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Kerala to serve as model for rural reforms in Afghanistan

KASARAGOD: Watershed development projects in Kerala will serve as a model for the rural reconstruction programmes being implemented in Afghanistan, Abdul Manan Azizi, technical advisor, Afghanistan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, has said.

He was speaking to The Hindu here on Thursday after visiting the Swajaladhara project at Kayyur-Cheemeni panchayat and the Jalanidhi project at Kodom Belur panchayat in the district. Mr. Azizi is part of an eight-member team of engineers working in various projects of the World Bank in Afghanistan who are now on a visit to India.

Mr. Azizi said his country was facing shortage of water. Rural people had to walk on foot several kilometres every day to bring drinking water to their homes. In the context, the focus on rural reconstruction was ensuring supply of potable water to all, Mr. Azizi said.

Mr. Azizi said he was impressed by the functioning of local bodies in Kerala and the decentralisation of power here. “Local bodies named Shouras function in Afghanistan and elections are being held to them,” he said. They looked after rural reconstruction and awarded development projects to various agencies, Mr. Azizi added.

Mr. Azizi said efforts were on in his country to implement development projects with the cooperation of user groups. He felt that Kerala had succeeded to a great extent in controlling poverty and said his country had to learn a great deal from it. He said a large number of people in his country remained poor as a result of the impact of repeated wars on the economy.

Mr. Azizi said he was impressed by the clean environment in villages here.

Atiqullah Khawasi, director, works, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, said reconstruction programmes were on full swing in the country and it was slowly returning to the path of development. Agencies such as the World Bank were funding several projects, he said. Mr. Khawasi said the Government of India was aiding the reconstruction with funds and by providing the services of experts.

The Afghanistan team was lead by P. Satyanarayana, project manager of the ministry. Susheel Samuel, State coordinator of the water and sanitation programme, accompanied the team. The team left Kerala on Thursday. They would return to Afghanistan by February 19.

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