Kabul Mayor Yusef Nawandesh and U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry laid the foundation stone at a ceremony today signifying the start of a seven-kilometer canal project designed to stop flooding in about 50 percent of Kabul’s streets.  Several Afghan officials and members of the donor community were present to witness the ceremony.

Every year the streets of Kabul flood during the rainy season, making this project a top priority of the Kabul Municipality.  However, there was no funding to implement the municipality’s new canal design until now.   The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Food Insecurity Response to Urban Population Program (FIRUP) joined with Mayor Nawandesh and the Kabul Municipality to fund the project.

The new canal, which will consist of four main channels and feature 40 culverts, will span seven kilometers through the streets of Kabul, reducing flooding in those areas.  The project will also create temporary cash work for 4,000 Afghans, helping reduce food insecurity for some of Kabul’s most vulnerable people. 

“The Kabul Municipality and Mayor Nawandesh have worked especially hard to make this project a reality,” said Ambassador Eikenberry.  “This is a great opportunity for the U.S. Government to work closely with the mayor and members of the Afghan Government to meet the needs of the people, help build vital infrastructure in the nation’s capital, and stimulate the local economy with temporary cash work.

FIRUP is a USAID-funded program, aimed at providing cash-for-work opportunities to vulnerable population centers at risk of food insecurity.  The cash for work opportunities serve as the means of livelihoods for the target beneficiaries and as a result, contribute to stability efforts across the country.

So far, the program has proven to be successful in meeting its development objectives while also serving to enhance stability and improve small scale infrastructure within the urban and rural areas where the program is being implemented.

“USAID is proud to work closely with the Kabul Municipality to reduce flooding in Afghanistan’s capital city,” said USAID Mission Director Bill Frej.  “This project is an important step toward beautifying the city of Kabul while also providing a healthier environment for Kabul residents and creating employment opportunities for the most vulnerable and food insecure families of Kabul.”