Afghanistan: Costly Park Project Puzzles Helmand Residents

By IWPR trainees in Helmand (ARR No. 259, 10-July-07)

A new park being laid out by the British-led reconstruction team in Helmand is supposed to provide a welcome respite from the heat and violence of this southern province - but residents are asking why so much money is being spent on leisure when the most pressing problem – security – is getting worse by the day.

The seven-hectare park will lie on the banks of the broad Helmand river, on the outskirts of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, and will provide fresh air, fountains, flowers, picnic areas and recreational facilities for the city’s estimated 100,000 people.

The work is being funded by the United Kingdom through the Provincial Reconstruction Team, PRT, in Lashkar Gah, which is headed by the British. But at 700,000 US dollars, the price tag is a bit steep for many in Helmand’s capital to understand, especially when the security situation seems to be worsening day by day.

“Almost 80 percent of the work is complete,” said Engineer Esanullah, head of the Helmand office of the Helping Afghan Farmers Organisation, HAFO, which began implementing the work in late March.

“The park is supported by DfID [Britain’s Department for International Development].”

The location of the park, on the other side of the Helmand river, has raised some eyebrows in the city. The area, known as Bolan, is largely off-limits for residents of Lashkar Gah, who fear the Taleban across the water.

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