Reversing Kabul’s Environmental Setbacks

April 23, 2016
Author: Sayed A Azimi
President/CEO Technologists, Inc.

The spring of 2016 has brought with it an unprecedented amount of rain throughout Afghanistan and especially in Kabul. The rain in Kabul has awoken the good old memories when Kabul was much greener than in recent years, and the groundwater levels were at an arm’s reach in many parts of the city. Today, Kabul is as green, and the river runs full, as those of us who are sixty-something remember. However, with the recent amount of rain Kabul has received, roads are full of standing water, making them impassable.

So what has happened over the last 30 to 40 years to Kabul and its citizens? One would suggest that the destruction caused by the many wars and ensuing regime changes are the reasons for today’s problems. This could very well be true, but for the most part they are not the only reason or even the primary cause. Throughout history, Kabul was known as the city of many gardens, and this can still be observed by the names of various areas of the city with names such as Bagh Bala, Bagh Qazi and others. A reason for so much greenery and pristine air was the presence of a number of wetlands throughout the area. It was said that there were at least four to five wetlands working as the source for replenishing ground water and functioning as a filter for dust and unhealthy particles from the Kabul atmosphere.

The largest of these wetlands was known as Dand Wazirabad. This wetland covered a large portion of today’s Kabul and included most of the present Kabul Airport. The impact of this wetland was enormous in the life of the city, especially, in the east. For example, the water level was never below four meters in the summer, also while keeping the dust storms that Kabul is known for today at bay. The decision to drain this wetland, and others, has been an environmental disaster to Kabul. Currently, the water levels of certain sections of eastern Kabul are well below twenty, even as much as thirty meters in the summer, forcing deep well drilling and costly pumping. The result has been a lack of the necessary water to grow and maintain any sizeable greenery throughout the city.

Another function of Kabul’s wetlands was to contain and control seasonal runoffs. In comparison, presently, after each rain event, many of the city’s roads are impassable; and, in some areas, the city is forced to drain excess water by pumping and hauling it to the Kabul River. Not only is this an expensive means to dealing with the runoffs, it is also a waste of good water, and not to mention the unsustainability of the action. The impact of standing water in reducing the life of paved roads are well documented, and worthy of mentioning here as another reason for resolving this multi-faceted problem.

To address today’s environmental issues, and to reverse the many years of environmental neglect, the Kabul Municipality and even the Afghan Government must embark on a fundamental change in its ways and means of treating them. Any new approach must take into account not only the water runoffs but also summer dust and means of making Kabul green once again.

The geology of Kabul lends itself to a potential solution for many of its environmental malaise. Over millennia, Kabul must have been a river bed of some type. This can be seen by the experience of every house that has a well to draw water and the many septic wells built throughout the city. Invariably, everyone’s experience has been that after a short deposit of clay somewhere around two to three meters deep, the ul ground is mostly made of gravel and sand. This characteristic of the land is the genesis for a long-term solution in reversing many of today’s environmental setbacks.

The sequestration of the runoffs through construction and placement of dry wells is one such a solution. However, it is most important to point out that the placement of these wells in appropriate locations and using appropriate designs are essential in reversing the environmental setbacks. The construction of the dry wells will not only recharge Kabul’s groundwater/aquafers but also assist in minimizing dust throughout the city. In addition, today’s design of ditches that are constructed along the city roads are rendered obsolete; and their absence gives the city much wider roads and cost effective way to build. Furthermore, by removing the roadside ditches, the city also removes the scars and the eyesores that exist today in the nation’s capital city.

Finally, it is important to bear in mind that any future decisions to implement the dry well system must be based on solid foundation and by evaluating both technical and financial merits of the system in different parts of the city.

bout the Author: Sayed “Aziz” Azimi is founder and chief executive officer of Technologists, Inc. (Ti), an international engineering and management consulting firm that works primarily in developing countries to build infrastructure, improve governance, and increase human capacity.