The mission is to keep the water flowing at the Dahla Dam, the country's second largest. "We're going to raise it, We're going to raise it 8 meters".
Built in the early 50s, Dahla Dam sits on the Arghandab River and feeds thousands of irrigation canals in Kandahar province."When this project was originally built, it turned this region into the breadbasket of Afghanistan, and then turned Afghanistan into a food exporting country"
Years of accumulated silt and gravel have reduced the capacity of the reservoir. U.S. Forces Afghanistan in conjunction with the afghan government are undertaking needed repairs and improvements."This is gonna affect thousands of people in a beneficial way, not just the farmers to grow the food but people who supplies seed and supplied to the farmers, the people who transport the food"
It's a 70 million dollar project with challenges, like security. Our visit here, on site, is rare.
"It's a big issue. We're In Kandahar province and it's an area that's pretty hot."
Not far away, in the southwest, security factors into another big water project....the Kajacki Dam…site of a massive hydro electric power system that looks to bring electricity to more than 300,000 because of its history of Taliban presence, our only view is from the air.
"We've been very fortunate in that we've had tremendous cooperation from the Afghans who desperately want the project. Everybody has been pulling together to make this work and happen.
Both projects are slated for completion in 2017, and are expected to alter the flow of life for afghans.
Related Documents:
Water & Power Transcript (PDF) [PDF]
Social Sharing