ZARANJ - President Ashraf Ghani arrived in southwestern Nimroz province on Thursday and inaugurated the third phase of work on Kamal Khan dam, an official said.
Ahmad Arab, the governor’s spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News the president arrived at the head of a hive-level delegation in Zaranj, the provincial capital, early this morning.
He said the president kicked off work on the third phase of the dam project. The dam is located on Helmand River, about 75 kilometres from Zaranj.
When completed, the dam will have the capacity to generate eight megawatts of power besides irrigating more than 100,000 hectares of land. The first phase included a 3,400-meter-long and 11-meter high wall east of Helmand River.
The first phase contractor, a Tajik construction company, completed its work in 2011 at a cost of $10 million. The second phase, which began in 2012, was recently completed at a cost of $15 million.
In the second phase, a similar wall on the other side of the river was constructed and the river’s bed cemented. Nimroz Governor Mohammad Sami said work on the third phase would be launched soon. He added the dam would bring under irrigation 120,000 hectares of land besides producing electricity.
The administrative head of Chahar Burjak district, where the project is being implemented, said Nimroz’s development critically depended on Kamal Khan dam’s completion. Mohammad Nabi hoped the scheme would create jobs for people in addition to producing electricity. (Pajhwok)