More than 100,000 people are added annually to Kabul’s population. Most of the figures provided for this report are guesstimates, though.
More than 100,000 people are added annually to Kabul’s population. Most of the figures provided for this report are guesstimates, though.Nader Farhad, spokesman of UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, says 50 internally displaced families arrive in the Afghan capital every day. On the average this could mean 350 people a day; or, 10,500 a month; and, 126,000 a year.
Kabul’s civic services can be described at best as rudimentary even after a decade under the Hamid Karzai government. Municipal authorities have not been able to improve either the infrastructure or the services for a population of six million, according to an estimate by the municipality.
SANITATION
Nesar Ahmad Habibi, head of the sanitation department in the Kabul municipality, admits they are seriously understaffed. “Considering the spiralling population, the number of staff has not kept up with the number of residents.” He added that three decades ago, “Kabul had services able to satisfy a population of between half and 1.5 million, and the municipality had 7,000 people on its rolls. Today the population has risen six-fold, while staff strength has not changed.”
Take garbage collection for instance. The municipality would require an army of 20,000 to collect the city’s estimated daily output of waste, which is calculated at the rate of 700 gram of garbage per person.
The municipality has to depend for waste management on its 30-year-old staff structure and equipment which includes “two excavators, one bulldozer, and 160 cleaning trucks”, the municipal head told Killid in an interview.
DRINKING WATER
Only 30 percent of the population of Kabul has access to safe water for drinking.
The National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) agrees underground water is seriously polluted. Soleiman Shah Salari, the head of NEPA’s natural heritages conservation department, said most people are drinking polluted water. He warned that ground water even 100 metres deep may be unfit for drinking 10 years from now.
In many parts of the city, pipes carrying water and raw, untreated waste have been laid side by side. Salari said research carried out by his department reveals there have been occasions when the pipes have burst and the waters have got mixed up.
However, Dad Mohammad Baheer, the head of the water supply and canalization department, says: “Such instances are very rare, and if they do occur, engineers are prompt in ordering an investigation and taking immediate action.”
According to Baheer, pipes burst because of the unauthorised digging activity by people.
HEALTH SERVICES
The Ministry of Health spokesman, Kargar Noor Ogholi, insisted free health services have been provided to 60 percent of the population through the establishment of 2,100 health centres.
Kargar paints a very optimistic picture of health facilities in the capital city. “We can claim 90.5 percent of people in Kabul have access to health services,” he insisted.
However, the catch in this is that it includes large numbers of people who have to travel up to an hour to reach a clinic or hospital.
In addition, the quality of medical care is anything but the best. People are paying money even if health is free. The Ministry of Health shared the results of a survey which showed individuals pay on the average 40 USD annually. While a part of the expense (11 USD) is borne by donors and bilateral partners of the government, the patient has to pay 29 USD.
TEACHERS
There are 32,000 teachers in Kabul, the most populated of the 34 provinces.
The spokesman of the Ministry of Education was not willing to be interviewed. Instead he introduced the head of the Department of Health and Welfare of Young, Dr Mohammad Saleem Ahmadi, who estimated Kabul had more than one million children studying in 400 schools. “Forty percent of teachers are female,” he said. He refused to be drawn into reviewing the state of education, only saying in 2001 there were 3,400 schools, none of them girls’ schools.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Nangialai Qalatwal, the spokesman of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, says the government has been successful in providing transportation for 60 percent of people in the city.
He says, “To solve the problem, the ministry needs at least 1,000 new buses. India had promised to supply them last year. Now it has confirmed the buses will arrive within the next two months.”
ELECTRICITY
Engineer Abdul Wakil Nasiri, the head of Kabul electricity department says, “There is need for 600 megawatts of electricity in Kabul. But there is only 265 megawatt distributed to 2.8 million people.”
Naseri adds, “I don’t want to make a promise to solve the problem of electricity in a specific time, but the efforts are going on.”
SECURITY
General Abdul Zahir, the head of the Criminal Investigation Department in Kabul, agrees the number of police have not kept pace with the increase in population. “According to international standards one police can safeguard 1,000 people. As a result of insecurity in Afghanistan one police must be available for every 100 people. For the city’s 6 million population there are 14,000 police (instead of 60,000),” he said.
