State-of-the-art bottled water plant opens in Afghanistan Published Jan. 8, 2007 By Sgt. 1st Class Michael Rautio Joint Logistics Command BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- A state-of-the art, Afghan built, owned and operated, bottled water plant opened here, Jan. 7, with a little help from the Soldiers of the 10th Sustainment Brigade, Task Force Muleskinner. The Aria Bottled Water Plant is a project that will provide long term benefits to both the Afghan people and Coalition Forces. "The plant demonstrates the will of the Afghan people to improve their country," said Army Col. Larry D. Wyche, commander of the Joint Logistics Command here and 10th Sustainment Brigade on Fort Drum. "It was an absolute joy to see the pride the people who participated in the ceremony had. Everyone who attended was just so proud of this accomplishment and the outlook for the future of Afghanistan," Wyche continued. More than 500 Afghans filled the warehouse portion of the plant for the ceremony. Among them were many key members of the Afghan government including the First Vice President, several Ministers from various departments and Supreme Court Justices as well as many local and regional leaders from around the plant and Afghanistan. "The fact that this plant was started and completed in six months speaks volumes about the improved security situation in Afghanistan," said Wyche. "You have an Afghan investor, investing several million dollars and creating hundreds of job. Every person that works in the plant now has a legitimate job, which ties directly into improving the stability and security of the country." While the Aria plant is a sign that the security situation in Afghanistan is improving, its being built is a sign of progress, which everyone involved looks favorably upon. "The key to rebuilding Afghanistan is projects like this," said Wyche. "Ultimately you have to create a secure and stable environment, which in turn provides opportunities for economic growth." The Aria plant will also provide an intra-theater water capability that will save U.S. and Coalition forces millions of dollars a year. To get the plant built and operational in just under six months is absolutely amazing, said Wyche. It is a testament to the private Afghan investors, the Afghan people and the talented businessmen in this country. The Muleskinner team served as enablers to help make this project a reality, said Wyche. "When we first arrived here, we met with many of our Afghan partners and businessmen and told them that the future of the country is in their hands. We entertained ideas of how we could make the country better and we solicited recommendations. They presented the idea for a bottled water plant because they felt it would help the Afghan people and the country of Afghanistan while also providing for a legitimate need of U.S. and Coalition Forces. While it may seem like a strange fit for a Sustainment Brigade to be looking to build business opportunities Wyche said it was a perfect chance to influence the future of Afghanistan with a non-kinetic effect. "People look at us and view our mission as providing only logistics support to our customer units, but our mission is much broader and the opening of the Aria plant serves as an excellent example of how non-kinetic, effects-based, logistics operations contribute to achieving the long term campaign objectives and goals." When operating at full capacity, Aria's four production lines will be able to produce nearly 400,000 bottles of water a day, said Army Maj. Tom Devine, the Joint Logistics Command civil affairs officer. Additionally, the plant will be able to produce much needed ice. The water and ice produced will be purified to meet or exceed the most stringent bottling standards in the world set by the International Bottled Water Association. The equipment in the plant is like few others in this part of the world. This plant will truly make Afghanistan a leader within Central Asia in bottled water production. The technology being used is currently used in a handful of plants around the world and the plant is the first in Asia to be IBWA certified, said Devine. Construction of the 4,700-square-meter facility took just over five months. The total investment spent on the construction and equipment in the plant is over $10 million (USD). The name Aria Water is derived from the ancient name for the area that is now Afghanistan. When operational, Aria will employ hundreds of Afghans, pumping much needed job revenue into the economy, said Devine. This doesn't include the secondary jobs created from the distribution, marketing and sale of the product. Aria also plans to bring a certified training team to Bagram to train their employees in water bottling operations. The team will spend a year on site at Aria. The plant is the brainchild of the Ramin brothers. These three Afghan brothers were living in the U.S. before the terrorist attacks of 9-11. After the fall of the Taliban in late 2001, they returned to their homeland with a little bit of money and a big dream of helping to rebuild their homeland. Unlike other state-of-the-art projects that try to come to Afghanistan, the Ramin brothers are dedicated to providing jobs for their fellow countrymen. For them this project stems from a love of their country and a desire to create jobs, nurture technical expertise in their fellow countrymen and stimulate the Afghan economy.