Damaged bridges being rebuilt in Kandahar

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): The Public Works Department on Wednesday said construction work on damaged bridges on the Kandahar-Herat highway has begun.

The culverts had been blown up by landmines in the past, causing serious problems for commuters.

Kandahar Public Works Director Mullah Nematullah Saraji told Pajhwok Afghan News that work was underway to rehabilitate damaged culverts along the main Kandahar-Herat transit route and many had been built.

"From Bagh-e-Pul area to ​​Kandahar to Lashkar Gah-Durahi  area 44 culverts were destroyed and 33 of them have been rebuilt and the remaining 11 are being reconstructed," he added.

Without revealing the cost of the culvert reconstruction project, he said that all the destroyed bridges were being built on standard basis.

Saraji said that the construction work of the destroyed bridges had already started in Kandahar city and districts and the plan was to repair damaged bridges on the highways in remote districts.

Residents of Kandahar City welcomed the rebuilding of damaged bridges but urged Taliban officials to rebuild some of the larger bridges that connect the district to the city.

Abdul Ahad, a resident of Arghandab district in Kandahar, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the Taliban had destroyed a part of the bridge over the Arghandab River during a recent battle in Kandahar.

He said the destruction of the bridge had made it difficult for people to travel between the city and the district, forcing people to travel on other long and narrow roads.

It is worth mentioning that in Panjwai district, the reconstruction work of similarly destroyed bridges has started a few days ago and so far many bridges have been repaired.

ma