JALALABAD - Various government departments in the eastern Nangarhar province owe 789 million afs to Brikhna Sherkat, a semi government power company in Afghanistan, an official said. Due to the institutions' failure to settle the outstanding amounts, the department could not repair the Duranta dam, director of energy and water Mohibur Rahman Momand told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Since 2006, the departments owed 822 million afs to Shirkat but recently the border police, education department, public health and police headquarters, paid 33 million afs, he said, adding payment delays had halted development activities of the department too.

The dam, constructed 47 years ago, has a big crack and canal that needs to be repaired, he said, adding four years ago they cleared 21-metre thickness mud from the dam.
If the international community does not help the departments to clear their arrears, the dam would collapse and can easily wash away Jalalabad city and some districts, by the 87 million cubic meters of water stored in the dam, he warned.

Initially the dam would produce 12.5 mega watts of electric power, but now it produces only nine mega watts.
Momand said they reconstructed three turbines for the dam, costing $10 million (517.1 million afs) with financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and another $20 million (1billion afs) was needed to complete the repairs works.

Nangarhar Deputy Governor Mohammad Hanif Gardiwal confirmed the problem and have ordered all departments to settle their outstanding power bill soon. (Pajhwok)