Kabul plans urban renewal effort

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 15 (UPI) -- Urban developers in Afghanistan are reviewing plans for a "Greater Kabul" renewal effort to house at least 1.5 million people within the next 15 years.

The Afghan government and private companies are reviewing plans for a 285-square-mile complex northeast of Kabul. Construction is set to begin in the next 15 years and the project is expected to cost around $35.5 billion, with a substantial portion provided by private investors.

Many Kabul residents reside currently in illegal and sub-standard housing facilities that are vulnerable to natural disasters and lack basic sanitation.

Meanwhile, the population in the capital city has blossomed from about 1 million in 2001 to 5 million in 2009, straining already limited resources, the U.N. humanitarian news agency IRIN reports.

Afghan officials in the Ministry of Urban Development complain that as the population rises, militia commanders and other non-governmental bodies have taken advantage of the situation by seizing and later selling public land, creating unregulated and unlawful urban sprawl.

Health officials, for their part, say the population growth has damaged air and water quality, which they say contributes to more than 3,000 deaths each year.

Kabul expects its population to pass 8 million by 2025.