Sorubi Recreational Park Phase I

Recreation areas and resorts are one of the three basic necessities of human beings, which are work, rest, and Amusement.
Recreational Areas are where people go on holidays for fun and relaxation.
The existence of recreational areas such as green parks, gardens, agricultural farms, and gardening is
extremely important not only for entertainment and recreation but also in the protection of the environment and the beauty of the city.
Sorubi district of Kabul province, Afghanistan is one of the main options for recreation with its refreshing climate and wonderful potential.
Residents of the eastern zone of the capital, which is visited by visitors every year. According to the statistics, the Recreation areas on holidays, especially on Fridays in the warm seasons of the year may have a large number of #visitors, which is an estimated about 4000 - 5000 visitors.
Sorubi Recreational Park Phase I (Bagh-e Rayees) is one of the recreational areas which has been planned in 10 hectares area that is used by tourists in almost all seasons of the year.

@nekmalblog

Turkish Shawarma in Afghanistan

 

Shawarma (Arabic: شاورما‎) is a dish in Middle Eastern cuisine consisting of meat cut into thin slices, stacked in a cone-like shape, and roasted on a slowly-turning vertical rotisserie or spit. Originally made of lamb or mutton, today's shawarma may also be chicken, turkey, beef, or veal. Thin slices are shaved off the cooked surface as it continuously rotates. Shawarma is one of the world's most popular street foods, especially in Egypt, the countries of the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula, and beyond. 

Etymology: 

Shawarma is an Arabic rendering of Turkish çevirme [tʃeviɾˈme] 'turning', referring to the turning rotisserie. 

History:

Shawarma in Lebanon, 1950 Although the roasting of meat on horizontal spits has an ancient history, the technique of grilling a vertical stack of meat slices and cutting it off as it cooks first appeared in the 19th-century Ottoman Empire, in what is now Turkey, in the form of donner kebab. Both the Greek gyros and shawarma are derived from this. Shawarma, in turn, led to the development during the early 20th century of the contemporary Mexican dish tacos al pastor when it was brought there by Lebanese immigrants. 

Preparations: 

Shawarma in a pita Shawarma is prepared from thin cuts of seasoned marinated lamb, mutton, veal, beef, chicken, or turkey. The slices are stacked on a skewer about 60 cm (20 in) high. Lamb fat may be added to provide extra fat for juiciness and flavour. A motorized spit slowly turns the stack of meat in front of a heating element, continuously roasting the outer layer. Shavings are cut off the rotating stack for serving, customarily with a long, sharp knife. Spices may include cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric and paprika, and in some areas Baharat. Shawarma is commonly served as a sandwich or wrap, in a flatbread such as pita or luffa. In the Middle East, chicken shawarma is typically served with garlic sauce, fries, and pickles. In Afghanistan, most shawarma is made with Chicken meat turkey and is commonly served with tahini sauce because serving yogurt sauce with meat. It is often garnished with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, pickled vegetables, tahini sauce or sauce. Some restaurants may offer additional toppings like grilled peppers, eggplant or French fries.

د مور د ورځې په ویاړ

د جـــــنت سړه سایه وه زمونږ په کور کې
هم کـــــعبه هم مـــــدینه وه زمونږ په کور کې
غـــــریب نه وم زه پادشــــاه د زمانی وم
بی مــــثاله خــــــزانه وه زمونږ په کـــور کې
یو دیدار یې په تمام جهان سیوا وو
مور مو داسې خزانه وه زمونږ په کـــــور کې

د مور ورځ په عمومي ډول د خوښۍ ورځ وي، مګر د هغو کسانو لپاره چې مور یې له لاسه ورکړې، دا ورځ خورا ستونزمنه وي، دا مهمه ده چې په یاد ولرئ چې تاسو پدې احساس کې یوازې نه یاست ټول لدې زیان سره مخ شوي ، او په ټکو کې یې داسې ځائ ورکړیئ چې تاسو یې اوس مهال احساس کوئ. ځکه چې د ورځې په پای کې هیڅ دلیل شتون نلري چې د ټولو ښکلاوو لمانځلو مخه ونیسئ چې هغې ستاسو ژوند ته وربښلې دي.

د مور مینه پر موږ په نه منونکي ډول تاثیر کوي ، تل لارښود او ساتنه کوي، او دا د دوی له تیریدو وروسته احساس کیدی شي.

 د غم سره معامله کولو او د ښکلو یادونو منعکس کولو لپاره دا قانع کونکي ذهنیتونه په هغه نه ماتیدونکي ډول اړیکه نیسي چې سړی یې یوازې د خپلې مور سره شریکولائ شئ. د مور ورځ ده ، د پورتني مطلب په یاد ساتلو سره په یاد ولرئ چې تاسو به د هغې سره نږدې احساس وکړئ که څه هم هغه اوس دلته نه ده.

Invest in Afghanistan

Do you think you know enough about your Homeland Country Afghanistan?! I bet you don’t have proper information about our GDP, Infrastructure, Import & Export, Industrial Parks (Planned and Ongoing), Transportation ports, number of regional ports, investment opportunities in Afghanistan, Flexible Tax system, Free Market Economy, Agriculture sector, Energy capacity, Mining, and others so if you are interested to know click on the video to gain the information.

Eng. Mohammad Naeem Nekmal

Pre-Cast Concrete Walls – Types, Connections, and Advantages

Precast concrete walls are constructed by casting concrete in a reusable wall mold or form which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and lifted into place. The main function of the precast walls is to speed up the construction process.

Fig 1: Erection of Precast Concrete Wall.

In this article, we discuss about the types, connections, characteristics, and advantages of precast concrete walls.
Types of Precast Concrete Wall

1. Cladding or Curtain Walls
The cladding or curtain walls are the most widely used precast wall for building envelopes. They are non-load bearing walls intended for the use to oppose the wind and encase the space. This type of precast wall incorporates divider boards, window divider units, spandrels, mullions, and section covers.

2. Load-bearing Wall
Load-bearing wall units oppose and exchange loads from different components and cannot be removed or dismantled without influencing the quality or dependability of the building.

Fig 2: Load Bearing Pre-Cast Concrete Walls

3. Shear Walls
Shear walls are utilized to give a parallel load opposing framework when joined with stomach activity of the floor development. The viability of precast shear dividers is generally needy upon the board-to-board associations.

Types of Connections in Precast Concrete Walls

1. Bolted Connections
The bolted connections are a simplified and fastest method of erection operation. The final alignment and adjustment can be made later without tying up crane time. The bolting should be in accordance with the erection drawings, using material specified by the designer.

2. Welded connections are the most common and typical connection used in the erection of precast concrete. These connections are structurally efficient and adjust easily to varying field conditions.
The connections are usually made by placing a loose plate between two structural steel plates that are embedded both in the cast-in-place or the precast concrete panel and welded together.

3. Dowel/Anchor Bolt Connections 
In a dowel connection, the strength of dowels in tension or shear depends on dowel diameter, embedded length, and the bond developed. The threaded anchor bolts and rebar anchor dowels that protrude from the foundation are the critical first connection to precast members.

Structural Design Aspects
The precast walls are designed as blind divider or facade which does not carry any load. Anyhow, the precast walls must oppose parallel loads conferred on it due to self-weight, winds, and quakes.

It is critical to assess the plan, specifying and erection of precast walls to abstain from forcing undesirable burdens onto the walls. Loads such as erection, affect, and development related, and transportation of the precast walls are to be considered in the design phase.

The joints between the walls must be sufficiently wide to suit warm extension and differential developments due to season variations. The divider hole space and go down divider which is secured with a water-safe film give an optional line of assurance against water infiltration into the building.
Characteristics of Precast Concrete Walls

1. Thermal Resistance
The precast walls infer their warm execution attributes basically from the measure of protection set in the depression or inside the reinforcement divider, which is ordinarily a metal stud divider.

2. Moisture Protection
The protection for the moisture in the precast walls is of high importance as the structural members such as columns and beams are not structurally connected with the precast walls.

The sealer or the joint seal used in the connections and joints to prevent the moisture from entering the building. To keep the uniformity of precast walls and the sealants, pigmented sealants are used.

3. Fire Safety
The precast walls are manufactured with concrete which has good fire-resistant material.

3. Acoustics
A precast wall with a veneer will give comparative execution with respect to sound transmission from the outside to the inside of the building.

4. Durability
The durability parameter of the precast walls is the same as that of concrete. Anyhow, the durability depends on the type of connections made with the structural member.

Any irregularities in the member can be rectified by sandblasting, uncovering total, corrosive washing, hedge pounding, or different methods.

5. Maintainability
As the walls are manufactured with concrete, which does not need any maintenance. The connection, sealants, anchorages, and accessories used in the precast walls need regular maintenance.

Fig 3: Pre-Cast Concrete Wall

Advantages of Precast Concrete Walls

Precast concrete walls act as thermal storage to delay and reduce peak thermal loads.
The precast concrete wall is used as an interior surface which saves time and money by eliminating the need for separate stud framing and drywall costs.
The precast concrete wall can be used as load-bearing structures and will save costs by eliminating the need for an additional structural framing system.
Precast concrete walls can be designed to be reused for future building expansions.
Precast concrete’s durability creates a low maintenance structure, which stands up to harsh climate conditions.
Precast concrete colors and finishes can be achieved through the use of various aggregates, cement, pigments and finishing techniques.
Precast concrete wall panels can utilize a thin brick veneer that can achieve a traditional appearing facade.
Precast concrete walls can be produced with textures including form liner shapes, artwork, and lettering to provide distinctive accent treatments.
Precast concrete wall panels can have electrical boxes and conduit cast into the panels, to provide flush electrical fixtures on walls that are not to be framed out.

How Do Engineers Build Structures Underwater?

Building structures underwater requires some interesting engineering. 

Have you ever looked at a large bridge or other structure whose foundation was rooted underwater and wondered how engineers ever went about constructing it or will ever fix it? When construction needs to take place somewhere that is submerged underwater, engineers use a series of large driven piles into the waterbed called cofferdams to create a dry workplace.

The way cofferdams are built: 

In terms of geotechnical engineering, the process isn't as simple as just pushing walls into the ground, engineers have to carefully design the structure to not flood and keep the workers inside safe from collapse. Most traditionally you would see cofferdams in the construction process of support piers for bridges, but they can be used in a wide variety of aqueous engineering

The piles of a cofferdam are driven into the earth in whatever formation necessary to a specific depth. When water is on one side of a wall and water is pumped out of the other side of the wall, this creates a hydraulically unstable system which can cause water to seep up through the ground.

Without getting too complex into the geotechnical engineering of this hydraulic phenomenon, there is a depth at which a wall can be driven into the ground that will keep water from seeping to the other side of the wall – typically defined by soil type and water table. The piles used in cofferdams are usually driven into the surface at a minimum of this calculated height in order to keep water out.

Removing the water from the structure:

Once the entire cofferdam is in place, pumps are used to extract the water interior to the dam structure, ultimately creating a dry workspace. Sometimes, getting the piles that make up the cofferdam to a necessary depth on the lake/ocean/river floor is simply too expensive or impractical. In cases like this, a series of pumps are set in place to constantly pump out excess water as it seeps into the cofferdam structure.

These structures are used very commonly when constructing dams, piers for bridges or other forms of aquatic engineering. While it may seem that having such a large work area under the surrounding water level may be dangerous, and it is, it's not as dangerous as you may think. Work inside of cofferdams is usually only allowed under the most pristine conditions when the water is generally static. In these states, failure modes of the pile dam are slow and predictable in nature. To help fight against these slow failures as well, a series of primary or backup pumps can kick into overdrive to help keep the inside of the cofferdam dry until crews can evacuate.

When ships need to be repaired, engineers will also use cofferdams as a sort of dry-dock to isolate the ship from the water and repair it where it sits. This is typically done on larger ships where it would otherwise be impossible to lift the ship out of the water. So, for example, when a cruise ship is lengthened or expanded, engineers will construct a cofferdam around the ship and pump out the water, allowing for workers to have a dry work area. It is important to note that cofferdams are not cheap, but for the projects where they are used, they are the only construction option.

History of cofferdams:

Cofferdams are rather old when it comes to underwater construction vice that there aren't really any other ways to build underwater. The origins of these structures date back to the Persian Empire where they began as earth cofferdams.

These early structures were made essentially how you might think, with earthen walls being built up, the water being bucketed out, the structure being built, then the earth walls removed. It was rather tedious, dangerous and time-consuming, but it did the trick.

The next innovation in cofferdam engineering was made by the Romans. Roman engineers used woodpiles that they drove into waterbeds to wall off underwater areas. This was particularly an impressive feat considering the function was similar to modern steel cofferdams, yet the Romans were able to accomplish it with wooden supports.

In what seems like a step back in the engineering of cofferdams, the next innovation was to move to sandbags, which didn't occur until the late 19th century. During the Napoleonic wars, people began using sandbags to control water. The bags were initially used to protect troops but eventually began being used to control the water by building quick dams. While not the traditional use of cofferdams, these early sandbag dams allowed for troop movements while also offering the added benefit of protection from gunfire.

Steel sheet pile cofferdams:

Finally, after the long history of cofferdams in construction, in the early 1900s, steel cofferdams were first invented by a German engineer. These first steel dams utilized interlocking U shaped steep to control the water flow and are much like what we still see in use today. This was really the final major innovation in the history of Cofferdams as today, we just see minor proprietary changes in the wall interlocking technology.

Why access to improved sanitation is so important for Afghanistan?

Article By: FahimMalekzai / Nekmal Blog

Sanitation refers to the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of the human feces, urine, and provision of clean drinking water. Sanitation system consists of five modules including containment, emptying, transport, treatment, and reuse/ disposal. These are the measures which are taken to improve the health and well-being of people individually as well as collectively. Inadequate sanitation is a major cause of diseases worldwide and improving sanitation has a significant beneficial impact on health both in households and across communities. Adequate sanitation, together with good hygiene and safe water, is fundamental to good health and to social and economic development. This includes using clean and safe toilets, keeping water sources clean and disposing of garbage safely. Sanitation is the subject that affects the health and well-being of the population, food production, and the environment. Sanitation plays an important role in protecting the environment and promoting sustainability.

Inadequate sanitation, particularly in the context of urbanization, allows sewage or waste to flow directly into streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands, affecting clean sources of drinking water, fouling the environment and exposing a major part of the population to a number of diseases.  Good sanitation and waste management help to keep people separate from potential sources of pathogens. They reduce the risk of contaminating water supplies with pathogens and discourage the transmission of disease.

We can divide sanitation into two categories namely urban sanitation and rural sanitation. Both types need to be addressed properly. People living in rural areas usually do not have access to improved sanitation, no modern flush systems, no proper handwashing practices observed. Open defecation is very common in rural areas which frequently cause the spread of infectious diseases, a major source of clean drinking water contamination and a breeding ground for vectors. The types of latrines used are pit latrines with open doors and no hygienic measures.  These people are largely illiterate, unaware of hygienic principles. There is also no proper management of solid waste although its production in rural areas is less. Similarly, when we consider the urban sanitation system, it needs much more attention, effective management, and greater resources to bring it into streamline. There are modern toilet facilities used but the wastewater generated needs to be managed effectively. The wastewater generated includes residential, Commercial, Industrial, Institutional, Combine–Residential & Commercial, Health Facility’s, Wastewater generated from Slaughtering Houses, Wastewater from Mosques and any other wastewater such as from Public Latrine, Bakeries, Parks and so on. The open defecation is less in cities. Solid waste dumped around in the open environment which needs proper management.

A proper Sanitation system also effectively covers solid waste management.  Effective management of solid garbage keeps the streets, roads, avenues, and environment, clean and odor-free. With the rapid growth of population everywhere around the city heaps of solid dumped illegally in the open places can be seen. There is no effective solid waste management, treatment and safe disposal system in Afghanistan. This situation needs to be addressed properly in order to avoid or even minimize the consequences of a polluted environment.  Solid waste is generated and collected from different areas, sources and is of different types. It includes waste collected from residential areas, commercial markets, grocery shops, waste collected from educational institutions. Solid waste from health care facilities needs special management as it is considered in nature as infectious.

Afghanistan has not that much good sanitation and hygiene conditions. In Afghanistan, about 20.6 % of total deaths are attributable to worsened conditions of drinking water, hygiene, and sanitation-related causes (WHO 2004). There are no certain permanent fecal sludge disposal facilities available to the citizens of Afghanistan. According to this fact and figures especially in rural areas of Afghanistan people still go for open defecation. According to a UNICEF/WHO joint monitoring program (JMP) for water supply, sanitation and hygiene report a survey conducted on sanitation in the year 2015 indicates that still, Afghanistan lacks much behind the other countries in the sanitation sector. Afghans (6 out of every 7 persons) still live under poor hygienic circumstances. According to the modified definition of Sanitation from ALCS only 39 percent of households have access to improved sanitation facilities in Afghanistan which is a very critical condition.

The sanitation conditions of Afghanistan’s major cities are by any means not satisfactory. The large cities of Afghanistan including Kabul being the capital city, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, Nangarhar, and Herat have no sewerage systems for wastewater, no up to mark canalization which could handle the daily flow of wastewater. In addition to all this, there are no wastewater or fecal sludge treatment plants. So all this wastewater from various sources flows directly to the open environment and causes multiple environmental and health hazards. Let’s take the example of Kabul city, where the population is increasing day by day. The sanitation condition is very alarming. There is a lack of proper disposal of the fecal sludge. There is no proper sewer system to carry the wastewater away, dispose it in a safe way at a regular disposal facility. Similarly, it also lacks a proper human excreta treatment system. This all has led to a very alarming condition of sanitation and hygiene. The trucks carrying the fecal sludge from the septic tanks, pit latrines, and other possible sites discharge it illegally either within the city or unfortunately into the Kabul River. This has led to environmental pollution, underground water pollution and the spread of different diseases.

Consequences of poor sanitation: If sanitation is not taken care of such as proper toilet facilities, safe habits of human excreta disposal, proper sewerage techniques, proper solid waste management, waste is disposed of in the streets creating a foul smell and terrible living conditions for inhabitants. Most people have limited knowledge and understanding of the good hygienic practices which could reduce the health risks from poor sanitation, hygiene and waste management. Urban areas are characterized by poor sanitation conditions, indiscriminate dumping of wastes and non-availability of adequate toilet facilities. Thus as a result of poor sanitation, the untreated human waste finds its way into rivers, polluting the water and posing a health risk to those depending on this water for bathing and cleaning purposes. Many human infections are spread through contact with human excreta. Bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasitic worms cause many diseases that are spread by direct contact with feces or indirectly via contaminated food and soil. Similarly, unimproved management of solid waste also results in the spread of infectious diseases and pathogenic microorganisms. In rural areas, people are more vulnerable to infectious diseases because of widespread open defecation, unhygienic habits, and non-existence of standards latrines. The diseases caused put an extra burden on common people in terms of treatments, visiting hospitals and paying a fee of doctors and medicines. This puts further pressure on government, government health care facilities and constrains the financial resources.

Talking of solutions that should be done to change the current situation of poor sanitation in our country particularly in large cities. First of all, the government must pay serious attention to the sanitation sector. The private sector can be included to aid the government in the improvement of sanitation. With the sanitation fee presently being taken from households and other various sources, an effective and reliable policy should be established. For effective waste management, our policy should be based on three types of future plans. First of all local short term sanitation improvement programs be started. Onsite sanitation facilities must be improved, modern latrines systems should be employed, unhygienic practices should be discouraged. Awareness campaign regarding home sanitation, hygienic principles should be carried out. Secondly, there should be a focus on the construction of Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS). These can be constructed for commercial buildings, apartments, government institutions, educational institutions, and residential colonies. In the third phase, the long term plan should be to build facilities such as centralized wastewater and fecal sludge treatment plants. Planned and engineered sewerage and canalization system for water drainage must be built in the city linked to treatment plants. In the case of solid waste management, it also requires planned practical work. The current condition of Kabul city in this regard is awful. There is no solution to this problem has been found by the Municipality. This problem should also be addressed on an emergency basis to keep the city clean. Effective management is the key to the solution of this problem. Apart from other strategies to address solid waste management, solid waste segregation at source point can be carried out. The waste can be segregated into biodegradable, non-biodegradable and recyclable and non-recyclable wastes. Many of the solid waste thrown out can be effectively recycled. This reduces the volume, generates revenue and becomes a source of job creation. It requires less energy, money, and efforts to recycle a waste than to make it again. The biodegradable waste can be used for biogas generation, composting to make manure, etc. in rural areas, human waste along with solid biodegradable waste after co-composting is an effective type of manure used in farms for better crop production. Similarly, human waste along with cow dung is a good source of energy production in the form of biogas which is cheap, efficient and free of cost.

About the Author

Eng. Fahim Malekzai has done Civil Engineering from the University of Salam, Kabul Afghanistan. He was the head of the Fecal Sludge Treatment Plant Project, Ministry of Urban Development and Housing. He has worked as a Construction Manager in BORDA (Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association) in Kabul, Afghanistan and has gained 13 years general worked experience, Presently he is working with CRIDA (Central Region Independent Development Authority) as S/W Design Engineer from various national and international organizations and 8 years of specific experience in the field of sanitation.