Afghanistan struggles to cope with mass returns

Keeping it with food security, more than 6 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan in little over three years, following deportation drives by both countries. But for many, returning home has brought a new struggle, finding jobs, affordable housing and enough food to survive. In northern Afghanistan, the influx is also putting pressure in local communities that are already battling poverty and drought. And this has raised concerns about a deepening humanitarian crisis. Here's a report. Take a look. More than 6 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan in little over three years as both countries step up deportations after hosting Afghan refugees for decades. But their return is adding pressure to an economy already struggling with poverty and unemployment. In Sheberghan, the capital of northern Jawzjan province, local laborers say jobs have become harder to find as more people compete for daily wage work. Since the returnees arrived, there have been fewer jobs for local people. Help is being given to the returnees, but no help is being given to the people who were already living here. Some returning families have also lost access to the homes, land and livelihoods they once had. Abdul Qadir Hotak, who spent two decades in Pakistan, says his children have stopped attending school and now collect rubbish to earn money. My children used to go to school and study in Pakistan. I have not been able to send them to school or seminary. Now all of them collect rubbish to earn some money. The pressure extends beyond employment to food and housing. According to United Nations data cited in the report, 15.9 million Afghans, nearly one in three people, face crisis, level food insecurity or worse. Residents also report that rents have risen by as much as 150% in recent years, making it harder for both returning families and existing residents to afford shelter. Everyone who has returned to Afghanistan needs a place to live and a job, but they have neither. They are renting houses and are in debt. Instead of spending money on food and clothes, they have to spend it on rent. I'm sorry to say this, but we are suffering from malnutrition. The crisis is further compounded by prolonged drought, placing additional pressure on already scarce water supplies. Provincial officials say a canal project could help address the shortage, but it is still expected to take another two years to complete. The local administration has also said it is working to control rents and has called on international organizations to help build homes for returning families. While the people of Afghanistan are not dying of hunger or thirst, they are in dire need of shelter. Constructing two rooms for each family would be an excellent solution. And as for the rest, God will surely provide. The United Nations has stressed that sustained assistance is needed for both returnees and the communities receiving them. Without adequate support for jobs, housing, food and water, Afghanistan risks seeing its existing humanitarian challenges intensify further. Business Bureau, we on, world is one.