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Afghan Urban Development Minister Yusuf Pashtun and University of California researcher on urban development Pietro Calogero told a joint news conference in Kabul on November 26 that the Afghan capital has fallen victim to "rapid, unregulated, and unequal" urbanization, IRIN reported. "Almost 70 percent of houses and commercial buildings have been built irregularly and in contravention of the Kabul city master plan," Pashtun told IRIN. Kabul's population has grown from an estimated 500,000 people in 2001 to over 3 million in 2007, largely due to the return of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan. The vast majority of Kabul residents live in slums that lack electricity, plumbing, schools, clinics, or other facilities. "Only 2 percent of Kabul residents have regular access to electricity, while over half of them lack access to sanitation," Mohammad Yasin Hellal, a Kabul city official, was quoted as saying. Calogero emphasized the future needs of urbanization in Afghanistan and warned that "there should be more funding for urban development and building urban infrastructure because people will choose to live in urban areas." Pashtun blamed a lack of resources and capacity within the Afghan government, adding that his ministry needs more funding, more professional staff, and at least 15 years to resolve the crisis. Meanwhile, President Karzai used a regular cabinet session on November 26 to express concern about worsening air pollution in Kabul and discuss ways to reduce environmental damage, Bakhtar News Agency reported. The cabinet decided to task Second Vice President Karim Khalili with leading a team of ministers and senior environmental officials to examine the causes and effects of pollution in the capital and recommend policy solutions for consideration. Much of Kabul's pollution is blamed on its unpaved roads, diesel-fueled cars and generators, and the burning of rubber tires to heat public baths or to bake the bricks used in construction. MM