Alleged Cracks On Kabul Dam Trigger Widespread Concern


(MENAFN- Khaama Press)

KABUL, Afghanistan – Alleged cracks on Shah-wa-Arus Dam in Shakardara district of Kabul trigged a widespread concern among residents ahead of inauguration ceremony that has been halted since the Taliban takeover last August.

Concerns came at a time a video footage has been circulating among users in the area, triggering concern over what it's called to be cracks on the newly built dam that has yet to be inaugurated.

“The water is a lot and heavy. No one can stop it,” said a resident of Shakardara, addressing the apparent cracks on the newly built dam in the country. It, however, was not clear which specific part of the dam has been compromised.

A delegation of the Ministry of Energy and Water visited the location to assess the situation, assuring the problem is not of a big concern and considerable measures have been taken to fix the so-called unproblematic matter.

“After a detailed technical review and the comments of the officials, he stated that this issue is not a cause for concern and will soon be repaired by the officials,” the Ministry of Energy and Water wrote in a thread.

Meanwhile, the technical team assured the stability of the dam, saying the damage is only on the surface of the cement that is affected throughout the years, which will be restored in no time.

The construction of the dam is being conducted by two Iranian companies, where representatives blamed the cracks on the delays in the construction process.

“Two winters have passed. A lot of snow has fallen. We have had snow around one meter which in some cases caused some slight scratches on the concrete because no one was here to take care of it,” said Yaqob Amani, the representative of one of the companies, as TOLOnews quoted.

But experts in the field expressed concerns over the quality of the Shah-wa-Aros dam construction, saying the a proper team has be assign to determine whether the dam is stable or not.

“The quality of the stairs cannot show the quality of the whole dam. It is necessary to investigate the dam to see if there is any crack in the dam,” said expert Najibullah Sadid. 

About Shah-wa-Arus Dam

Shah wa Arus Dam is a 75m high concrete gravity dam located in the Shakardara District of Kabul Province in Afghanistan. It has a 60m wide three-bay spillway and is mainly geared towards provision of irrigation water as well as flood control and reliable year-round fresh water supply.

Construction of Shah wa Arus Dam has long been proposed by the Afghan government. The bidding process deadline of the Dam was on 24 March 2014, in which an Iranian company known as Tablieh and Parhoon Tarh JV was chosen as the main contractor for the project.

Its work was to build the Shah-wa-Arus irrigation and hydropower project, which included a rock-filled dam, intake, powerhouse, pickup weir with balancing reservoir and head regulators, and right and left side main canals. The Design-Build contract was awarded to Alborz Sazeh Company.

Total cost of the Dam came to around $50 million, with 81 meters height at the rocky base and about 330,000 cubic meters of concrete, would be the first Roller-compacted concrete (R.C.C) that will be implemented within 55 months. 

Once operational, the dam will produce 1.2 megawatts (MW) of power and irrigate 2,700 hectares of land in addition to supplying drinking water for the millions of residents of Kabul.

Project has the following major components: Roads, Bridges & other Infrastructure; Concrete Dam with Power Intake Structure; Power House; Pick up weir with Balancing Reservoir and Head Regulators.

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Khaama Press

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