Darunta Dam
The Darunta power plant in 2005
CountryAfghanistan
LocationJalalabad, Nangarhar Province
Coordinates34°29′5″N 70°21′48″E / 34.48472°N 70.36333°E / 34.48472; 70.36333
PurposeIrrigation and electricity
StatusOperational
Opening date1964
Owner(s)Afghan Ministry of Energy and Water
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsKabul River
Power Station
Operator(s)Ministry of Energy and Water

The Darunta Dam (Pashto: درونټه برېښناکوټ) is located on the Kabul River near the village of Darunta, approximately 7 km (4.3 mi) west of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan. It is owned and operated by the country's Ministry of Energy and Water. The dam's hydroelectric power station is being rehabilitated at a cost of $10.5 million.[1]

History

Darunta Dam was built in the early 1960s under the supervision of engineers from the Soviet Union.[2] Its power station contains three vertical Kaplan turbines (six-blade propeller) with a rated output of 3.85 megawatts (5,160 hp) each. Originally, the dam supplied 40 to 45 megawatts (54,000 to 60,000 hp) of electrical power[3] but silting and damage to the system during the decades of war has reduced its actual output to 11.5 megawatts (15,400 hp).[4]

In 2011, an American company by the name of ANHAM was contracted by USAID to perform the initial rehabilitation of the Darunta power plant.[5] Later, the USAID abandoned the repair work due to Gul Agha Sherzai not paying 10% of the project's $11 million total cost. Sherzai was Nangarhar's governor at the time.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Daronta power dam being restored at $10.5m cost". Pajhwok Afghan News. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  2. ^ "Afghan Olive Farms Waiting for Water - IWPR Institute for War & Peace Reporting - P142". iwpr.net. Archived from the original on 2012-04-10.
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2009-10-09.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United (1999). Fish and Fisheries at Higher Altitudes: Asia. Food & Agriculture Org. ISBN 978-92-5-104309-7.
  5. ^ "ANHAM". Archived from the original on 2011-09-04. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  6. ^ "USAID suspends work on the rehabilitation of Darunta Dam". www.wadsam.com. Archived from the original on 2013-03-07.

External links

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Dams and reservoirs in Afghanistan
Nangarhar Province
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