As part of our Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs-funded project, 11 Afghans from national and local government entities, and civil society, including NGO and communities’ representatives from Nangahar Province, gathered recently in New Delhi, India to meet CWS Japan team members, along with Japan Conservation Engineers, Co. Ltd (JCE) staff. The group gathered for follow-up support to earlier learning-sharing about hazard mapping and community awareness raising intended to help cultivate a “map culture” in Afghanistan.
With the recent return of large numbers of Afghans who had sought refugee in Pakistan over the years, Nangahar Province faces significant population growth with many returnees are now living in disaster risk prone areas where they can afford the low-price land precisely because it is dangerous and, therefore, relatively inexpensive. This is possible because Afghan laws and protocols do not restrict construction and development activities even when there are known disaster risks because there is no process or framework to formally and legally assess such risks. So, next, in December, another follow-on meeting will also focus developing laws and protocols about settling and building in flood and landslide prone places, and discussing how such legal instruments be enacted.
(For more information please contact t.komino@cwsjapan.org )