16 August 2010 - A two-lane 650 meter road paved by the Afghan Department of Public Works with support from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is now open in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.

Approximately 35 km of road are being paved and reconstructed in different parts of Kandahar, the governor’s office told UNAMA.

The Governor said that the paving and rehabilitation of roads in the city is part of the Hamkari, or cooperation plan aimed at improving the lives of the Kandahar community.

“Roads are essential means of communication,” Nader Shah Agha, UN-Habitat Director in Kandahar, said at the opening ceremony.

Residents are “very happy” about the road and said that it shows that the Government is fulfilling its responsibilities to provide basic services to its citizens.

“I appreciate that the Government is implementing reconstruction projects in our area,” one person said.

Meanwhile, the Public Works Department also completed graveling a separate 5 km road, funded by the Kandahar municipality in Khojak Baba area of Kandahar city.

By Mujeeb Rahman, UNAMA