KABUL, Afghanistan, April 9, 2002 (ENS) - Now armed with a spade, a former Northern Alliance commander, Amir Mohammad, from central Parvan Province, found employment a few months after returning to the Afghan capital, Kabul. "I am happy to be working here and proud to be involved in the rebuilding of my country," he told a reporter from the United Nations information agency IRIN.

Mohammad is one of 500 Afghans, paid two dollars a day, working on clearing a five kilometer (three mile) stretch of the Kabul River as part of the Recovery and Employment Afghanistan Programme (REAP), run by the United Nations Development Programme, in collaboration with the Afghan municipality.

The once mighty river has been reduced to a polluted trickle after four years of drought and decades of fighting. Rubble from the conflict has been dumped into the river, which has also been used as a public toilet and refuse site. "It smells and it is dirty. This is the first time in 12 years that it is being cleaned," Mohammad said.

The Kabul River runs through the middle of Afghanistan's capital city. (Photo courtesy American Red Cross)

Funded by a donation of US$3 million from the government of Japan, it is just one of many REAP projects reconstructing the battered streets and infrastructure of Afghanistan - starting with the capital city.

Other projects include the rehabilitation of schools, roads, canals and drains. Improving the environment is also a priority; tree planting and improvement of public spaces will also be carried out in Kabul.

The local authorities say they are pleased to have such projects up and running. "Watching these people is a real sign of commitment from the public in rebuilding Afghanistan," the engineer for the municipality, Naser Ahmad said.

The project is aimed at those who have no other means of income, and the Afghan Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs identifies workers. "Only those who are unskilled, returnees, refugees and former combatants will be employed in these projects," said the senior program coordinator for UNDP Afghanistan, Wuria Karadaghy.

While admitting that the payment to the workers is a small amount, Karadaghy said this is the standard rate in the city for this type of labor. "This is a good start for them, and it is a cash injection into the community which gives them a little buying power," he maintained.

Although the employment is short term, REAP officials say they hope they projects will be followed by vocational training. But in the meantime, with recent reported incidents of crime, including murder, in and around the capital, the REAP projects ensure employment for some former combatants. They have been left poor and hungry as the Northern Alliance streamlines its forces.

A skeleton was also found buried under the dirt and rubbish which now covers two and a half meters of the river bed. "The skeleton was found with its hands and feet in chains and was thrown into the river. But we can't say how long ago this happened," Karadaghy said.

The water level in the river has been at an all time low for the past four years, due to the ongoing severe drought. "We are expecting rain now, and we want to clear it out," Ahmad explained.

The government official also spoke of the need for people to be paid a salary as many have not been received payment for the past six to eight months. "This is also a good way for former Northern Alliance fighters to be reintegrated into society," he stressed.

Meanwhile, back at the river, 35 year old Alla Mohammad, also a former combatant, told IRIN that his family of six are glad to be home on safe ground. A builder by trade before he joined the Northern Alliance fighters, he said, "We want to live a normal life now, and I want to work hard so I can feed my family."

{Published in cooperation with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) online at: http://www.irinnews.org}