Shoiab Saboory and Rajaram Prajapati, January 2025
Afghanistan’s landscapes tell stories of resilience, yet its people face increasing struggles as climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of disasters. With flash floods, droughts, and unpredictable rainfall threatening livelihoods, the absence of reliable precipitation data has left communities vulnerable. Decades of conflict have devastated Afghanistan’s hydrometeorological infrastructure, further compounding these challenges. Against this backdrop, the Balkh Rain Network (BaRaN) emerges as a beacon of hope, empowering communities to tackle these challenges through citizen-driven rain monitoring.
A Legacy of Gaps: The State of Hydrometeorological Monitoring in Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s journey toward managing its water resources began with great promise. Between the 1960s and 1980s, over 150 hydrometeorological stations collected critical data, forming the backbone of water resource management in the country. However, decades of conflict, including the Soviet invasion and subsequent civil wars, decimated this infrastructure. By 1980, the network had ceased to function,and for the next two decades, Afghanistan lacked a functional monitoring network, leaving the country ill-equipped to address its growing water management challenges.
Efforts to rebuild Afghanistan’s hydrometeorological network after 2001, supported by international aid, led to partial recovery, with 125 stations operational by 2012 and plans for further installations. Initiatives by the Ministries of Energy and Water (MEW), Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL), and the Afghanistan Meteorological Department (AMD) introduced rain gauges, meteorological stations, and cableway devices, but these efforts were often fragmented, costly, and unsustainable, limiting their long-term effectiveness.
Recent political changes have further strained Afghanistan’s hydrometeorological systems. The rise of the Taliban in 2021, coupled with shifting international priorities, led to budget constraints and the suspension of critical climate adaptation projects. By 2018, MAIL’s rain gauge network had already ceased functioning, and MEW’s hydrometeorological infrastructure faced significant maintenance challenges. While AMD’s meteorological network continues to operate for aviation purposes, it fails to provide the comprehensive, nationwide data needed for effective water resource management. This lack of monitoring is particularly acute in higher-altitude regions, which are critical for understanding orographic precipitation and managing the escalating risks of floods and droughts.
BaRaN: Empowering Communities Through Citizen Science
BaRaN, led by Smartphones for Water (S4W), seeks to fill these gaps through a cost-effective and inclusive approach. By equipping local citizens with affordable rain gauges and training them to monitor precipitation, BaRaN democratizes data collection while fostering ownership and sustainability. The pilot initiative in Balkh Province addresses gaps in traditional monitoring, such as the lack of data from higher-altitude regions, where precipitation dynamics are critical for water resource management. This grassroots approach not only reduces costs but also empowers communities to become active participants in disaster preparedness. Citizen scientists contribute data that supports agriculture, early warning systems, and evidence-based policymaking. By combining modern technology with local knowledge, BaRaN transforms passive recipients of aid into agents of change, creating a network that can adapt and scale across the country.
BaRaN is not just about rain monitoring it represents a new chapter in Afghanistan’s ability to confront climate change and its cascading impacts. As the pilot in Balkh Province gathers momentum, its success could pave the way for a nationwide network, bringing accurate and timely precipitation data to every corner of Afghanistan.
