KABUL - Afghanistan's Norms and Standards Department said that the country's building codes - a legally binding set of norms for construction - were finalized with the technical assistance of Turkish engineers and recently approved.
The building codes will be used in architecture plans, urban development, roads and highways, and approved buildings.

The codes were made based on Afghanistan's environmental and climate situations, a process which cost around $2 million, the Norms and Standards Department said.
The new construction codes will be fully applicable within a year, helping to resolve construction problems in the industry, according to the head of the Department.

"We are hopeful of having a better a positive outcome by implementing these new construction codes," head of Norms and Standards Department Popal Popalzai said.
Harakat, the Afghan-run, non-government entity which helps fund business-related projects, contributed towards the funding.

Head of Harakat Nasim Akbar said the organization was glad to support the creation of these new standards in the hope that it would lead to more investment in the construction sector.

"Harakat, as a financial backer and technical organization, is happy to help the Norms and Standards Department, so the hurdles will be removed," he said.

To date, construction in Afghanistan has followed foreign codes, but these were found to be insufficient or in applicable to the environment in Afghanistan, Popalzai said. (Tolo News)