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In the early 1950’s, the US government financed two large Dam projects in southern Afghanistan in the Helmand River Basin: the Arghandab (Dahla) Dam and the Kajaki Dam. Both projects are used for irrigation water supply and the Kajaki Dam was intended for hydroelectric power generation as well.
During the period from the Soviet occupation in 1979 until the end of the Taliban rule in 2001, the irrigation system infrastructure was not maintained and fell into disrepair. In 2009, the Government of Canada initiated a project to repair the irrigation system infrastructure and build local capacity in maintenance and agricultural development.
This presentation provides an overview of the US work in the late 1950s and the rehabilitation work carried out by the Canadians in the 2009 to 2012 period. Current work by the United States Army Corp of Engineers is also presented which will be ongoing until 2017.