VZCZCXRO3028
RR RUEHPW
DE RUEHBUL #3240/01 3580339
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230339Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6477
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 003240 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA 
NSC FOR WOOD 
OSD FOR WILKES 
CENTCOM FOR CG CSTC-A, CG CJTF-101 POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV EAID AF
 
SUBJECT: PRT KUNDUZ - KUNDUZ CITY'S INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Since 2001, a number of informal settlements have 
sprung up around the Kunduz City's old urban core.  Made up of 
returnees, internally displaced persons (IDP) and people simply 
attracted to the opportunities in the big city, these settlements 
vary in the level of amenities and organization.  The city 
government faces the challenge of incorporating these settlements 
into its overall planning process.  USAID's Land Titling and 
Economic Restructuring Activity (LTERA) project, in cooperation with 
municipal authorities, is providing the first step to integrating 
these settlements into the broader community.  However, the city 
government appears more focused on developing its high profile "New 
City" than on addressing the informal settlements.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Property and land ownership rules in Kunduz Province have 
been enforced in the past by a mixture of informal village dispute 
mechanisms, local strong-man appropriation and, occasionally, 
government regulation.  Kuchi migrants, for example, have used 
traditional wintering sites for generations.  During the Mujahadeen 
period, five competing commanders carved Kunduz City into spheres of 
influence, raising money by appropriating and selling off the 
properties of families who had fled abroad.  The Taliban era brought 
more stability as appropriations ceased and some families returned 
to reclaim their inheritance.  After 2001, many people returned to 
Kunduz from exile abroad or migrated from more remote areas of the 
Northeast to the traditional regional capital, reportedly doubling 
the size of the city.  As people fill the city, two competing 
visions of urban growth have emerged. 
 
Local Officials See the Future in Kunduz "New City" 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The official city government's plan promotes the "New 
City," located on a plateau to the south of Kunduz's city center and 
near the airport, the PRT and other coalition facilities.  Despite 
the lack of water, energy, paved roads and other utilities, the 
government has already sold or otherwise allocated plots to favored 
homesteaders, government ministries and businesses.  Sites for 
parks, bazaars and other amenities are also laid out.  While there 
are few completed residences in the "New City," a variety of 
ministries are already operating out of newly built offices.  While 
a 3.9 million euro German government-sponsored potable water project 
supplying deep wells, pumping equipment, distribution network and 
water storage currently targets Kunduz's traditional old city, water 
needs in the "New City" will continue to be met by individual wells 
for the foreseeable future.  Arguing that the PRT and airport need 
multiple paved roads to access the city, Kunduz City Mayor Wahed 
Aziz and Governor Omar have strongly lobbied western development 
agencies to finance a road through the "New City" to the airport and 
PRT.  To demonstrate their commitment, the city government has 
already taken the initiative to begin paving the road leading from 
the old city to the plateau.  Local officials also place priority on 
providing the site with energy and potable water. 
 
"Regularizing" Feyzabad and Rustagabad 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) To the east of the plateau lie two of Kunduz's five new 
informal settlements, Feyzabad and Rustaqabad.  Together, the 
satellite towns contain about 3000 plots for an estimated 35,000 
people.  The points of origin of the settlers are reflected in the 
names of the settlements, with Feyzabad populated by ethnic Tajiks 
from Badakhshan Province and Rustaqabad settled by a mix of Pashtun, 
Tajik, Hazara and Uzbek settlers from Takhar Province.  Though 
lacking paved roads, electricity or centralized water supply, 
Feyzabad and Rustaqabad were clearly well thought out by the initial 
settlers and community leaders.  The towns feature well-laid, 
unpaved roads, shops, open park areas and plots set aside for future 
schools and meeting houses.  Other satellite towns around Kunduz, 
such as Kalamanori and Saki Bori, were more ad hoc in their growth 
and may prove more difficult for city government to manage and 
service in the future. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) USAID's LTERA program, in cooperation with the Kunduz City 
Government, is taking the first steps in "regularizing" Feyzabad and 
Rustaqabad by mapping the plots and surveying families.  The city 
government can then issue certificates of pre-ownership that will 
eventually be recognized by the courts.  In parallel, the LTERA 
project is working with the courts to organize and digitize Kunduz's 
land deed records.  It is expected that families will ultimately pay 
local government around $1 per square meter for the legalized 
allotments, most of which are around 400 square meters.  Throughout 
the summer, the LTERA team met with community leaders to explain the 
project and get local buy in.  LTERA reports that community 
expectations are high that with tenuring will come city utilities 
and services, such as potable water.  In the shuras, local elders 
 
KABUL 00003240  002 OF 002 
 
 
also expressed their primary hope that the tenuring process will 
result in greater security and protection by the local government. 
 
 
No Comprehensive Plan to Absorb Kunduz Growing Numbers 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Noting the population of Kunduz has nearly doubled in the 
past decade, Mayor Aziz admits the municipality has few resources 
and no "comprehensive plan" to effectively manage the increasing 
number of returnees and IDPs.  Without such a plan, he says, it will 
be impossible to absorb more returnees.  He therefore sees the 
utility of the LTERA mapping and survey project, noting that with 
tenuring comes increased tax revenue for the city.  Aziz would also 
like to see the archive project extended to include the city's 5000 
property records in order to unify the information in both court and 
municipal documents.  He believes this will create transparency. 
When LTERA's Feyzabad and Rustaqabad projects are completed next 
year, some of the project's equipment will be turned over to the 
city government so that its newly trained staff may continue in 
Kunduz's other satellite towns, further increasing municipal 
capacity. 
 
¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: With its relative stability, rich agriculture and 
crossroads location, Kunduz City will likely continue attracting 
settlers in the years ahead, further straining the city's ability to 
absorb the added population.  By providing land security, the LTERA 
program goes a long way to bringing these communities formally into 
the municipality, which - in turn - promotes economic growth. 
Future development projects focusing on the settlements' further 
integration into the municipality would also increase such capacity. 
 However, with the mayor and local authorities focused on the 
sparsely populated, though presumably lucrative, "New City," the 
informal settlements and their swelling populations will continue to 
be an afterthought and their needs neglected. 
 
WOOD