Dasht-e-Barchi

1. Community demographics

According to key informant interviews conducted with local authority figures, there are approximately 3,000 households and 8,400 people living in Dasht-e-Barchi in Kabul with the household number based on electoral voting statistics. A local authority figure said the figure is likely higher because the population is expanding with new construction and many people moving into the area. The neighbourhood was said to be almost entirely inhabited by Hazaras who speak Dari. The majority of the population are children and youth (under the age of 24). Asthma and other respiratory problems were reported as health problems.

There is an IDP population of approximately 500-600 (3000 people) households in the community. Much of the IDP population live in residents’ households and cannot afford to pay rent. IDPs mainly originate from the Beshud District in Wardak province due to conflict with kochis (nomads). Some IDPs come from Ghazni province. The population of IDPs increases each year due to ongoing conflict. Key informants estimated approximately 300 households (2100 people) were returnees from Iran and Pakistan. This number is also increasing every month due to growing returns from Pakistan. Community representatives commented that many people live in Dasht-e-Barchi because of the cheap rent and because they cannot afford to move, with the expectation that many of the people will remain in the area over the coming years.

2. Community geography

The neighbourhood of Dasht-e-Barchi is located on a flat area bordered to the east with Mahdia Town, the west with Gakor village, the north with Shuhada square and the south with Abdullah Ansari town. On one side of Dash-e-Barchi is a big soil hill. There is no water source in the neighbourhood but there is piped water and potable water wells. The town is very densely populated with all the houses located close to each-other, except for one expansion area where houses have some distance between them. Most of the houses are made from adobe clay with some built from hard bricks. There are also some concrete houses. Most of the houses are single-storey with some double-storey houses through-out the neighbourhood.

Non-residential buildings include: Mosques, a private clinic, a soccer gymnasium, private schools, a warehouse/inventory building for food stuffs, a gas distribution station, an infrastructure building for energy distribution and an electricity sub-station.

3. Economic profile

Much of the male population in Dasht-e-Barchi work as labourers, often in the construction industry. Community members work in carpentry, metal working, drilling and other skilled trades, but most often work for other people as they cannot afford the required equipment to be self-employed in these professions. Some members of the community own private businesses, while others work as street vendors and a small minority of the neighbourhood work as civil servants.

Women are engaged in needle working and knitting as well as carpet weaving. A community representative noted that while many people know how to weave carpet, price rates set by carpet distributors are low and people cannot afford to buy the necessary materials and equipment. Women also work in breaking and processing almonds.

In summer, cucumber farms employ 10-15 women and an ice-cream distribution firm hires 10+ children under the age of 18. Labourers usually work in building during the summer months. In the winter months, people work in street vending or load carrying, or become jobless.

4. Energy profile

A major electricity source for the community is a community-based off-grid supply which started business in 2011. The off-grid energy provider has a Russian-made, 8-cylinder turbo 75kW generator that consumes approximately 25 litres of diesel per hour. More than half of Dash-e-Barchi’s households (600-700) access this electricity source, with other households using solar panels and batteries or gas and fuel. The off-grid electricity company provides energy in the evenings until 10pm. The off-grid energy provider noted he employs 3 people, and whenever the generator breaks down he brings in a repairman to fix it (which a community representative estimated occurred once every 3 months). During the scheduled hours of provision, the service is reliable but is considered to be weak and only used for lighting and TV.

The initial cost to connect to the micro-grid is 5000 Afs and prices vary from 45 – 70 Afs per kW. The provider says it is 1000 Afs for cables and 2000 Afs for the meter upon subscription.

The Aga Khan Foundation provides solar lanterns for 10,000 Afs which can be paid with 12 monthly installments of 930 Afs per month.

People use wood, almond crust and coal for cooking, with coal predominating for boiling water. Locally produced handmade clay stoves, wood-fuelled stoves, coal-fuelled stoves, gas-fuelled stoves and tandoors that use wood and almond crusts are all in use for cooking.

Most people use coal and wood to heat their homes. Coal is considered to be cheap and effective, but polluting. Poorer households where women engage in the breaking and processing of almonds burn the crusts of the almonds to heat their homes. Poorer people also resort to burning old shoes, tires, plastic and garbage for heating.