Future projection

After a 30 year period of limited dam development due to political instability and civil war, Afghanistan
has entered the twenty-first century with a government that shows a renewed zeal for dam-building
initiatives. With mostly ephemeral rivers, largely determined by melt water from the mountains,
Afghanistan has a long history of building water storage capacity to ensure year-round water supply

Due to its geographic location the natural flow of the snow runoff coming from the mountains flows
through Afghanistan into central Asia, Pakistan, and Iran. Afghanistan has some reservoirs built to
collect this water, but not enough, and some have been destroyed in the past decades. Because of the
lack of reservoirs, canals, and infrastructure, today only 30-35% of the water coming out of the
mountains of Afghanistan stays in Afghanistan.

A key concern for the implementation of large infrastructure and construction projects has been
security, to which a high percentage of the budget has to be allocated. According to Ghani (2009) about
half the costs of some infrastructure projects are payments to security firms”.

McDiarmid (2013) reported that Canada spent US$10 million for security measures for an Afghan dam
project, which amounts to 20% of the total construction cost.

Trans boundary issues

four out of five Afghan river basins flow into neighboring countries – Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan, and Iran. (Unilateral) large dam constructions or rehabilitations will therefore affect
downstream flows and shall have diplomatic repercussions.

Political instability

construction of dams was regarded as

the main measure of river basin management for generating hydropower, controlling flood, storing
water storage, and reducing risks from natural disasters.

World Commission on Dams (WCD) stated that dams are one of a series of public infrastructure
projects aimed at the economic development of a region, nation, or river basin, and are promoted as
an important way to meet water, food, and energy needs and support economic development

The Salma dam (a hydroelectric dam) is reconstructed by an Indian company Wapcos Ltd with the
budget of 290 million dollars by Indian Government. Originally constructed in 1976, on the Hari Rod
River the dam was damaged early in the civil war. India committed to funding the completion of the
Salma dam in 2006. Once completed, the hydroelectric plant could produce 42 MW, in addition to
providing irrigation on 75 000 ha (stabilizing the existing irrigation on 35 000 ha and development of
irrigation facilities on an additional 40 000 ha).

The Kajaki dam was constructed in the 1950s by an American construction company as part of the
Helmand Arghandab Valley Authority Project. Which included two 16.5 MW generators. Reservoir
capacity was 1.2 km3.

The Darunta dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Kabul river It contains three vertical Kaplan units with a
rated output of 3.85 MW each. Originally, the dam supplied 40 to 45 MW of electrical power but silting
and damage to the system during the Afghan civil war reduced its output to 11.5 MW.

The Dahla dam is the largest dam in Kandahar province, and the second largest in Afghanistan. First built
between 1950 and 1952, years of disrepair and war left it functioning at reduced capacity, 80 percent of
Kandaharis living along the Arghandab irrigation system have access to a secure water supply to
stimulate agricultural production

The Naghlu dam on the Kabul River has a design capacity of 100 MW. It is the largest power plant in
Afghanistan and generates most of Kabul's electricity. It is currently being rehabilitated and only three of
the four generators are operational. Its reservoir has a storage capacity of 0.550 km3. Commissioned in
1968, the power station fell into disrepair, by the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, only two generators
were operational

Infrastructure is the fundamental facilities and systems serving a country, city, or other area including
the services and facilities necessary for its economy to function

Aino Mina dam and reservoir in the city of Kandahar (mainly for providing fresh water to the city
residents).
Band-e Pashdan, a $117 million project in Herat province in western Afghanistan (under construction as
of 2019).

Shahtoot Dam in the Char Asiab District of Kabul Province, which will cost around $230 million to build.

Manogi Power Dam in Kunar province, which will generate approximately 1000 MW of electricity.

Kunar Dam in Surtak (approximately 300 MW)] in Kunar province, to be constructed in the next 12 years
after 2013.

Two dams in Baghlan Province One is named Pul-e-Khumri Dam