Even the dead must make way as construction transforms Afghanistan’s capital

KABUL, Afghanistan — The once bustling family room now stands empty, with no walls, roof, or floor left.

This was Syed Murtaza Sadar’s residence in Kabul, situated above his family’s barber shop and public bath. All of these structures have been demolished, leaving behind only debris. Sadar and his family had to dismantle most of the building themselves.

“This used to be our home, and now I am tearing it down with my own hands,” said the 25-year-old, pausing from his demolition work. “It’s going to be a tough time for us.”

Two months ago, the municipal authorities informed property owners on this street that their buildings were being acquired for a road expansion project, part of the city’s efforts to modernize its congested streets.

Initially, no one believed it, Sadar recalled. But soon enough, demolition crews appeared.

Homes, businesses, and even a cemetery are being demolished across Kabul to make way for road infrastructure projects. Narrow, pothole-ridden streets are being replaced with wider roads, flyovers, and underpasses.

Many of these plans were conceived years ago during the era of the U.S.-backed government. However, implementation was hindered by bureaucracy, corruption, and security threats posed by Taliban insurgency.

Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, Kabul’s new municipal authorities revived these projects.

Over the past four and a half years, approximately 450 kilometers (280 miles) of roads have been constructed in the capital, stated Naimatullah Barakzai, Kabul municipality’s cultural affairs representative. During this period, 11,278 properties were acquired for these projects.

For this year, another 233 projects are slated, with over 1.9 billion afghanis ($29 million) set aside for them, as per Mohammad Qasim Afghan, the head of planning for the municipality.

Funding for these road expansions comes entirely from municipal resources, Barakzai emphasized, revealing that over the past 4 1/2 years, Kabul municipality had raised more than 28 billion afghanis (about $434 million).

Property owners are given a three-month notice and compensated based on rates established by the municipality. In the last year, over 1.2 billion afghanis ($18.6 million) were disbursed in compensation, Barakzai added.

Protesting against these acquisitions is not a viable option.

Sadar, the property owner, mentioned that demolition teams demolished the front sections of buildings on his street before instructing owners to complete the demolition themselves.

His business, which employed around 25 individuals, supported his extended family comprising five households, each with three or four children.

“If the government compensates us, then hopefully, I can restart my business and acquire a new home,” he expressed. Currently, they are residing in rented accommodations, depleting their savings.

Nevertheless, Sadar expressed contentment with the road expansion. The current congested road, with only one lane in each direction, necessitates an hour of traffic congestion for any journey, he remarked.

At another construction site in the city, project manager and engineer Obaidullah Elham disclosed that crews are working continuously to construct a Turkish-designed flyover and underpass worth 1.5 billion afghanis ($23 million) to replace the crowded Baraki intersection.

Five hundred workers, both skilled and unskilled, are engaged in the project, Elham stated, offering vital employment opportunities in a nation grappling with pervasive poverty.

Construction of the 470-meter (1,540-foot) underpass commenced last July and is now 80% complete, Elham revealed, as an excavator dug behind him. Work on the flyover started earlier this year, making it only the second such structure in Kabul.

In Kabul’s Qala-e-Khater neighborhood, a section of a centuries-old graveyard is also being sacrificed for a new road that will intersect the area.

Empty graves dot the landscape, with gaping holes where the deceased were relocated. Abdul Wadood Alokozay mentioned that his grandfather was among those moved.

Alokozay’s family owned three properties in the vicinity, including a girls’ madrassa and two residential buildings, all of which were acquired and razed. All that remains are faint imprints on the muddy terrain.

“Initially, our family was devastated by the loss of our home,” the 21-year-old shared. The most challenging part was dismantling the structure themselves after residing there for over two decades.

In compensation, they received over $13,000 for all three properties and are promised more for the land. The family has constructed a new three-story house on another parcel they owned, overlooking the former site.

Shah Faisal Alokozay, a 30-year-old community representative and Abdul Wadood’s cousin, mentioned that plans for this road have been in existence on paper for decades.

“It’s a vital road connecting east and north Kabul,” he emphasized. “Hence, it holds immense significance for the community.”

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Contributions to this report were made by Abdul Qahar Afghan, an Associated Press writer.