Helmand’s Nad Ali, Nawa residents demand electricity

LASHKARGAH (Pajhwok): Residents of Nad Ali and Nawa districts in southern Helmand province say they have been without electricity for the past several decades.

They say if the government supplied electricity to their areas, they will be able to establish factories and create jobs for the people.

Khan Mohammad, a resident of Loy village in Nawa district, told Pajhwok Afghan News that they had installed pylons on a 17-kilometer stretch on their own expenses, but they were still awaiting the supply of electricity.

He said: "If our district is provided with electricity, many people will invest here and some factories will be set up and people will also get jobs."

Haji Din Mohammad, a resident of ChahMirza area of ​​Nad Ali district, also said that electricity was supplied to their district during the reign of the former king Mohammad Zahir Shah, but the electricity poles and lines were destroyed during the past wars.

Da Afghanistan Breshna Shirkat (DABS) Director Hafiz Hidayatullah Mohammad said work on the provision of electricity to Nawa district was underway and would be completed in the near future.

He, however, said currently there was the shortage of electrical equipment and cannot supply electricity to Nad Ali and some other areas.

He said: "If the center supplies more electricity, Nad Ali and some other districts will also benefit from electricity."

According to the information of Helmand Electricity Department, six power turbines are now active in the Kajaki Dam, but due to the lack of water, only nine megawatts of electricity is supplied to Helmand and 10 megawatts to Kandahar province.

Hz/nh/ma