Is Tap Water Safe to Drink in Afghanistan?

Kabul draws from the Kabul River, Logar River, and deep wells managed by AUWSSC (Afghanistan Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Corporation). Outside the capital, water comes from rivers, karez (traditional underground aqueducts), shallow wells, and springs, almost all without treatment.

Bacterial contamination is severe and widespread. E. coli and fecal coliforms are found in the vast majority of tested water sources nationwide. In Kabul, the shallow aquifer is contaminated by sewage from the city’s growing informal settlements. Mineral contamination including fluoride is a concern in some provinces. Unexploded ordnance near water sources poses an additional unique hazard in some areas.

Kabul has the most developed infrastructure but it serves only a fraction of the population and is not safe at the tap. Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Kandahar have limited piped systems of unreliable quality. Rural areas across all provinces rely on untreated surface and groundwater. Drought-prone regions in the south and west face acute water scarcity.

Variable; typically 150–350 mg/L in Kabul’s groundwater, higher in arid southern and western provinces where evaporation concentrates minerals..

Most Afghan households drink untreated well or river water due to lack of alternatives. In cities, wealthier households use bottled water or basic filtration.

• •Drink only bottled or thoroughly treated water at all times
• •Use bottled water for brushing teeth and washing produce
• •Boil water for at least one minute at elevations below 2,000 meters; three minutes above 2,000 meters
• •Carry comprehensive water purification supplies when traveling outside cities

• •Never drink untreated water from any source
• •Use bottled water for all consumption and hygiene
• •Avoid raw salads and produce washed in local water