CDM managing Afghanistan's first major water improvements program

USAID has awarded CDM Inc. the $41.3 million Afghanistan urban water and sanitation design-build, feasibility study, and capacity-building project, which addresses the country's need for infrastructure by expanding current water supply systems. At present, fewer than 20% of Kabul residents have piped water, and the number is much lower outside the capital city...

Dec. 22, 2004

2 min read

CAMBRIDGE, MA, Dec. 22, 2004 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded CDM Inc. the $41.3 million Afghanistan urban water and sanitation design-build, feasibility study, and capacity-building project, which addresses the country's need for infrastructure by expanding current water supply systems. At present, fewer than 20% of Kabul residents have piped water, and the number is much lower outside the capital city.

Although other donor organizations have sponsored water initiatives within Afghanistan, this USAID effort is the first major water-sector program to take place within the nation's boundaries. CDM is conducting an 18-month urban water and sanitation improvements program, which will directly benefit at least 400,000 people in Kabul, Kandahar, Ghazni, and Gardez.

During the design-build portion of the contract, CDM is extending water distribution networks and increasing sources of potable water in these cities through site work, design, and construction of reservoirs and pipelines. Additional work includes identifying needed improvements in other cities to attract additional funding; advising the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development and the Central Authority for Water Supply and Sanitation, the local organizations responsible for water and sanitation; and providing ongoing technical advisory services.

"CDM is pleased to be awarded responsibility for this vital water supply and sanitation mission in Afghanistan. This project is a good example of the trust USAID has in CDM for this important work, and we look forward to working with both USAID and Afghan organizations to deliver new water supplies, while strengthening the local government's capacity to maintain effective systems over the long term," says Tarek Selim, CDM area manager for Africa and Central Asia.

CDM Inc. (www.cdm.com), of Cambridge, Mass., is a consulting, engineering, construction, and operations firm delivering exceptional service to public and private clients improve worldwide. It was previously known as Camp, Dresser & McKee Inc.

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