When the Water Runs Dry

What will happen to the 1.5million desert settlers of southwest #Afghanistan?

That is the question that When the Water Runs Dry, a report by the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit and funded by the EU explores. The report, authored by David Mansfield notes that the number of solar pumps is doubling each year and is unsustainable.

The desert settlers are the first to acknowledge the threat to their livelihoods and the environment, but where will they go and what will they do? The cities are overcrowded, with few opportunities. Europe tempts them and many are following in the footsteps of the thousands who have already made that perilous and long journey.

We used satellite data and imagery from our partner, Alcis to provide the analysis of the rapid increase of solar powered pumps in the desert. We also brought the report to life with a 4-minute video and The BBC ran an extensive story on what the heroin industry can teach us about solar power. The report can be found at https://bbcintn.com/publication/2006/