Reply #19: Protecting a vital dam that provides much needed electricity and irrigation for 1.5 million Afghanis

[Turborama]

You're right. Outside of the oft repeated talking points of conspiracy theorists, the soldiers are doing a lot of good things in Afghanistan.

Here's some of the recent history of the Kajaki dam.

Protecting Afghanistan's vital power source

Tuesday, 27 February 2007

By Alastair Leithead

A 90-metre terraced dam pinches one end, and the glistening Helmand River snakes its way south to irrigate the prime agricultural land where the opium poppies are grown.

But the row of small and delicate pylons gives away why UK forces are here - this is not about water, it is about electricity - and the power to actually make a difference to Afghan people.

US-built

Two roaring jets of water plunge out of the hillside into the narrow gorge at the base of the dam.

A large concrete building perches on the edge of the tunnels, the overhead cables sharply heading up the cliff face and onto the ridge.

A plaque bearing the American eagle says it was built in 1975 - the hydro-electric power station was donated at a time when Cold War nations were pouring money into Afghanistan to buy support at the crossroads of Asia.

And working hard to keep it running is a determined man with a long beard, who has been here since the year after the turbines started turning.

Engineer Sayeed Rasul pointed to the huge gap between the two round power generators: "Turbine one needs repairs and turbine three is working well and when turbine two arrives we will be able to generate much more power," he said. "We have only one power station in southern Afghanistan and that is Kajaki power station. When we have all three turbines working it will be a very big help for us and Afghanistan and our people."

It is estimated that almost two million more Afghans will get electricity when the project is complete.

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Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6400245.stm

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Restoring an Afghan Dam in a Taliban Stronghold

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

April 24, 2008 · It has been nearly seven years since the Taliban regime fell in Afghanistan, but only 7 percent of the country's residents have access to government-provided electricity.

American contractors hope to change that next year, at least for more than 1 million households in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province. Engineers there are trying to restore a half-century-old, U.S.-built dam and power plant in country that has become the heart of a Taliban insurgency.

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Resurrection of Dam, Plant

A $16 million project to rehabilitate the Kajaki dam and power station in Helmand province is a case in point.

Modeled loosely after the Tennessee Valley Authority, the 330-foot dam and power plant served to showcase U.S. development in Afghanistan during the Cold War. The structures provided electrical power and helped irrigate tens of thousands of acres of farmland.

But they fell into disrepair after decades of war and neglect. By the time the U.S. Agency for International Development arrived at the compound five years ago, only one turbine could still be turned on. And it generated more vibration than electricity.

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Full article including audio of the broadcast: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89821168

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Troops deliver Afghanistan dam turbine

3 September, 2008 | By Jessica Rowson

Around 2,000 British troops in Afghanistan have taken part in a huge convoy to deliver a hydro-electric turbine 180 kilometres by road from Kandahar airfield to Kajaki dam.

The turbine, once installed and fully operational, will help provide some 1.5 million southern Afghanis with much needed electricity and irrigation.

It will be installed at Kajaki dam and is capable of producing 18.5MW of economically viable, renewable energy. This is in addition to the dam's current 16.5MW output.

Work can now begin on the turbine's installation and the much larger programme of repairs to the electrical distribution network needed to pass the extra power to areas of Sangin, Musa Qaleh, Kandahar and the provincial capital of Helmand, Lashkar Gah.

Details of the turbine transportation operation, and the location of the convoy, were kept secret until the turbine reached its destination late last night, in order to protect the soldiers involved in its delivery. The turbine and its various parts had to be transported by road due to their weight, with some parts weighing as much as 29t each.

The operation, codenamed 'OQAB TSUKA', or 'Eagle's Summit', involved a further 2,000 Afghan National Security Forces and ISAF troops from the US, Canada, Denmark and Australia.

"Ultimately success in Afghanistan is about more than defeating the Taliban or the absence of fighting. It's also about creating jobs, security and economic development," said spokesman for Taskforce Helmand Lt Col David Reynolds. "This operation is the first step in a much larger operation that demonstrates that International Security Assistance Force's strategy to deliver civil effects is making real progress. A USAID funded project, delivered by the military, where the Afghan people will benefit, and ultimately, we will all benefit. It's why we are in Afghansitan."

From: http://www.nce.co.uk/troops-deliver-afghanistan-dam-turbine/1827694.article

Only 7 percent of Afghanistan's population has electricity.
See how it ranks among the countries with the least access
to electricity.



An aerial view of the Kajaki dam reservoir.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kajaki_Dam">Karjaki dam's Wiki

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/operation-eagles-summit-the-inside-story-of-a-daring-foray-into-taliban-territory-917197.html">Operation Eagle's Summit: the inside story of a daring foray into Taliban territory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmand_province_campaign">Helmand province campaign