HERAT CITY (SW): The new hydroelectric and irrigation dam in Herat province known as the ‘Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam’ is transforming lives of thousands of farmers in this part of the country.
Ahmad Jawed is one such farmer. He told Salam Watandar life was difficult for the farmers here due to shortage of water, inaccessibility to markets and the ragging violence. But, the newly developed dam which was inaugurated by the Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Indian Prime Minister Nrendra Modi in June last year, has brought a much-needed positive change.
“Hundreds of acres of land in the area close to the dam has now turned into ideal fields for some lucrative crops such as saffron and garlic”, he said, adding investors from various parts of the country have come here to establish fish farms that has created jobs for hundreds of locals.
Afghanistan-India friendship dam or more commonly known as the Salma Dam is one of the mega construction projects in the country, which in addition to irrigating more than 80,000 acres of land can also produce 42MW of electricity. The project worth some $ 290 million has been funded by the Government of India. Located near Chasht-e-Sharif district in Herat, Salma Dam is 107m high and 550 m wide. It was first conceived in the 1970s but the ragging violence in the country came in its way of completion.
The dame is among many envisioned by the Ghani administration in a bid to consolidate the country’s agro-based-economy, and manage its immense potential for hydroelectric projects.
Abdul Basir Azimi, director at the Ministry of Water and Electricity (MOWE), informed that the dam has connected up to 62 more villages to the national electricity grid. Azimi added the MOWE plans to stretch more canals from the dam to the far-flung districts in a bid to multiply its benefits for agriculture.
As per the overall strategy to store and better manage the country’s water resources, Azimi said it remains a top priority of the Kabul government. He said help and assistance have been sought from the international partners and donor agencies in this regard. Pointing to the growing demand for electricity, the MOWE director said the Afghan government is also encouraging Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to invest in infrastructure projects and utilize the potential of growth and rising demand in the country enjoying relative stability and peace than the past many decades of conflict.
Currently, work is underway on Kamal Khan Dam in Nimroz, Shah Uros Dam in Kabul, Ghor Dam in Ghor, and Chak Dam in Maidan Wardak. Feasibilities and surveys for a number of other dams are also underway. The Kunar River in the east and Kokcha River in the northeaster parts of the country have huge potentials for electricity generation. Due to the lack of fund, the Afghan government is only considering short and medium term plans for reservoirs.
As per the government’s estimates, on average basis up to 57 billion cubic meters of water resources were available in Afghanistan, but different factors including global warming have reduced this significantly. This figure has now reduced to some 49 billion cubic meters of water. Afghanistan has inked five projects in this sector worth $ 775 million that would help generate up to 330 Mega Watt of electricity and help irrigate large swaths of land.
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