In an exclusive interview with www.bamdad.af, Dr Sahibnazar Muradi, urban affairs expert and former member of the Kabul Municipality Planning Committee, discusses the many complex challenges of living in urban Kabul and provides solutions to move the city forward. According to Muradi, a lack of effective monitoring by the municipal government over its construction and reconstruction activities as well as a misuse of power by the municipal officials have stunted urban growth in Kabul.
Why is that Kabul, the country’s capital, has witnessed less remarkable changes in urban construction and reconstruction over the past decade as opposed to the progress we’ve seen in the cities of Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad?
Some remarkable construction and reconstruction activities have been carried out in all major cities, including Kabul. However, the lack of systematic construction in Kabul has changed the city into the largest village in the world because there are no standards or services which would define Kabul as a true city.
The major problem is the absence of a city sewer system. This has made the environment very unsanitary and Kabul residents should be warned about this.
Based on an international survey, the Afghan capital Kabul and Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, are the only two cities in the world without a sewer system. But, Khartoum recently began construction of its city sewer system, while Kabul still lacks this basic urban infrastructure.
The major problem is the absence of a city sewer system. This has made the environment very unsanitary and Kabul residents should be warned about this.
In the past, Kabul was famous in the region for its clean environment and clear weather. But now the city is very dirty and difficult to live in. Absence of a city sewer system has resulted in environmental contamination and is responsible for the dirty air people breathe. There are no specified city standards and, consequently, Kabul is anything but a city.
A number of trade centers and residential areas have been constructed over the past ten years in Kabul. In your opinion, has this growth been systematic and in accordance with the city’s development program?
Thirty percent of these buildings and residential areas are in line with the city Master Plan (MP) and the remaining 70 percent are built irresponsibly and haphazardly. Unfortunately, no standard construction specifications have been met even if the constructed buildings are in accordance with the city MP.
The private sector has constructed unsystematic residential apartments in areas legally designated for commercial buildings [business area]. These buildings have no modern facilities and, from a construction point of view, this is dangerous for residential living.
No sewer system has been constructed in those residential areas and sewage flows in open septic canals along the streets. These canals will soon overflow and sewage will flow into the city streets. This will create a huge pollution problem and threaten people’s lives.
Additionally, there is no guarantee that those buildings and houses are constructed under the supervision of professional designers and engineers. I am sure no one has monitored the construction of these buildings for earthquake resistance, proper electricity cabling, and air flow systems.
For instance, construction standards have not been met in some of the city’s larger buildings, including Gulbahar Business Center, Azizi Plaza and some other business centers in Shar-e-Naw; and no one knows how long these buildings will stand. It is because their owners have power and influence. These buildings will create many problems for the city and the residents in the future.
From the architectural point of view, the buildings constructed over the past decade have not retained the richness and diversity of Afghanistan’s older architectural traditions. Why have the Ministry of Urban Development Affairs and Kabul Municipality not paid attention to this issue?
Unfortunately, the decades of civil war destroyed our traditional and cultural values. We should respect our cultural values and architectural traditions as every society does. These buildings that are constructed in Kabul city look like coffins. Our previous architectural traditions, such decorative wood carvings and decorative plastering are no longer seen in these buildings.
Kabul as an ancient city of Afghanistan should not lose its identity and history. The government as well as the private sector should respect our cultural values and preserve our architectural traditions in the present construction designs.
Kabul as an ancient city of Afghanistan should not lose its identity and history. The government as well as the private sector should respect our cultural values and preserve our architectural traditions in the present construction designs.
Unfortunately, there is no entity to monitor or enforce conservation. Everyone is constructing buildings as he or she desires without respect to our architectural heritage. This will destroy Kabul’s historical identity.
During its construction, I was a member of the Babur Garden Reconstruction Program Team. In order to preserve our architectural heritage, we reconstructed Bagh-e-Babur [the Babur Garden] in accordance with its original design. We researched and studied all the architectural practices belonging to the Babur era in order to respect those traditions and reconstruct the garden accordingly.
We also reconstructed Timor Tomb and Timor Shahy Park based on their original designs. Shar-e-Kohna [Old City] and Khucha-e-Muradkhani road have been reconstructed to replicate their 500 year old architecture, but to also be in line with today’s building requirements. These efforts towards preservation very much represent the value of our architectural traditions.
When you enter Muradkhani’s road you really feel that you are 500 years back in time and this really reflects our city’s history. I don’t mean that we shouldn’t consider modern demands, but the beauty of our city’s heritage should be reflected in today’s design.
Why aren’t these architectural traditions integrated in the construction of residential areas and private buildings? Doesn’t the government monitor this? Or do private sector developers not care?
Lack of an accurate monitoring system by the government opens the door for irregular and irresponsible building. A main reason for this is the misuse of power by power brokers.
When ordinary people plan to rebuild or reconstruct their own houses, the municipality does not allow them. But, power brokers easily receive permission from the municipality to construct buildings anywhere they want. This demonstrates that the government has no plan to enforce its responsibility in this regard.
There is a lack of coordination between the Ministry of Urban Development Affairs and Kabul Municipality. We have seen that while residential building is approved by the ministry, the municipality rejects it. What will happen with the houses built in those residential areas?
Unfortunately, the culture of coordination and cooperation among government entities has not grown over the past ten years. The legal procedure is that first the municipality divides up areas in the MP and then asks the Ministry of Urban Development Affairs to build residential houses in designated areas or allow the private sector to do so. But, the influence of power brokers in government offices and the private sector allows for anyone to build anything, anywhere he wants.
Legal residential areas should be approved by both the Ministry of Urban Development Affairs and Kabul Municipality. But, due to the lack of coordination it rarely happens. People who have houses in unapproved residential areas will face problems in the future.
Air pollution is one of the main problems in the city. In your opinion, what is the main reason for air pollution and what is the best solution?
In my opinion, air pollution has three main reasons: social, civic and cultural.
The population rise is a social problem. According to the Kabul MP, Kabul has been designed to accommodate 2,000,000 residents through 2020. However, there are more than 5,000,000 people now living in Kabul.
Imagine if one person produces one kilo of garbage in a day. In total, that is 5,000,000 kilos of garbage produced in the city every day. Kabul Municipality is able to remove only 1,000,000 kilos of garbage per day and the rest remains on streets, producing odor and pollution.
Kabul has no city sewer system and this is a civic problem. Water from rain and snow flushes garbage and pollution into the city’s streets.
The increasing number of vehicles is another problem. A majority of Kabul residents use their personal cars, which produce dangerous gases.
The Kabul Traffic Police has no monitoring system to control the exhaust from old cars and it does not care if today’s small problem will be uncontrolled tomorrow. Most city roads and streets are unpaved and produce a lot of dust as huge numbers of vehicles pass by.
The Kabul Traffic Police has no monitoring system to control the exhaust from old cars and it does not care if today’s small problem will be uncontrolled tomorrow. Most city roads and streets are unpaved and produce a lot of dust as huge numbers of vehicles pass by.
In my opinion, the Kabul Municipality should make every effort to asphalt city streets in order to prevent dust and air pollution.
We see when it rains the weather is clean. But then roads and streets are full of mud and people face many problems. On the other hand, on sunny days the roads are very dusty and we cannot even see neighboring houses. Therefore, asphalting the main roads and streets is a must.
Kabul is very dry, with very few trees. Another very important issue is to establish a culture of tree planting in Kabul. Planting trees helps to decrease air pollution and the municipality should consider this solution.
Another common Kabul problem is the traffic jam. What is the solution for this problem?
In my opinion, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, the Kabul Traffic Police Department and the Kabul Municipality should jointly develop a plan to review transport systems in order to solve this problem.
First of all, a public transportation network should be created. No people will drive their own car if they are sure that there is a public transport system, and they will not wait at the bus stop for a long time, and they will reach their destination easily and on time. However, currently, people are forced to drive their own cars. Establishing a public transportation system is the best solution.
Kabul remains a largely unmarked city, making it very difficult to find an address. Why has little action been taken over the past decade to name city streets and number houses?
Yes, it is very difficult to find an address because the names are unmarked or incorrect. Following the collapse of the Taliban, the municipality started to name streets and number houses. A joint commission from the Kabul Municipality, the Ministry of Urban Development Affairs and the Ministry of Information and Culture was tasked to name all streets and roads after famous people from all ethnic groups.
But, many opponents derailed the initiative and convinced the country’s decision-makers that the naming process was based on ethnic interests. As a result, that program failed and now many streets in Kabul remain unnamed.
