KANDAHAR -- Construction on a dam funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Arghistan district, Kandahar province, has been completed, proving vital irrigation to nearby areas.
The construction of the dam, which took three months and cost more than $90,000 (8.1 million AFN), was completed on February 7.
Built on the Arghistan river, the dam is 110 metres long and 12 metres wide, and irrigates 2,000 hectares of agricultural land.
Underground water levels on more than 10,000 hectares of land in Arghistan district are set to rise now, said Abdul Salam Baryalai, interim director of the Kandahar Department of Economy.
![A 110-metre-long dam that was built by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Arghistan district, Kandahar province, is shown in this photo taken February 7. [Rahimullah Khpelwak/Salaam Times]](/cnmi_st/images/2023/02/14/40751-d_2-739_416.webp)
A 110-metre-long dam that was built by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Arghistan district, Kandahar province, is shown in this photo taken February 7. [Rahimullah Khpelwak/Salaam Times]
"In the past, because of droughts, people had to pump underground water to irrigate their farms using solar energy and water pumps, which significantly lowered water levels," he said.
"Nine karez structures dried up from the drought in Arghistan in recent years. But water is flowing again in these karez structures, supplying water to agricultural lands," he added, referring to a system of irrigation by underground tunnels.
More than 300 households in 10 villages in Arghistan district directly benefit from the dam, Baryalai said.
Arghistan is one of Kandahar's agricultural districts, where production has decreased in recent years from a prolonged drought and water shortages.
Employment opportunities
The dam has made thousands of hectares of previously useless dry land arable.
That land could not be cultivated because of the drought, which left farmers jobless, said Khudadad, 59, a farmer in Arghistan district.
"The UNDP built the dam in response to our request," he said.
"We were suffering from water shortages and had to seek assistance from aid agencies. I am very happy about the completion of the dam. I'm happy that from now on, we can use the water from the dam."
"All workers in the construction project were local residents. The construction created employment opportunities for them for three months."
"Once water is provided to our lands, hundreds of our youths will be busy farming and developing orchards," he said.
Residents no longer face a shortage of irrigation or drinking water following the construction of the dam, said Nazar Mohammad, 52, another farmer in the district.
"We were faced with severe challenges caused by water shortages due to lowered water levels. In some villages, livestock died of thirst. No matter how deep we would dig wells, there wasn't adequate water," he said.
"My orchard died from a lack of water, and I could not cultivate half of my land," he added.
"Now that a dam is constructed in our village, I can cultivate all of my land and I will plant new saplings in my orchard in the new year."
The dam will help increase harvests and alleviate poverty in Arghistan district, he said.
Elevating underground water levels
The new dam has raised underground water levels that had dropped in recent years from drought.
Allahdad, 48, a farmer in Arghistan district, said underground water in his village was 80 metres deep last year.
With the completion of the dam, the water is now only three metres underground, he said.
Even though he spent money to dig deep wells and purchase solar-powered pumps, "water levels were still very low [before the dam] and I could hardly irrigate one hectare of my agricultural land," he said.
"With the inauguration of the dam, we no longer need deep wells and we don't have to spend big money to irrigate our lands," Allahdad said.
"From now on, we will have better yields with lower costs."
He called on the UN and other aid agencies to build a few more dams in Arghistan and other parts of Kandahar to help the farmers and mitigate the drought.
Even providing potable water for the residents was a challenge because of sinking underground water levels, said Sultan Mohammad, 57, a resident of Arghistan.
"There are many deep wells in our area, and underground water levels were dropping by the day," he said.
"Every few months, we had to pay the owners of well-digging machines a lot to dig deeper wells."
"In the month since the dam wall was constructed and water gathered in the reservoir, underground water levels in the adjacent villages have risen," he said.
"We had heavy snow and rain this year, and the dam will collect considerable water."
All of the farmers are happy as they will be able to irrigate their land in the summer, using water from the dam, without the need for deep wells, Mohammad said.
It is good news for the entire nation. The United Nations is also expected to provide similar basic and fundamental aids. On one hand, the farmers will get benefit from it, and on the other hand, the water supply will be secured. For those who were facing water shortage, these hundreds of acres of plain land will become fertile with this water. In my opinion, aid organizations should provide basic assistance to farmers so that farmers can get rid of existing problems forever.
Reply5 Comment
Due to the world's uneven seasonal water distribution, the construction of large and small water reservoirs is a necessity that humans have realized for a long time, and they have been working to manage water. Also, many big and small dams have been built on the rivers to develop agriculture, electricity production, and flood prevention, which the people benefit from. In recent centuries, as water engineering science and technology progressed, dam construction also accelerated. Ghazi Amanullah Khan started building new dams in Afghanistan, but this series was also stopped after the regime's collapse. After 1950, Muhammad Zahir Shah started building big dams, but his plan was not completed due to the change of governments and wars, and no big dams have been built until now. According to the International Commission on Large Dams figures, there are about 58,000 large dams in the world, which are used for agriculture, electricity generation, drinking water supply, flood prevention, and other purposes. A few may have been built by other countries, but the rest are all built by the people who live there and are the original residents. Building large and small water dams in our country also has a constructive role in economic development. I read somewhere that during the Cold War, there was a competition between the United States of America and the Soviet Union to construct dams and weapons. I am saying that it is beyond the competition because we are land-dependent people, and the
Reply5 Comment
Very well done. I was talking to one of the residents from this area one day, and he said we are facing a severe water shortage. Our pomegranates and grapes orchards were damaged, our crops are in bad condition, the water level in our deep wells is decreasing daily, and we are facing many other problems. Afghanistan district is a remote district in the east of Kandahar, which receives rainwater from the snow in Ghazni province during the summer. According to the mentioned person, during the time of Sardar Muhammad Daud Khan [the late president], the said dam was surveyed in this area, but due to the wars, it remained undone until now. It is a place of gratitude that this dream has finally been fulfilled in the life of these poor people. This action of the United Nations is certainly to be appreciated as it made a big step in the life of the people of this region by building this dam. The geographical structure of Afghanistan is such as it is a landlocked country. Due to the wars of the past four decades, no work has been done in the field of industry, so people get busy and work in the factories or do other jobs, but the economy of the majority of Afghans is based on agriculture. It would be good if foreign organizations help with this infrastructure work. With this, Afghanistan's snow and rainwater will be stored, the underground water's level will rise, and it will also help strengthen the Afghan economy.
Reply5 Comment
The report shows that the dam built by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) was built in Arghistan district of Kandahar province and it irrigates almost 2000 hectares of agricultural land and the amount spent on this dam is AFN 8,100000. I think that one hectare of agricultural land becomes 100 jerib of agricultural land, and 2000 hectares of agricultural land becomes 20,000 jerib of agricultural land, that is, if we divide AFN 8,100,000 into 200,000 jeribs of land, you will consume AFN 45.5 per jerib of land. This 200,000 jerib of land cannot be cultivated. If these 300 families had got together and each family donated AFN 27,000, this dam would have been built a few years ago. The top of a deep well with solar panels and spring water costs approximately AFN 50,000 to 120,000. There is a big difference. If the people of all the villages of Afghanistan join hands and make this country prosperous, they can make it prosperous. Instead of digging a deep well, the people of the villages should have tried to build a water dam collectively. The people of Afghanistan should not wait for years for a foreign charity to come and build a water dam for you.
Reply5 Comment
Such things cannot solve our problems but can be made easier. Because Afghanistan is an agricultural country, and if its agriculture is good, many people's problems will decrease. The United Nations has done it well. As an Afghan, I thank the organization.
Reply5 Comment