Surkhab Dam excavation completed in Logar province

Sep 13, 2009

For a long time, the old dam and reservoir lacked maintenance and regular cleaning.  Up untill  few months ago, the basin was full of sediments up to two thirds of its depth.

Czech PRT in cooperation with the provincial government has excavated more than 8 meters of mud in order to revitalize the dam and to restore its original function – retention of water for agricultural use. There are more than 3.500 farmers using the water from Surkhab Dam for irrigation in Mohammad Agha District.

“We use Surkhab water for irrigation throughout the whole year. The lack of  water could cause a disaster for our community and conflicts could break out,” local elder Baidjan said.

Besides the project of excavation, a retention wall was constructed. It will ensure that no more sediments will get into the dam. Consultations with local communities, an important component  of PRT's strategy in Logar, played key role here.

Each part of project was also consulted with the provincial Ministry of Water and Irrigation. “We are very grateful, that the reconstruction was successful. Now, we have enough water in the dam, so we have a plan to implement a fishkeeping project,” Mr. Shah Zaman, head of the ministry, said.  

The project worth over one million USD also provided jobs for 80 workers from Logar. “We appreciate Czech assistance a lot.  Our farmers cannot grow anything without water,” Abdul Wahab Ahmadzai, director of local high school said.

Filip Moravec, Czech PRT media officer