At the peak of heat and critical water demand, the water from the Salma Dam has entered the Harirod River and reached the districts surrounding Herat city.

According to Herat local officials, the Salma Dam water has been released for forty days, irrigating thousands of hectares of agricultural land and fruit orchards in eight districts along the Harirod River.

Bashir Ahmad Ahmadi, head of promotion at the Herat department of agriculture and irrigation, stated: “The Salma Dam has been released at a time when crops and orchards were in dire need of water. Farmers are very pleased, and for the next forty days, all vegetation in the eight districts along the Harirod River will be irrigated.”

Abdul Qadeer, a farmer in Guzara district south of Herat, owns ten jeribs of farmland.

The Salma Dam water has recently reached his fields.

He said: “The dam water was released at a very good and appropriate time; the wheat is in bloom, and this water is very beneficial. I’m very happy it was released at this time of the year.”

Every second, 150 cubic meters of water from the Salma Dam reaches agricultural lands and orchards.

Releasing the water during this season is considered vital for increasing agricultural production in Herat.

Ghulam Habib Hashimi, head of the Harirod water users association, added: “Salma Dam has become a means through which we can irrigate vast lands through 121 canals in eight districts during this hot season.”

Abdul Wahid, a farmer, said: “If this water reaches us every ten to fifteen days, our farming will be irrigated, and our problems will be solved.”

Juma Khan, another farmer, added: “If water flows through the streams for four to five weeks, our problems will be solved, and our farming won’t suffer.”

The districts of Chisht, Obe, Pashtun Zarghun, Guzara, Injil, Zinda Jan, Ghoryan, Kohsan, and Herat city benefit from the Salma Dam.

The Salma Dam, which has a storage capacity of 600 million cubic meters of water, accumulated enough water last winter.

Simultaneously with the water release, three turbines of the Salma Dam have been activated, adding nearly forty megawatts of electricity to Herat’s power grid.