Innovation: Traffic Circle Becomes a Beacon of Beauty

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Traffic Circle Becomes a Beacon of Beauty

26 May 2011 On a hot day like yesterday I had the pleasure of experiencing the cool spray of the fountains when they were switched on during the early noon inauguration of Silk Road Traffic Circle located on Shahr Ara Square in Kabul.

Kabul Municipality decided to renovate this circle, because this project fits in with our vision to beautify Kabul and to restore it to its former aesthetic glory. This is going to take time, but every step forward will bring us closer to a city that will be admired for its progress.

After addressing the local media, the Afghan engineers who had worked on this project, were awarded for their dedication and professionalism with plaques of recognition.

The product of their skills sports spouting fountains, surrounded by green grass and lush roses. As backdrop a small-scale mountain has been created. Life-size ibexes and cranes perching from rocks overlook the road, which eventually leads to Shomali Plain.

I would like to thank The Mansory Group for making this project possible.

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Biography

Mohammad Yunus Nawandish was appointed Mayor of Kabul by the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in January 2010 and governs a city of approximately five million people.

Since taking office the Mayor initiated an aggressive program of municipal improvements in streets, parks, greenery, revenue collection, environmental control, and solid waste management.

Engineer Nawandish has thirty years of experience in the oil, gas and power sectors in Afghanistan. He served as Manager of the Afghan Gas Refinery Department, Ministry of Mines and Industry (MMI) from 1979 – 1981; as Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1984 – 1988; as Petroleum Engineer (MMI) from 1989 – 1992; and as Professor of Engineering at Balkh University in northern Afghanistan from 1992 – 1994. During the Taliban regime (1994 – 2001) the Mayor lived outside Afghanistan.

From 2001 – 2005 the Mayor served as Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Energy and Water. Since 2005 he managed new construction and rehabilitation projects in the generation, transmission and distribution of energy in a conflict environment.

The Northern Transmission System, which provides power from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan and is the largest power sector project in this country, was designed by Mayor Nawandish.

On behalf of the Afghan Government, he has coordinated over $500 million in power sector projects in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the European Union, World Bank, and the governments of India, Iran, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and South Korea. He has worked as a Senior Advisor on a USAID-funded project to rehabilitate the Sheberghan gas fields.

Mayor Nawandish serves as a member of the Economic Commission of the Council of Ministers, a member of National Security Council, a member of Kabul Polytechnic University’s Academic Council and of Kabul University.

He is a member of two non-governmental organizations: the Afghanistan Engineers and Architects Association and the Kabul Residents Union.

Mayor Nawandish holds a B.S in Petroleum Engineering from Kabul Polytechnic University and a M.S in Gas Production and Distribution Specialty from Lvov, Ukraine.

Currently the Mayor is assisted in his municipal reform efforts by the USAID-funded Kabul City Initiative project - a $120 million, three-year program to build municipal capacity, improve service delivery and infrastructure, and increase municipal revenue.

Note: Mayors in Afghanistan are appointed by the President and are not elected to office. The Mayor of Kabul holds ministerial rank in Afghanistan.