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New Hydrological Station at Qargha Dam to Help Manage Afghanistan’s
Water Resources
KABUL, 25 March
2008 (Ministry of Energy and Water/FAO) – A new hydrological
station was opened today at Qargha Dam near Kabul by the Afghan
Deputy Minister of Energy and Water, HE Eng. Shojaudin Ziaie, and
the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Eng.
Mohammad Aqa.
The Qargha station
is one of the network of 174 hydrological stations and 60 snow
gauges and meteorological stations being supplied and installed
around Afghanistan. The
hydrological
stations will measure water levels, precipitation, temperature and
water quality in order to provide the information necessary for
planning water supply, irrigation and hydropower projects, drought
mitigation, operation of reservoirs, monitoring environmental trends
and other water management activities.
“The installation
and rehabilitation of hydrological stations in Afghanistan is a must
for proper planning, development and management of water resources
in the country,” said Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Shojaudin
Ziaie at the opening ceremony of the Qargha station.
“There is no food
security in Afghanistan without water security,” Mr. Shobair senior
engineer of FAO added.
The hydrological
station network is part of the nationwide Emergency Irrigation
Rehabilitation Project, started in 2004, implemented by the Ministry
of Energy and Water
and funded by the
World Bank and technical assistant of FAO. The aim of the project is
to reduce poverty in rural areas by providing the water resources
needed for the foundation for a dynamic rural economy in
Afghanistan.
Parallel to the
construction of the new hydrological station, reconstruction work
was completed on the Qargha Dam. The water reservoir, aside from
being a popular recreation site for the people of Kabul, provides
irrigation water for 2,000 hectares of land, as well as water for
the western part of the city. In the result of rehabilitation of
Qargha dam, after 11 years, irrigation water is provided to Badam
Bagh Research farm, Bagh-e Balah Garden and other irrigated areas
under this dam.
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