STORY: Work on TAPI gas pipeline project raises hope among Afghans 
SHOOTING DATE: Sept. 11, 2024
DATELINE: Sept. 14, 2024   
LENGTH: 00:03:51
LOCATION: HERAT, Afghanistan   
CATEGORY: SOCIETY  

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the project
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Dari): ABDUL QADUS KHATIBI, Economic expert in Afghanistan
3. shot of the project
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Dari): ABDUL QADUS KHATIBI, Economic expert in Afghanistan
5. shot of the project
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Dari): ABDUL QADUS KHATIBI, Economic expert in Afghanistan
7. various of the project
8. SOUNDBITE 4 (Dari): GULABUDIN MIRI, Economic expert in Afghanistan
9. various of the project      

STORYLINE:

Work inauguration for the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline on Afghan territory was formally initiated by the leaders from Afghanistan and Turkmenistan on Wednesday.

The program has been regarded as a major source for creating job opportunities for the war-battered Afghanistan.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Dari): ABDUL QADUS KHATIBI, Economic expert in Afghanistan
"Implementation of TAPI and supplementary projects such as Fiber optic, railway and transmission of electricity from Turkmenistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan, in addition to creating job opportunities for Afghans, would also have millions of U.S. dollars of economic benefit for Afghanistan."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Dari): ABDUL QADUS KHATIBI, Economic expert in Afghanistan
"TAPI links Central Asia to South Asia and benefits more than 2 billion people. This project is vital for a country like Afghanistan where all its economic infrastructure has been destroyed."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Dari): ABDUL QADUS KHATIBI, Economic expert in Afghanistan
"Launching such a significant project in an impoverished country like Afghanistan is essential for building its economy as many people can find jobs and eventually the economic condition can be improved."

A World Bank report in April highlighted the country's sluggish economic performance, noting that food prices had dropped by 14.4 percent year on year in February, while non-food prices fell by 4.4 percent -- a sign of deflation in an economy already struggling to recover.

An estimated 23.7 million Afghans require humanitarian aid in 2024, more than half of the country's population, with a staggering nine out of 10 people living in poverty.

Aimed at enhancing economic activities in regional connectivity, the 1,814 km long pipeline project with 816 km on Afghan territory, the pipeline would transport 33 billion cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India via Afghanistan, the office of the Afghan acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs said in a statement posted on X.

The project is expected to generate 450 million U.S. dollars for Afghanistan. The impoverished country will get 500 million cubic meters of gas for the first decade, 1 billion in the second decade, and 1.5 billion in the third decade if the project is implemented smoothly.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Dari): GULABUDIN MIRI, Economic expert in Afghanistan
"In terms of economy, it (TAPI) creates job opportunities for thousands of educated youth and the development could have a direct positive impact on society."

In addition to the inauguration of the TAPI projects, the authorities also inaugurated the 500-kilovolt power transmission line from Turkmenistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan, fiber optic and railways on Wednesday, Afghan officials said.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Herat, Afghanistan.
(XHTV)