$103m set aside for 2 dams in south

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Energy and Water has decided to construct two water dams in southern Afghanistan and has set aside $103 million for the purpose, an official said on Friday.

The proposed dams would be built in the Spin Boldak border town of Kandahar and the Nahri Saraj district of Helmand province, said Eng. Wais Rehman, a senior Energy and Water Ministry official, who visited Kandahar to hold meetings with the governor and other officials.

Rehman said his visit to Kandahar was aimed at paving the ground for launching surveys of the dam sites in Spin Boldak’s Shin Narai area and Nahri Saraj in Helmand.

He said construction work on the two dams would be launched soon after the surveys were completed, saying the ministry had allocated $103 million for the schemes, which he hoped would help improve economic situation of the local population.

Governor Dr. Tooryalai Weesa, calling the proposed dams of great importance, hoped the projects would be completed soon.

The Shin Narai dam is located in Spin Boldak, where farmers face acute shortage of irrigation water.

Haji Abdul Samad, a resident of the district, told Pajhwok Afghan News construction of the dam was a long-standing demand of the locals because it would help them irrigate fields.

rm/ma

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