Afghanistan bottled water ‘tastes great’

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The Panjshir Beverage Industry Ltd. water bottling plant is currently producing 40,000-50,000 bottles of mineral water per day, and the company’s owner is looking to expand his Afghan business to include sales to the American military.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Peter Johnson, 72nd Medical Detachment Veterinary Services, spent July 11 pre-auditing Haaj Kateb Khalili’s bottling plant in the Khenj District of the Panjshir Valley.

Johnson said his pre-audit is just one step in the process of approving the water plant as a Department of Defense procurement facility. The whole inspection and certification process can take several weeks to months or even longer. Simply going through the process doesn’t mean automatic approval.

“This is just the beginning,” said Johnson. “We already have samples of the water at the veterinary lab in Europe. The outcome of those tests will determine how we move forward.

“Today, we’re doing a pre-audit,” Johnson continued. “I’ll assess the facility and point them in the right direction about what it takes to become an approved source. I’ll give them references as to how to be in compliance. In a couple of weeks, I’ll receive a tasking to set up an initial audit. At that meeting, I’ll pull more samples and continue the inspection.”

The plant is currently having a hard time producing as much water as they can sell, said Lal Mohammad, plant manager. However, within a couple of months production will double.

“Yes, we can make more very soon,” said Mohammad through an interpreter. “Our maximum can be 100,000 bottles per day. We purchased three more machines, and when they’re installed, we will be able to double our output.”

In addition to more water, the new machines mean more workers, said Mohammad. The plant has 60 workers now and will have 120 in a few months when the new equipment is installed.

There is no shortage of fresh spring water, according to Khalili, the plant’s owner and CEO. The water is piped in from a spring about 4,000 meters from the facility. It goes through a complex system of purification and testing before it gets bottled.

“We test the water every 15 minutes,” said Mohammad. “The lab chief who does the test has 11 years of experience in lab testing water. We want to make sure our water is always perfect.”

If the plant is able to work through the approval process, Curtis Rose, U.S. Agency for International Development field officer with the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team, said the water company will be entitled to government contracts.

“It’s a tremendous business opportunity in Panjshir,” said Rose, a Newport Richey, Fla., native. “This is the first big business in Panjshir, and being an approved source could really increase the business and produce a lot of jobs. Plus, the water tastes great, and this is a state-of-the-art facility.”

Khalili said he is happy that the Panjshir PRT brought in the inspector for more than one reason.

“We’re looking forward to being an approved water source,” said Khalili through an interpreter. “I know (ISAF) focuses on unsecure places a lot. Panjshir is secure, so we don’t get as many projects as some other areas.

“Panjshir has great weather and very fresh water,” Khalili continued. “I was born here, and I want to make something for the valley. It’s important to serve the valley. My goal is also to help the security of Afghanistan and serve the people.”

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Curtis Velasquez, the Panjshir PRT commander, has worked with his USAID partners behind the scenes to make the pre-audit happen. Velasquez said it’s important for the PRT to work with their Afghan partners to promote business opportunities and jobs in the valley, and he sees potential with the water bottling plant.

“This is a really modern facility,” said Velasquez, an Abilene, Kan., native. “We have a great relationship with Panjshir now, and we would like to support the local economy by drinking the water should it pass the procurement process.”

During his pre-audit, Johnson went on a plant and laboratory tour with Ali Rezayi, plant quality control manager. Rezayi showed Johnson all of the equipment in the facility and talked about current testing and processing procedures. Johnson left Rezayi with multiple pages of paperwork and additional guidelines that must be met.

“It really depends on how the samples come back,” said Johnson. “They are probably a little overwhelmed right now because no one has held them to these standards before. It’s a process, and we’re here to help them work through it.”

Pending the lab results, Johnson will schedule his initial audit of the plant in the coming weeks.