FAO saves water and improves irrigation thanks to Japan funding
A rehabilitated 50-meter protection wall in Uruzgan’s capital will prevent water waste and improve irrigation in the area
The recent drought in Afghanistan affected agricultural production and aggravated water scarcity in several provinces. Among them, Uruzgan province, in southern Afghanistan, has been notably affected by the drought and the subsequent decrease in harvest.
Talani village, located five kilometres west of the provincial center in Uruzgan, is home to over 8 400 people. The majority of families rely on agriculture and livestock as their only livelihood options. An area equivalent to 85 football pitches (approx. 60 hectares) of agricultural land near the village is irrigated from the main river in Tarinkot, the provincial center of Uruzgan. The water flows to this village through a 5.5 km long canal named the Talani Loy Canal.
In order to prevent any water leakages along the canal, a protection wall had been constructed on one side of it several years ago. However, the wall was gradually damaged due to seasonal floods and the open breakage points were causing substantial water losses. Hence, the Talani Loy Canal was no longer providing adequate levels of water for irrigation purposes.
The inadequate infrastructure resulted in a decline in harvest of vegetables, fruits and other plants, as well as a drop of the water table. Also, the threat of the protection wall and canal being further damaged was creating a potential risk of flooding. This could potentially cause severe damage to agricultural lands and livelihoods, even loss of life also needed to be urgently addressed.
“Prior to the FAO project, water was being wasted due to breakages in the river wall and it couldn’t reach the Talani areas,” Sayed Nabi, a community elder from the village, said. “The lack of water reduced agricultural production; and some people stopped cultivating their lands due to the scarcity of water,” the community elder added.
Following the request from the local communities, FAO helped villagers build a 50-meter protection wall by September 2021. A total of 26 community members from the village were employed under the Cash for Work (CfW) assistance modality, while another 23 people were employed in other related projects. In addition, they received working tools, such as shovels and pick axes.
“After the rehabilitation of the protection wall, much of that water that used to be wasted flows now down to the field, where we need it. People are now getting more water for irrigation and other purposes, such as drinking water,” Sayed Nabil explained. “With increased production and higher income, the people’s standard of living will improve,” he emphasized.
Thanks to the people of Japan’s funding, this project helped to ensure that at least 90 percent of the canal water-flow benefits the agriculture land while also creating employment opportunities for the local community members. Last but not least, this intervention has contributed to increasing income and improving the food security and nutrition situation for many in Talani Loy through creating employment opportunities for the local community members.