half of its 22 million people.
With the key harvest season only a few months away, farmers and relief agencies have warned of famine unless the drought breaks.
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