Living in Kabul city, home to the vast majority the province's residents, is like living at the bottom of a bowl. It encircled by mountains and in the winter it is often hung with a thick dark layer of smoke, which sometimes even eclipses the view of the mountains.There are lots of causes for the pollution, which reportedly kills around 3,000 people a year. Armed opposition groups in northern areas sometimes cut cables or destroy power pylons, leaving Kabul without electricity for weeks. This forces many residents to use coal, wood and even plastic and rags to heat their homes or cook. Moreover, Kabul, which was built for 75,000 cars, now has some 900,000 vehicles chugging around the small city everyday.
Fleeing the violence, people often leave behind fertile farmland which turns into barren desert. And Kabul city's population has spiked as people try to safeguard their families. According to the National Environmental Protection Agency, the city has three times the amount of particulate matter per cubic meter compared to other neighbouring cities.