Paktia’s Ahmadaba residents want Machalgo Dam completed

GARDEZ (Pajhwok): The government should complete the construction of Machalgha Dam in Ahmadaba district of southeastern Paktia province and rebuild some parts destroyed by this year’s floods, residents say.

The dam’s construction was started in the previous government, but could not be completed. Now current officials say efforts are being made to complete the project.

Jan Muhammad, a tribal elder from Machalgo area, told Pajhwok the Machalgo dam was important for irrigation of lands, urging the current government to take action to complete it.

Mirzajan, another resident, also called the Machalgo Dam “very important” for irrigation of agricultural lands and its construction would help agriculture grow more.

He was of the view that the Machlagho Dam could irrigate lands of Gardez, Zurmat and Syedkaram districts besides Ahmadaba district.

According to him, last year’s heavy floods destroyed some parts of the dam and if not rebuilt, other parts will also destroy.

“Some works of the dam had been done during the previous government, now we want the rest of the works should be completed because it is an agricultural dam, the people will benefit a lot from it. Last year, severe floods destroyed some parts of it.”

Some other residents of the area held similar views and stressed completion of the remaining works of the dam.

While officials in Paktia are hopeful the dam’s construction will begin with the approval of budget.

Maulvi Mohammad Karim Fateh, Paktia River Basin Authority head, told Pajhwok that only 30 percent construction works of Machalgo dam had been completed and efforts underway at the ministerial level to compete the rest of the work.

According Paktia government officials, the Machalgo Dam will bring under irrigation thousands of hectares of land and also produce electricity.

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