VZCZCXRO3448
RR RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHPW RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #4128/01 3511225
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171225Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1912
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 4315
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 004128 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
NSC FOR WOOD 
OSD FOR SHIVERS 
CENTCOM FOR CG CSTC-A, CG CJTF-82 POLAD 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958 N/A 
TAGS: ECON AF
SUBJECT: DEVELOPMENT IN NURISTAN: POURING THE FOUNDATION 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Development has progressed significantly in Nuristan 
over the past year.  Road projects have begun and small electricity 
generation projects have already transformed life in population 
centers.  For the first time ever, local pipe projects have brought 
water directly to some towns.  The provincial administrative center, 
Parun, has grown from practically nothing to a genuine town in just 
the past year.  There is a long way to go.  There are no plans to 
link Nuristan to the national power grid.  For that reason, Nuristan 
needs to develop its own small-level power generation capacity. 
Without the near-term prospect of an industrial power generation 
capacity, economic development cannot proceed.  End Summary. 
 
The Road to Progress 
-------------------- 
 
¶2.  Governor Tamim Nuristani declared 2007 to be "the year of the 
road" in Nuristan.  In a province in which there are still no 
asphalt roads, the beginning of work on major paved roads through 
the province's three main valleys is significant.  The USG is 
financing all these projects.  By the summer of 2008, the three 
valleys, accessible only by foot until now, will have road links for 
the first time in history. 
 
¶3.  Roads are significant as facilitators of political development, 
economic growth and security.  Politically, Governor Tamim wants to 
make it eventually possible for people from throughout Nuristan to 
drive to Parun without leaving the province.  While these roads will 
not accomplish this goal, they will bring its realization much 
closer.  In addition, they will cut both transport time and its 
attendant costs significantly.  This will provide a major boost to 
the development of Nuristan's primary cash enterprises:  gem mining, 
timber exploitation, and the sale of specialty agricultural 
products, such as dried fruit and pine nuts. Unfortunately, they may 
also facilitate deforestation and smuggling as well.  The roads will 
also extend the reach of government security forces.  They will not 
be of corresponding benefit to insurgents, because the insurgents 
tend to move by foot cross-country to avoid detection. 
 
Power to the People 
------------------- 
 
¶4.  If 2007 is the year of the road in Nuristan, 2008 will be the 
year of power generation.  There are currently no factories at all 
in Nuristan, and Governor Tamim wants to change that situation. 
However, the only power generation capacity in Nuristan now comes 
from micro-hydroelectric plants and diesel generators.  These are 
insufficient to supply industrial needs.  What is more, there are no 
plans whatsoever to link Nuristan to the national power grid. 
 
¶5.  If Nuristanis want power, they are going to have to supply it 
themselves.  Fortunately, the province has the blessings of 
significant water resources.  Its three main rivers are not large, 
but they run strong all year, and can probably support at least mini 
(100 kilowatt to one megawatt) or small (one to ten megawatt) 
hydroelectric plants.  The PRT has funded feasibility studies for 
hydroelectric plants in Kala Gush (on the Alingar River, in western 
Nuristan), Parun, and Kamdesh.  These locations are potential nodes 
of economic activity, and would serve a majority of the province's 
population. Without the near-term prospect of an industrial power 
generation capacity, however, economic development cannot proceed. 
 
Thinking Small 
-------------- 
 
¶6.  Small development projects have had an impact in locations 
throughout the province.  Local pipe scheme projects have brought 
water into some towns for the first time in history. 
Micro-hydroelectric plants (usually with a capacity of under ten 
kilowatts) have changed life by bringing clean light and heat into 
homes.  On a commercial basis, cellular telephone towers have 
appeared across the province.  Internet connections remain few and 
far between, but even a single terminal in Parun has served to link 
the provincial government with the outside world. 
 
Downtown 
-------- 
 
¶7.  The provincial administrative center, Parun, has grown into a 
 
KABUL 00004128  002 OF 002 
 
 
genuine town in just the past year.  Governor Tamim has a "city 
plan," as he calls it, which would triple the town's size in another 
year.  This will have a tremendous impact on the province's 
development in many ways.  First, Parun is developing into an 
economic center in its own right.  The half-dozen market stalls of a 
year ago have already doubled, and many stores are now in a 
brick-and-mortar building.  The construction activity has drawn a 
sizeable population into the area.  The beginning of construction on 
a paved road from Parun south to the Pech Valley will attract even 
more people.  Another impact comes from new governmental capacity 
that the town's development brings.  With offices, housing, and 
services, Parun will support a real provincial government.  Parun 
will never be more than a small town, but reaching "small town" 
status will allow it to function as a provincial center. 
 
A Long Row to Hoe 
----------------- 
 
¶8.  The level of development activity is still very low in Nuristan. 
 Non-Governmental Organizations are almost non-existent because of 
the security situation.  The lack of government capacity makes it 
difficult for the international community, including the PRT, to 
engage in more than a few projects at once.  However, the low level 
of development means that a small injection of funds can go a long 
way.  With road projects underway, the next most basic need to meet 
is electrical power.  When that is in place, even in a small way, 
the province will be able to move to the next level of economic 
activity. 
 
WOOD