Officials from the Islamic Emirate said work continues on Kajaki dam to increase its hydropower production capacity.

The Kajaki Dam is on the Helmand River, 160 km from Kandahar. It provides electricity to the area and also is used to irrigate farmland.

Currently, it produces 51-megawatts of electricity. Officials said it has decided to increase the capacity of the dam to produce up to 150-megawatts.

By the new solar year the dam will have the capacity to produce 150-megawatts, officials said.

“Based on our information, work on the Kajaki dam has been 90 percent completed and we hope it finishes soon,” deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate Bilal Karimi said.

Meanwhile, a number of residents of Kandahar province welcomed the move and urged the Islamic Emirate to provide them with more sustainable electricity.

“This will be very good for Kandahar and Helmand provinces because these provinces have less electricity,” said Shamsullah Omari, a resident of Kandahar.

Amanullah Ghalib, the former chairman of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, said increasing the capacity of Kajaki Dam will decrease electricity shortage in the southern provinces. “The current power line from Kajaki dam to Kandahar has a very limited capacity, its capacity should be increased so the southern provinces can benefit from electricity,” he said.