Amanullah Mommandi, M.S., C.E., P.E.

The Society of Afghan Engineers (SAE) recognizes Mr. Amanullah Mommandi as a dedicated civil engineer, water resources expert, and organizational leader. His extensive career spans from his early infrastructural work in Afghanistan to his long-term tenure in Colorado, United States. From his birth in 1947 to his retirement in 2019 and his ongoing volunteer efforts today, he has advanced the fields of hydrology, hydraulics, and transportation research through public service, academic collaboration, and professional leadership.

Early Life and Education

Mr. Mommandi was born in Logar, Afghanistan, in 1947. He attended school in Logar, Paktia, and Kabul before finishing his secondary education at the Afghan Institute of Technology (AIT). He then attended Kabul University, graduating from the College of Engineering with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering in 1968. Following a year in the Afghan Army Reserve, he pursued his graduate studies in the United States. He attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he obtained his master’s degree in Water Resource and Hydraulics in 1975.

Engineering Career in Afghanistan

After completing his undergraduate degree and military reserve service, Mr. Mommandi joined the Soil and Water Survey Authority within the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, serving as a water resource engineer until 1973. Following the completion of his graduate studies in the United States, he returned to Afghanistan and began working for the Ministry of Water and Power (MPW). In this ministry, he initially served as a water resource engineer before advancing to the roles of General Director of Planning, General Director of Technical Monitoring and Inspection, and finally President of the Kunduz Khanabad Water Resource Authority. During his time in Afghanistan, he also oversaw feasibility studies for the Wersaj Dam in Takhar Province, the Khanabad Hydro Electric Power Plant, and the Ali Abad Irrigation Project in Kunduz.

Professional Career in the United States

After immigrating to the United States, Mr. Mommandi transitioned to the private sector to work briefly as a consultant. He then began a distinguished career with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), where he worked for over 35 years before retiring in 2019. At CDOT, he served as the Hydraulic Program Manager and later as the Director of the Applied Research and Innovation Branch starting in 2013. His responsibilities at CDOT included directing, coordinating, and supervising transportation-related research projects. Furthermore, he enjoyed teaching classes in Water Resource and Hydraulics, as well as Best Management Practices (BMP) for water quality and erosion control. He has co-authored numerous publications and research projects related to water resources and transportation.

Service to the Society of Afghan Engineers and Afghanistan

Within our Society, Mr. Mommandi has been a crucial leader since joining in the early 1990s. He has served as the SAE Colorado Chapter Coordinator, served multiple terms as a member of our Board of Directors, and held the position of Vice President. We have also benefited from his contributions to the SAE eNewsletter Editorial Board.

Beyond his administrative roles, Mr. Mommandi has consistently dedicated his expertise to the capacity building and rebuilding of Afghanistan. In May and June of 2012, he traveled to Afghanistan, where he delivered presentations on water resource hydraulics and highway operations to the Ministry of Public Works and the College of Engineering at Kabul University. During this trip, he introduced avalanche mitigation processes to Afghanistan and provided necessary drainage and hydrology software free of charge. He also accompanied the Afghan Minister of Public Works, Mr. Najibullah Aoudjan, to inspect the Kabul to Khenjan highway and the Salang Tunnel. Later that year, he facilitated the signing of a Technical Memorandum between the Afghanistan Ministry of Public Works and CDOT, and hosted Minister Aoudjan during an inspection of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel in Colorado.

Mr. Mommandi has also enriched our professional dialogue by authoring numerous technical articles for our eNewsletter. His writings have addressed critical topics such as Kabul City’s groundwater aquifer storage and recovery, urban storm drainage design, the hydro-politics of the Helmand River, and the implementation of check dams.