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KABUL (SW): If you ever watch Kabul from the top of a hill, you would wonder how you have survived in a city covered by a thick layer of smoke and dust.
However, with a glimpse of Kargha Lake and Paghman Valley, one can see that not all of Kabul is so polluted. These days, the government is seeking to plant trees and establish green areas to control the increasing pollution in the capital. To find out more, I visited the areas where Kabul Green Belt Project (KGP) has been implemented. Although, the locals seemed happy with the expansion of green areas, unfortunately, they did not know much about the KGP.
To find out more myself and report on the KGP for the masses, I went to visit the Directorate for Natural Resources at the MoAIL.
Although, Mohammad Rafie Qazizada, the Director for Natural Resources, was very busy, he was kind enough to talk about the program. He had a good news, saying 10,000 hectares of land will be allocated to the KGP and $40 million will be spent over 10 years to improve the environment in the capital. Qazizada said 1,300 hectares of land has already been covered with the KGP plan, which is aimed to combat the air pollution.
He added that from Shir Darwaza to Shuhaidai Salehin, and from Beini Hesar to the hills of Khairabad and Chaharasiab as well as from the Khargha Lake to Qasaba and Pul-e-Charkhi as well as Asmay Mountain – which covers some 300 hectares of land under the KGP – are included in the plan. Areas under the KGP plan will be planted with trees, and the MoAIL will protect and monitor these areas for four years before it is handed over to the Kabul Municipality. In the second step city councils and associations will be established to protect and take care of these green areas.
Qazizada added that the KGP will create more than 1000 jobs. For the areas under the KGP plan, water channels, electricity, and protective walls will be built. The Green Belt project will also be implemented in Herat and Kandahar provinces as well, said Qazizada.
The KGP plan for Kabul – where the level of pollution has been increasing every day – is a good news for the residents, however, many residents have no idea about this plan.
Basir, a Kabul resident, feared that the KGP plan is likely to change in the future government if another president takes office. He added that $40 million is a tiny budget to reduce pollution, create jobs and increase green spaces for a city with many million inhabitants.
According to him, no long-term project has ever been completed, and corruption is hindering the proper implementation of fundamental programs. According to him, in addition to the KGP, the government needs to consider parallel programs such as reducing number of vehicles and regulat standards of fuel consumed in the city.
Farukh Laqa Ahmadi, another resident of Kabul, said the KGP plan is an excellent plan, however, such plans will only remain on papers and will not be implemented due to corruption. The government should try to make the public aware of such projects in order to get their support, said Laqa Ahmadi. She added that poverty and unemployment have put the residents in a desperate situation, and the government should try to bring the hope back to the residents with the implementation of such programs.
Ehsan, another resident of Kabul, said that he is not aware of the KGP, however, he hailed this plan of the government to increase green spaces in Kabul. Ehsan added that Kabul is more polluted these days than ever, especially in the morning and evening times when breathing becomes difficult due to the polluted air. According to him, the use of low-grade fuel in vehicles combined with burning of coal, rubber and wood in heaters, and the dirt that rises from the dusty roads, have created the cover of dust and smoke in the air. Ehsan pointed out that the Kabul Municipality annually announces the campaigns for tree plantation, but the level of pollution has been increasing for years. Nonetheless, Ehsan hoped that if corruption and graft do not spoil the KGP plan, Kabul will have a clean and green environment in future.
The Kabul Green Belt Project was officially launched last year by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MoAIL) in partnership with the Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW), the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing (MoUDH) and Afghanistan Independent Land Authority (AILA) while the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Information and Culture are partners in creating awareness in this regard.
ENDS
