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People in Logar Province received new water systems for farming and daily use

Sep 17, 2011

The Afghan Provincial government in Logar Province, supported by the Czech Provincial Reconstruction Team, completed two projects of support to water management in the Khoshi District.

The first of them was focused on improving the conditions in Chinarey, an isolated village located a few miles away from the District Center of Khoshi. „We walk far every day to bring water to the village. The source was a few hundred meters up to the hill,“ said Mr. Achtar Gul, a local elder and farmer. „We use this water not only for drinking and washing, but also for irrigation. Most of us grows fruits, vegetables, grain and almonds,“ he said.

The water pipeline was designed by Czech engineers and consulted with the provincial Department of Water and Energy. „In the past, we fixed the qarez (a traditional Afghan means of irrigation) here in Chinarey. Then we built a new system, which enables people to use the water for irrigation and for personal use as well. They can choose to make the water run to the irrigation channels or to the pipeline, which supplies the whole village. Each few meters in front of the houses there are tap, where people can come and collect the water very easily,”  said Pavel Jirák, Czech engineer from the civilian PRT team.

Another project was completed right in the Khoshi District Center, where district governor and officials from the provincial departments are based. Their working conditions and environment were limited by lack of water supplies before the new system was constructed. Similarly as in Chinarey village, the District Center is now connected to the well by an underground pipeline. In the future, the pipeline could be extended also to the market and local hospital.

Since 2008 Czech PRT has built or renovated twelve wires, qarezis and retention walls. Currently another new dam is under construction in the Khoshi District. It will not only be a source of water for several villages in the Khoshi valley, but also a source of electricity as it will be linked to a small hydroelectric plant.

Photo and Video

Under construction. Czech engineers visit project sites

The construction season has started just couple days ago and the engineers are keeping an eye on how the works at projects site continue. more ►