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Issue 2/10

AFGHANISTAN Developments in Infrastructure 18 -31 January 2010 Matthew Hall Infrastructure KM (matthew.hall@cimicweb.org)

05 February 2010

This document is intended to provide an overview of relevant Infrastructure events in Afghanistan from 18- 31 January 2010. More comprehensive information is available on the Civil-Military Overview (CMO) at www.cimicweb.org.1 Hyperlinks to original source material are highlighted in blue and underlined in the embedded text.

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Contents 1 Introduction .....................................................................................................................................1 2 General ...........................................................................................................................................1 3 National Solidarity Programme (NSP) ................................................................................................2 4 Energy ............................................................................................................................................3 5 Information and Communication Technology .....................................................................................3 6 Water Resource Management ...........................................................................................................3 7 Transportation .................................................................................................................................3 8 Health .............................................................................................................................................4 9 Urban Development .........................................................................................................................4 10 Mines ............................................................................................................................................4 11 Other.............................................................................................................................................5

1 Introduction In this publication you will find links in each subsection that will direct you to the pages of the relevant ministry and government strategy according to the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). You will also find various other links to relevant organizations and agencies. 2 General2

Pajhwok Afghan News reports that 128 uplift schemes were inaugurated in Faryab province under the

National Solidarity Programme (NSP) of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD).
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A CMO user account is required to access some of the links in this document.

The General section includes news regarding infrastructure projects that affect multiple sectors.

According to a NSP official, the schemes cost AFN 150 million and will benefit 31,000 families in the Pashtun Kot, Qaisar and Almar districts. Specific projects included the construction of roads, bridges, retaining walls, water reservoirs, water heads, water tanks, flour mills, community centres and a school building. The NSP official stated that in Faryab province 1,608 projects have been inaugurated out of the 2,403 initially launched under the NSP.

Pajhwok also reports that the Japanese government plans to fund seven development projects worth
USD 1.2 million to the benefit of 200,000 families in Ghor, Herat, Nuristan and Ghazni provinces. funding will increase Japans total grant assistance to Afghanistan since 2002 to USD 1.78 billion, another USD 5 billion pledged over the next five years. In related news, Pajhwok reports that Japanese-funded uplift schemes worth USD 4 million were inaugurated in Laghram province. schemes include irrigation canal and school construction projects that will benefit 850 families.

This with four The

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reports that the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs announced at the 28 January London Conference that the Saudi Development Fund would pledge USD 150 million towards development projects in Afghanistan over the next three years. This brings Saudi Arabias total pledged assistance to USD 350 million, according to the SPA.

Pajhwok reports that four uplift schemes have been completed in Badghis province. The schemes are

expected to benefit 20,000 people from five villages in the Aabi-Kamari district according to the provincial Director of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. These uplift schemes were part of a World Food Programme (WFP) Food-for-Work project and included road graveling, water stream reconstruction and the construction of water reservoirs and Karez irrigation systems. WFP distributed 12,000 tonnes of food to workers as part of the programme.

Pajhwok also reports the inauguration of 11 uplift schemes in northern Jawzjan province during the

reporting period. The funding for the schemes came from the Ministry of Counter-Narcotics for successfully becoming a certified poppy-free province. The projects will benefit 14,000 families and cost AFN 10 million, according to the provincial Director of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. According to Pakistans Daily Mashriq, the Shinwari tribe has pledged support for the war against the Taliban in exchange for the implementation of USD 1 million in development projects in their tribal areas. According to the article, the money for the projects will be given directly to the tribal elders rather than filtered through the Afghan government. The Austrian Wiener Zeitung newspaper suggests that Afghans are seeking the opportunity for further involvement of local stakeholders in the implementation of development projects. According to the publication, many Afghans still consider the government to be highly corrupt and international actors ignorant of local conditions.

Pajhwok Afghan News reports that Denmark will donate another USD 7.5 million to the NSP, bringing
their total contribution to USD 47.5 million. The additional funding will be used to finance the construction of four schools in Sar-e Pul province. 3 National Solidarity Programme (NSP) [Official website of NSP] The Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) published a weekly NSP status report on 30 January. Financial grant commitments and disbursements as of 28 January are cited, as are the number of NSP sub-projects proposed, submitted and completed.

4 Energy [Sector Strategy] [Ministry of Water and Energy, Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development]

Pajhwok Afghan News reports that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an agreement with the

Afghan government for a USD 81 million grant for the renovation and development of the power system in Kabul. Electricity will be imported from Uzbekistan and made available to areas within a 30 km radius of the capital. The article cites official Afghan government figures that claim 70% of Kabul residents currently have access to power. While good news for Kabul, a report released by the US Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), asserts that 85% of urban households in Afghanistan lack electricity. The Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release on talks scheduled between the US ambassador to Tajikistan and the Tajik Minister of Foreign Affairs on cooperation in the construction of a power transmission line from Tajikistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan; it is known as CASA-1000. The following day, the Tajik Khovar News Agency reported that the Tajikistan Assembly of Representatives ratified an agreement on these and other power transmission lines with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan, in which Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan would export power to Afghanistan and Pakistan. At the London Conference, the Tajik Minister of Foreign Affairs discussed this and other issues with the British Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, according to Khovar. The Tajik private news agency Avesta reports that Tajik energy specialists are urging their Afghan contemporaries to prioritise the Afghan leg of the power line from Pol-e Khomri in Baghlan to the Tajik border, suggesting that they expect the work could be finished as early as May 2010. Residents told Pajhwok Afghan News that power has been unavailable in the Lashkar Gah and Kajaki districts of Helmand province for the last ten days (as of 31 January). Pajhwok reports that while suspected Taliban militants cut the power lines, locals argue the government has failed to respond in a timely manner. 5 Information and Communication Technology [Sector Strategy] [Ministry of Communications and Information Technology] According to Pajhwok, 40,000 people in twenty districts in Kunar, Paktika, Badakhshan, Uruzgan and Farah provinces will benefit from telephone line installations over the next nine months. The project is expected to cost USD 2.8 million and will be implemented by the Afghan Wireless Communications Company (AWCC). 6 Water Resource Management [Sector Strategy] [Ministry of Water and Power Structure of the Ministry] Nothing Significant to Report (NSTR) 7 Transportation [Sector Strategy] [Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation]

Reuters reports that India has become the sixth largest donor of aid to Afghanistan development at USD

1.2 billion. According to the wire, Indian projects include uplift schemes such as roads, buildings and urban infrastructure development. Of particular interest is the road construction project in the western part of the country connecting Zaranj, on the Iranian border, to Delaram on the ring road, which provided land-locked Afghanistan easier access to India via strategic seaports in eastern Iran. This partially makes up for Pakistans continued resistance to allowing transport of Indian to Afghanistan via Pakistan.

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According to a Balkh Radio transmission, construction has begun on an Uzbekistan-funded railway line between the Uzbek border town of Hayratan and Mazar-e Sharif in Balkh province. The line is expected to cost USD 129 million and is expected to be completed in one year. 8 Health [Sector Strategy] [Ministry of Public Health] NSTR 9 Urban Development [Sector Strategy] NSTR 10 Mines [Sector Strategy][Ministry of Mines]

Pajhwok reports that 350 coal miners from two companies in Pol-e Khomri in Baghlan province have gone

on strike. The coal miners claim they are owed three months back pay. Afghan Coal Company Director Munir Ahmad told Pajhwok he admits the workers are owed three months salary, but nothing can be

done due to the suffering coal market. According to the US Geological Survey, coal mining in Afghanistan is a growing industry, with approximately 200,000 tonnes produced per year since 2006.The Wall Street Journal reports that the concession of mineral deposits in Afghanistan has been delayed due to fears that the bidding process may be susceptible to corruption. The delay concerns large deposits of iron ore as well as oil and gas reserves. 11 Other A US-funded border police facility was inaugurated in eastern Nangarhar province, reports Pajhwok. The new facility consists of administrative offices, arms depots, a workshop, kitchen and other facilities. Nangarhar province also received nine US-funded firefighting vehicles worth USD 2.25 million, according to Pajhwok.

The Civil Military Fusion Centre (CFC) is an Information and Knowledge Management organisation focused on improving civil-military interaction, facilitating information sharing and enhancing situational awareness through the web portal, the Civil-Military Overview. CFC products are produced from fused information from governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, international organisations, academic institutions, media sources and military organisations. By design, CFC products or links to open sourced and independently produced articles do not necessarily represent the opinions, views or official positions of any other organisation.

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