Minister Ismail Khan’s Stance on Kajaki Dam construction rejected

Earlier this week, Afghan Energy and Water Minister Mohammad Ismail Khan was summoned by the Upper House of the Parliament to provide an explanation for the failure in completing the construction of major dams in Afghanistan.

Minister Ismail Khan linked funding shortages and insecurity to the slow development in dam construction projects.

But the governor’s spokesman Mohammad Daud Ahmadi told a press conference in Lashkargah, the provincial capital, that Khan’s justification reflected his failure to reconstruct Kajaki Dam.

Lashkargah residents also blame the ministry for failing to reconstruct the dam, saying that they see no serious security threat in the province.

Some residents are concerned that the funds allocated for the installation of the dam’s third turbine might have been pocketed.

In 2006, the United States granted USD 80 million in assistance to Afghanistan for the installation of a third turbine at the Kajaki dam. The turbine has so far reached the district, but yet to be installed.