Kamal Khan dam’s canalization to be completed soon: Baradar

ZARANJ (Pajhwok): First deputy prime minister for economic affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar during a visit to Kamal Khan dam in Chahar Burjak district of western Nimroz province on Saturday promised early completion of the dam’s canalization work.

Kamal Khan dam is a major hydroelectric and irrigation project, work on which was launched during the era of Mohammad Daud Khan. The dam has the capacity to irrigate 80,000 hectares of land and generate nine megawatts of electricity.

The government completed the dam’s first phase work in 2012 and second phase in 2015. Work on the last and most important phase of the project was launched in 2017 against a budget of $80 million.

According to officials, 80 percent work of the project has been completed and the remaining 20 percent, which is canalization work to supply the water to districts, remains incomplete.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar during a visit to the dam said he will soon contact the construction company about the work’s delay.

He promised the government will order 22 jacks for the dam’s gate and consult engineers about some issues in Lakhchak area as well.

“I am supervising the development of Kamal Khan dam work by myself and will try to complete it soon”, Baradar added.

MawlaviSayedWali Agha, another official who was accompanying Baradar, said: “We need 22 water door jacks and they are already ordered from India, as we still wait to get the jacks, the flooding has made some partial damages to the dam”.

He said the dam’s walls needed to be raised and a retaining wall should be constructed to increase the dam’s water storage capacity and to also prevent water loss.

Nimroz  Irrigation Department head said the installation of electricity turbines was another challenge. “The turbines are here but we are waiting for a professional team to come and install the turbines”.

aw/ma

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