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Drought and civil war cripple northern Afghanistan

Reports are emerging from Afghanistan of the desperate measures needed to stay alive in the northern districts of the country which are crippled by the combined effects of drought and civil war.

Jonathan Harley reports from the capital Kabul.

Non-government monitors in the north of the country report farmers have been eating grass, wild seeds and fodder throughout the winter. Some families have been reduced to selling their daughters in exchange for wheat. Thousands are fleeing fighting, drought or both and in the Afghan capital Kabul, more than 3,500 families have arrived this year to escape fighting in the central district of Bamiyan. An estimated 10,000 refugees are heading for Afghanistan's border with Pakistan every week.

10/04/01 11:06:13 | ABC Radio Australia News

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