Habib Kala

1. Community demographics

According to key informant interviews conducted with local authority figures, there are approximately 800-1000 households with 3800-4200 people living in Habib Kala. The village neighbourhood is almost entirely comprised of Pashtuns with Tajiks making up a small minority. Pashto is the most widely spoken language in the community. Key informants stated there was no IDP population in Habib Kala to the best of their knowledge. There are approximately 60 households who are returnees from Pakistan who own their houses, with the possibility that more people return to the area in the future. It was considered very likely that most people in the community will still be living in Habib Kala two years from now because community members own their own houses and lands.

2. Community geography

The village neighbourhood of Habib Kala is located on mostly flat ground, with the southern part of the community located on more hilly terrain. The neighbourhood lies a few kilometres to the west of Gardez city centre. There is a river that runs through the middle of the village but the main source of water is a series of waterspout fountains 5km to the south-east of the village. Smaller off-shoot villages including Fatullah (280 households) and Dabarak (220 households) are often considered part of Habib Kala.

The single-storey mud-brick houses of Habib Kala are spread out across a large area amongst orchards and agricultural lands. They have mud walls surrounding the houses on all sides. Non-residential buildings include a school, a clinic, a nearby Qol-e-Urdu (military complex), and a building for DABS that is currently under construction.

3. Economic profile

The majority of the village work in agriculture and horticulture. This work is seasonal, with little to no work during the winter. Teachers work part-time and often have a shop they keep during the hours they are not teaching. Some people in Habib Kala work in shops in Gardez city centre and commute there and back daily. Some community members work in the public sector.

The village also has chicken farms that employ 2-3 people each, and a rock crushing machine that is used for road construction also employs 2-3 people. Some people work as daily wage labourers in the construction industry.

4. Energy profile

Habib Kala is not connected to the electrical grid. Almost the entire neighbourhood use stand-alone solar panels and batteries which provide enough energy to power lighting but not for more energy-intensive jobs such as ironing or boiling water.

The majority of households use wood in mud-brick ovens for cooking, and firewood for heating. The wood can be bought but also taken from the surrounding lands. Some households use LPG for cooking.