55m afs canal unravels 6 months after construction

TALOQAN (Pajhwok): A canal constructed to secure river water from a salt mine in the Namak Aab district of northern Takhar provinces has been destroyed, residents complained on Sunday.

The canal was built to irrigate nearly 10,000 acres of land and orchards in the Nahr-i-Saeed area of Taloqan and Namak Aab district. However, it was demolished six months after its construction.

Fazal Rahman, an inhabitant of Nahr-i-Saeed locality, told Pajhwok Afghan News the river previously flowed through the salt mine in Taqcha Khani area, damaging crops and orchards on hundreds of acres of land.

He said: “Embankments on the both sides were made of stones and sand. They have collapsed and the river water is once again passing through the salt mine. The water has thus become unfit for living things.”

Nizamuddin, a resident of Taqcha Khani locality, said they would stop excavation of the salt mine if efforts were not made to secure the river water.

He accused project engineers of using inferior materials. The canal was narrow and could not cope with the rising water level, which washed away the walls.

Eng. Mohammad Salem, water and irrigation department head, said the Namakab river project was not properly executed and its results were not positive.

He said the project costing 56 million afghanis had not been handed over to the government so far and the contractor was still responsible for the project -- funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB)

The Energy and Water Ministry says the canal project was launched in 2016 with 55 million afghanis provided by the ADB. The objective behind the project was to ensure provision of drinking water to residents of Taloqan.

nh/mud