2 water check dams worth 23m afs put into service in Khost

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): Two water check dams constructed at a cost of 23 million afghanis inaugurated on Wednesday in southeastern Khost province.

The projects will benefit at least 4,500 families directly.

One of the dams was inaugurated in Matta Cheena of Khost city, the second put into service in Zamary Kamar area of Zazi Maidan district by provincial officials.

The main purpose of the schemes is to reduce the speed of the flood water and rely on groundwater. The two projects have been funded by the National Water Affairs Regulation Authority (NWARA).

Governor Mohammad Katawazi told Pajhwok Afghan News at the inauguration ceremony that the two check dams had a storage capacity of 1.5 million cubic meters of water.

Meanwhile, Pir Mohammad, a tribal elder from Zarbani village, told Pajhwok expressed happiness with the construction of the water check dams, saying it would make the farmlands more productive.

Eng. Zainullah Nasimi, director of Khost’s Shamal Khuram sub-basin, told Pajhwok the construction of 10 more check was underway in different parts of the province.

He said he had also surveyed 28 other check dams in different parts of Khost, which were under construction in the capital, and hoped their construction would kick off in the near future.

He added: “Both the check dams will irrigate 500 hectares of land if a solar system is installed on both and it will directly benefit 4,500 people.”

Sa