Kajaki Dam
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The Kajaki Dam is one of the two major hydroelectric power dams of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. It is located 55 miles (90 km) north-west of Kandahar City. It has a dual function, to provide electricity and serves to irrigate some 650,000 acres (1800 km²) of formerly arid land. Water discharging from the dam traverses some 300 miles (500 km) of downstream irrigation canals feeding farmland. The Kajaki Dam is on the Helmand River, which was built in 1953. It is 320 feet (100 m) high and 887 feet (270 m) long, with a storage capacity of 973,000 acre-feet (1.2 km³) of water. The dam is the main watershed for the Sistan Basin.
In 1975, USAID commissioned the initial installation of two 16.5 MW generating units in a powerhouse constructed at the toe of the dam. This first stage powerhouse was actually constructed to house three equally sized units.
The Kajaki dam powerhouse was a bombing target by the US Airforce during their attack on Afghanistan in October 2001.[1]
With help from USAID, Unit 1 has been fully rehabilitated and currently produces 16.5 MW of reliable power. The Unit 3 rehabilitation began in May 2006, with a scheduled return to service in early 2007. The new 18.5 MW Unit 2 turbine/generator has been contracted to China Machine Building International Corporation, which is headquartered in Beijing. Engineering, design and procurement are ongoing. The work will be supervised by Montgomery Watson Harza and is planned to be completed by June 2007. Central to the long term energy security and sustained economic growth of south-eastern Afghanistan is the rehabilitation and expansion of the Kajaki HPP. As a critical component of the South East Transmission System, the capacity of the Kajaki HPP will be expanded to 51 MW with a future potential for an additional 100 MW.
Under an accord signed between Iran and Afghanistan in 1972, Afghanistan is obliged to release at least 910 cubic feet (26 m³) of water a second. Taliban briefly stopped the flow of water to Iran when the latter threatened to attack in retaliation for what it claimed to be the killing of Iranian diplomats in Mazari Sharif when the Taliban retook the city from the Northern Alliance the second time. During that time Helmand valley was going through a five year drought.
As a result, Iran's famous Hamoun lake dried up as did other regional pastures, leading to the death of flora, fauna, cattle and birds in the Sistan and Baluchistan province of Iran.[2]
In February 2007, the Kajaki Dam was the subject of fighting between NATO and Taliban insurgents, as part of the so-called Operation Kryptonite.[3]
According to Helmand governor, Assadullah Wafa, over 700 Taliban insurgents (including Pakistanis, Chechens and Uzbeks) coming from neighbouring Pakistan fought against over 300 NATO troops.[4] Most of the NATO troops were Dutch and British. The number of casualties mentioned varies.
The Taliban intend to destroy the dam.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Kajakai list as October 31, 2002 aerial bombing location
- ^ Hirmand River's water to flow into Iran again, soon: Afghan source, December 12, 2002
- ^ Taliban flee battle using children as shields - NATO, February 14, 2007
- ^ US defense secretary in Pakistan, February 12, 2007
- ^ Hundreds of Taliban massing to attack dam - official
[edit] External links
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