Kabul
2 October 2007
At a time when highfalutin donors and aid agencies are pumping money into
Afghanistan and executing projects that take long to complete and have longer gestation
periods before they even begin to deliver what they promised, India is pioneering a
silent revolution that is changing the lives of millions of ordinary Afghans.
Mayor of Kabul Rohullah Aman and India's Ambassador to Afghanistan Rakesh Sood
inaugurated a one-million-dollar Government of India-funded toilet-cum-sanitation
complex project in Kabul last month. Five such complexes have been built with
assistance from Sulabh International at Sarai Shymalie, Char Rahee Khote Sangi, Deh-e-
Afghanan, Froshgah, and at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health.
The public conveniences, which also have shower facilities and separate sections for
nursing mothers, use eco-friendly biogas digester technology with effluent water
treatment plant. Biogas produced can be used for cooking, lighting, generating electricity
and heating in winter. Biogas technology has been introduced to Afghanistan for the first
time.
The complexes are fully operational at all the five locations in Kabul on a pay-and-use
basis. About 5,000 people are using them daily, generating revenues of about 11,000
Afghanis (approximately 9,000 Rupees) per day. The officials of Kabul Municipality have
received training in India for the operation and management of the complexes.
According to Kabul's Mayor Rohullah Aman, the project is the first of its kind in
Afghanistan and it will contribute significantly towards the improvement of Kabul's
sanitation system by using eco-friendly technologies and generating awareness of
hygiene. He says the Government of Afghanistan is keen to undertake similar projects in
Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad and Kandahar.
Nearly three decades of hostilities in Afghanistan have destroyed what remained of the
sanitation infrastructure. Today less than 50 per cent of the houses in Kabul are
connected to the sewer system. Eighty per cent of the houses still have dry toilets. The
present system of dry toilets with an underground vault is not appropriate for coping with
a burgeoning population. There are an estimated 4.5 million people living in Kabul today.
The traditional practice of using donkey carts for transporting night soil to the outskirts of
the city for use as manure is becoming impractical. There are few takers for manure
because farmers are selling off their lands. Also, the dramatic rise of population coupled
with poor roads render it well nigh impossible to transport waste out of the city. Kabul
has other handicaps. Kabul Municipality officials say erratic supply of water and
electricity rules out construction of sewers. Sewers are also costlier to build because of
the mountainous terrain. The other option of building septic tanks is not preferred
because of the fear of contamination of groundwater. The twin-pit system pioneered by
Sulabh International overcomes all such limitations and that explains why it is so well
received by the people and mayor of Kabul.
Mayor Rohullah, who is an engineer by profession, says that the toilets designed and
constructed with the help of Sulabh International are just what Kabul needed. In a twin-pit
system, the two pits are employed alternately. A biogas digester attached to the system
produces gas out of waste. They consume less water, are affordable, environment-
friendly, and as Sulabh's founder Dr Bindeshwar Pathak points out, self-sustaining,
because they recycle waste to produce gas which in turn helps to run equipment. "This
system will work in extreme winter also and therefore suited for Afghanistan. It is
suitable for individual houses and public facilities alike," Dr Pathak explains.
India's Ambassador to Afghanistan Rakesh Sood, in turn, says that as Afghans return
back to their country, many of them flock to the cities to restart their lives. As a result,
cities in Afghanistan are growing exponentially. The questions uppermost in the minds of
the mayor of Kabul and his team of town planners are how to keep the city clean, provide
water and power, and develop infrastructure commensurate with the growth of
population. He feels that the "closed-loop cycle" of sanitation system developed by
Sulabh International, which ensures that waste is completely recycled, can benefit the
Afghan cities. Similar projects can be undertaken elsewhere in Afghanistan if
international agencies make funds available, he adds.
A former foreign minister of Afghanistan, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, welcomes India's
contribution. "India has been one of the greatest friends of Afghanistan, has been helping
Afghanistan a great deal in construction in all aspects of life. My wish would be that this
cooperation will continue for the wellbeing of our people and our region," he told this
newspaper in an interview. Dr Abdullah feels that India's assistance to Afghanistan
brings immediate benefits to the people of Afghanistan. India's role is appreciated more
so because the projects are implemented with the participation of the locals. "While I
welcome more support from the international community and more countries involved, at
the same time I think the role of Afghans in it should become more and more prominent.
In another language the Afghan-isation of the development process with the continuation
of support from the international community is something that is needed," he says. "So
in that respect we are lucky to have India on our side, on the side of the people of
Afghanistan that's been in the course of history. There is only goodwill on both sides."
Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee has aired identical views. He held a
bilateral meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta on the sidelines of
the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 24. He told Mr Spanta
that India is committed to assisting in Afghanistan's reconstruction, aimed at "Afghan-
isation" of development in Afghanistan. Mr Mukherjee also participated in a high-level
meeting co-chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President Hamid Karzai
of Afghanistan in New York. In his statement, he reaffirmed India's commitment to the
reconstruction and long-term development of Afghanistan, noting that India had pledged
over 750 million dollars in assistance, with over 300 million dollars already disbursed.
India's assistance covers virtually all regions of Afghanistan, and includes areas
ranging from infrastructure projects to small development projects, and capacity-building
assistance.
India is the fifth largest bilateral donor in Afghanistan after the United States, the United
Kingdom, Germany and Japan. India gives aid upfront, which as it turns out, is more
effective than routing through agencies and is also better value for money. India is
helping to build a new Parliament building in Kabul. India has reconstructed the Habibia
School, which was extensively damaged during decades of fighting. Founded in 1903,
the Habibia School was the first institution in Afghanistan to provide a modern education.
India is supplying protein biscuits to students in collaboration with the World Food
Programme. India is building a 218-kilometre road linking Zaranj and Delaram and is
also involved in the 42 MW Salma dam power project. India also offers scholarships and
trains teachers, media persons and other professionals.
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