HERAT, Afghanistan — Taliban launched the construction of the unfinished Pashdan Dam project in western Herat province at a ceremony on Sunday.
Located in the Karkh district of Herat, the Pashdan Dam is designed to store 45 million cubic meters of water. It has the capacity to generate two megawatts of electricity and irrigate 13,000 hectares of agricultural land. The initial cost of the dam was reported to be $117 million.
Construction of the Pashdan Dam began in 2011 and was originally scheduled for completion within three years. However, various factors halted the project.
Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy economic leader, claimed at the event that they are committed to managing natural resources for self-sufficiency and the social and economic progress of Afghanistan.
Taliban officials stated at the meeting that comprehensive assessments and construction efforts have begun on all of Afghanistan’s dams whose work remains pending.
