VZCZCXRO8098
RR RUEHBW RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHPW RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #1137 1290454
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080454Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3816
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS KABUL 001137 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO DAS CAMP, SCA/A 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
NSC FOR JWOOD 
OSD FOR SHIVERS 
CENTCOM FOR CG CSTC-A, CG CJTF-101 POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV EAID EFIN EAGR AF
SUBJECT: MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT PRESENTS AMBITIOUS PLAN FOR 
QALAT CITY 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: Governor Delbar Jan Arman was the star of the show at an 
April 29 conference in Kabul organized by the Ministry of Urban 
Development (MoUD) and USAID's Capacity Development Program (CDP). 
Minister of Urban Development Yousuf Pashtoon and a team of seven 
MoUD engineers presented a strategic plan, fleshed out by seven 
infrastructure projects, that aims to transform Qalat City into what 
the Minister described as an "Afghan model for urban development." 
Governor Arman gave interviews to RTA, Ariana, and Tolo television 
journalists and appeared on the national news, expressing his 
backing of the plan and his appreciation for the Ministry's choice 
of Qalat as its pilot city for urban renewal in Afghanistan. 
 
¶2. Minister Pashtoon led off the conference by explaining his choice 
of Qalat as MoUD's pilot city for urban development outside Kabul. 
He noted Qalat's strategic location on Highway 1 between Kabul and 
Kandahar, and linked urban development to both security and 
governance.  The Minister also praised the "good governance, strong 
leadership, and effective PRT" in Qalat.  Governor Arman and others 
spoke to approximately 50 representatives from Ministries, NGOs, 
IOs, and the press about Zabul Province's need for a center of 
governance and commerce which would attract NGOs and private 
businesses to Qalat in order to take advantage of Zabul's potential 
to become an agricultural powerhouse.  (Zabul, though traditionally 
poor, has good water resources and produces top-quality agricultural 
produce.) 
 
¶3. Working within an existing strategic plan, MoUD engineers 
presented plans for seven infrastructure projects.  The projects 
include 25 km of road improvements, a drainage system, a sewer 
system, a sewage processing plant, extension of electrification to 
outlying neighborhoods and villages, new wells, and a clean water 
distribution system.  Although the population of Qalat City is 
currently only 20,000, a strong trend toward urbanization in Zabul 
has expanded the city into outlying areas, which will likely promote 
further growth. 
 
¶4. The presentations demonstrated that MoUD has the capacity to 
develop realistic project plans for urban infrastructure.  Following 
the presentations, conference participants discussed the plans.  A 
representative from the Independent Directorate for Local Governance 
(IDLG) pointed out that his agency should become more involved, as 
IDLG will ultimately have fiscal responsibility for the 
municipality.  He also stated that the ambitious urban development 
plan would require a new legal framework for land registration. 
Several participants questioned the capacity, or willingness, of 
contractors to execute the projects in Qalat using mostly unskilled 
local labor.  Minister Pashtoon emphasized that his Ministry did not 
have the capacity to execute or to fund the projects, saying that 
implementation depended upon the political leadership's ability to 
attract donors and field the required labor.  Governor Arman 
responded by saying that he and the people of Zabul were up to the 
challenges ahead and would work vigorously to see the urban 
development of Qalat become a reality. 
 
¶5. Qalat City is dusty, shabby and impoverished, but there are clear 
signs of economic growth, fueled by produce and animal products 
coming from outlying areas and constant commercial traffic along 
Highway 1.  The price tag for the MoUD/CDP plan - over 20 million 
USD for the seven core infrastructure projects - will likely seem 
unrealistic to potential donors who are accustomed to thinking of 
Qalat as a provincial backwater.  The challenge will be to convince 
potential donors that Zabul is sufficiently secure, and that there 
is real potential for wealth creation to make the ambitious plan 
cost-effective and sustainable.  The Governor and PRT intend to host 
several Ministers from Kabul for visits to Qalat to gain their 
support, as well as to engage UNAMA as a "lobbyist" for the Qalat 
urban development plan among NGOs and IOs.  If the plan to make 
Qalat the "model of Afghan urban development" becomes reality the 
GIRoA will have a tremendous success story:  "If it can be done in 
Zabul, it can be done anywhere." 
 
WOOD