Officials from Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) on Wednesday said all necessary arraignments have been taken to start work on the second phase of the Kajaki Dam project in Helmand.
DABS says with the implementation of the second phase of the dam, the facility will be able to generate 151 megawatts of electricity.
According to DABS, the high economic council and National Procurement Authority (NPA) have already approved the expansion and installation of turbines and the development of the dam and soon work on the second phase of the project will get underway.
Government plans to invest $175 million USD for the second phase of the dam, DABS said.
A private firm has won the tender for the project.
“The contract for the project has been signed with a Turkish company; the company is expected to start its work soon, but the management process on the project will be carried out by the ministry of water and energy,” said DABS spokesman Wahidullah Waisi.
Economic commentators have said that Kajaki Dam is a key element to develop irrigation for the agriculture sector in the southern regions of Afghanistan and to help people access electricity.
“The implementation of the project creates jobs for the people in the area, it is also essential for the management of our water resources. Therefore, the present government is trying to implement it,” economic analyst Jawed Sediqqi said.
The Kajakai Dam is one of two major hydroelectric power dams in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. The dam is located on the Helmand River 161km north-west of Kandahar and is operated by the Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority.
It has a dual function: to provide electricity and to irrigate some 650,000 acres of an otherwise arid land. Water discharging from the dam traverses some 500 km of downstream irrigation canals feeding farmland. It currently produces 33 megawatts of electricity.
Economic commentators say that Kajaki dam is one of the major dams which could boost the agriculture sector in the southern provinces of Afghanistan and it will also solve the problems of electricity and water shortages in Uruzgan, Nimroz, Kandahar and Helmand provinces.