Herat Earthquakes 2023: Post-Disaster Needs Assessment

Four magnitude (Mw) 6.3 earthquakes on October 7, 11, and 15, 2023, in Herat Province in Afghanistan led to an unprecedented disaster and destruction. The earthquakes took the lives of more than 1,500 people and injured over 2,600.Following the earthquakes, the United Nations (UN) with the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) as PDNA Technical Lead, the World Bank (WB), the European Union (EU), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched the Herat Earthquakes Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA).

The objective of the Herat PDNA is to estimate the impact of the earthquakes on physical assets and service delivery in the most affected areas. The PDNA covers nine districts with about 2.2 million inhabitants, of whom 275,256 (around 13 percent) were directly impacted by the earthquakes, including over 142,000 women and over 133,000 men. Key findings reveal severe damages totaling US$217 million, with broader losses of US$78.9 million. The PDNA emphasizes an urgent requirement for US$402.9 million to support recovery efforts, which includes rebuilding critical infrastructure. The assessment underscores the disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups, and highlights the particular challenges faced by women and girls.

It provides preliminary estimates for the recovery of sectors to meet critical basic human needs, taking into account the needs of the most vulnerable groups.