Local officials in Herat said that over 80 World Bank-supported projects worth 300 million Afs are either underway or have been completed in the Kahsan and Zinda Jan districts of Herat, which were areas affected by recent earthquakes.

The projects include water dams, a retaining wall, gravel roads, the cleaning of drains that are supported by United Nations Development Projects, and also aid initiatives from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“Over 300 million Afs is being spent in Zinda Jan and Kahsan district and some PDs (districts) of the city. The money is given to people in exchange for work, and also distributed as food items, but in the city, we distribute money. Each family has received 10,000 to 12,000 Afs,” said Basir Ahmad Massoudi, head of CHA in Herat.

The local officials said that more than 20,000 people have been provided with employment opportunities with the projects.

“If our country is built, we are very comfortable. People, especially youth, stay busy with employment,” said Juma Khan, a Kahsan district citizen.

Local officials said that besides these projects, the caretaker government also aims to plan other projects in Herat.

“The vehicle terminal is being made in the south of Herat, maybe around 30 or 40 million dollars will be invested in 1,000 acres of land, the new industrial town is also supposed to be constructed on 55,000 acres of land, there is the reconstruction of a dry port, for which 200 acres land are needed, there is the issue of the cement project which is a great and general interest project and the Herat-Torghundi railway project that is underway,” said Noor Ahmad Islam Jar, the governor of Herat.

The World Bank-supported development projects are also supposed to be started in 17 districts of Herat which aims to provide people with job opportunities and to increase development of waterways.