PAKTIKA, Afghanistan –The end of a year represents the beginning of a more accessible world for a small district in Paktika province as two significant reconstruction projects are completed.
The remote district of Bermel lies on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and has faced issues of isolation. Transportation and communication resources were limited, but within a week that all changed – the first cell tower in the district went operational and improvements on the main thoroughfare were completed.
“These are the two most significant projects we’ve completed during my deployment at Special Operations Task Force – East,” said Capt. Jason Baker, civil affairs planner for SOTF-East.
The cell tower went operational on Dec. 30 after five months of coordination and provides a 15-mile radius of coverage, three times the original estimate, said Baker.
The cell tower is within the Afghan Wireless Cellular Communication network and travelled by convoy from Kabul before reaching its final destination. Located adjacent to a Forward Operating Base in the area, the tower offers a permanent solution to villagers who previously had no way of contacting each other, security forces or their local government.
“This tower will now link the populace in the outlying villages surrounding Shkin with the district center, the provincial capital and GIRoA offices in Kabul,” said Sgt. 1st Class Charles Mann, the civil affairs non-commissioned officer in charge of the area.
Moreover, the Afghan technicians who installed the tower said terrain will not cause accessibility issues, so even the villages that lie in valleys will have coverage. Also, since the cell tower links to a satellite, those residents will have access to worldwide networks.
“The next step is to establish a phone line to the district center so the populace can feel more connected to the government, as well as an emergency number to the Shkin clinic and a call-in number for the local radio station,” said Mann.
He added that eventually more than 15,000 residents will benefit from the communication link the cell tower provides, but twice that could see gain from the physical link completed at the same time.
The Torah Tangay road is a 17-mile stretch that connects the large village of Shkin in Bermel District with its neighboring districts and provinces to the north.
Previously, the stretch of road took over two hours to traverse and was so rocky that normal vehicles rarely dared to try it. It now takes less than half the time, and the improvement was worth the wait to local merchants.
“The Torah Tangay road is the main transportation route from Shkin to Rabat and onto Orgun-E,” said Mann. “It’s been used for generations and is a critical improvement to the area.”
Begun in August, heavy machinery was needed to clear the bedrock that composes the majority of the terrain, said Baker. But, the affect on local commerce is immeasurable.
Not only were 100-150 locals employed by the project, now commercial trucks travelling from the Pakistani border can drive smoothly through Bermel onto northern destinations, bringing new opportunities and business to the area.
Furthermore, in the north the road links with previously completed projects uniting the district with the provincial government in Sharana, more than 60 miles away. This gives government officials new avenues to connect with villages otherwise not often reached.
“Two projects may not seem huge in the larger scheme of things, but for these people in remote area of Afghanistan, they literally connect them to the world,” said Baker.
| Date Taken: |
01.05.2011 |
| Date Posted: |
01.06.2011 06:58 |
| Story ID: |
63096 |
| Location: |
PAKTIKA PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: |
217 |
| Downloads: |
1 |
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