WASHINGTON: Millions of dollars in US funds have been lost due to poor planning and workmanship in projects to help rebuild Afghanistan and billions more could be at risk, a US watchdog said Monday.
The report by the special inspector general for Afghanistan, John Sopko, warned that handing over security to Afghan forces as the US withdraws its troops would also likely cause the costs of US-funded aid schemes to balloon.
"The United States risks wasting billions of dollars if US-funded development programs cannot be sustained, either by the Afghan government or by continued donor support," said the report released on Monday.
"As this report to Congress illustrates, a decade of struggle and bloodshed -- and more than $89 billion of US appropriations for Afghan reconstruction -- has not cleared the landscape of serious problems," Sopko wrote.
He added that a "significant portion of the US government's $400 million investment in large-scale infrastructure projects in fiscal year 2011 may be wasted, due to weaknesses in planning, coordination and execution."
The report comes as NATO countries, led by the United States, have already started to withdraw the remaining 130,000 troops after more than 10 years of war, with all combat forces due to have left by the end of 2014.
And it warns that handing over security to Afghan forces will likely incur greater costs at construction sites.
Audits of various projects taking place across the country found significant construction problems and flaws.
"The US Army accepted contract construction that is so poor it prevents some multimillion-dollar border police bases from being used as intended," the report noted.
Three police border posts in eastern Nangarhar province were found to have major construction faults, including poorly-built guard towers, unconnected drains and badly-installed heating and ventilation systems.
"These problems included the lack of a viable water supply, a poorly constructed septic system, and inadequate sewage," the report said, adding nothing has been repaired as there is no effective quality assurance in place.
The basement of one of the buildings was now being used as a chicken coop, it added.
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