In PDF: English | Dari | Pashto

The Emergency Irrigation Rehabilitation Project (US$40 million Credit and US$35 million ARTF Grant) is helping to provide water to farms in the project areas with improved reliable and equitable distribution of irrigation water to increase agricultural productivity and farm income, improve food security and livelihoods, and reduce vulnerability due to droughts through the rehabilitation of the national irrigation system in all five river basins of Afghanistan. To date, six regional offices in Kabul, Jalalabad, Kandarhar, Balkh, Kunduz, and Herat have been established to develop institutional capacity at the local level.

Irrigation system rehabilitated in Herat Province.

As of December 31, 2006, 635 subproject proposals costing about US$50.3 million have been prepared. Out of these subproject proposals, 523 subprojects totaling US$34 million to bring 289,825 ha of land area under irrigation have been approved; contracts for 399 subprojects worth US$16,4 million have been awarded and are ongoing; and 267 subprojects have been completed. In addition the first phase of the works under the contract for the emergency repair works to Band-e- Sultan Dam costing about US$500,000 have been completed, and design for the second phase of this project has been reviewed and submitted for approval. The work under the Feasibility Study of the Lower Kokcha Irrigation and Hydropower Multipurpose Project on the Kokcha River in the Amu River Basin is ongoing. The contract is expected to be completed (Euro 2.2 million) in 18 months, and the final feasibility report is expected by August-September 2007.