Dams and reservoirs in Afghanistan are used for irrigation, water supply, hydro-electric power generation or a combination of these. [1] The Afghan government continues to seek technical assistance from neighboring and regional countries to build more dams. [2] [3]
Below is a map showing some of Afghanistan's major dams and reservoirs.
| Dam | Location | Impounds | Purpose | Dam Type | Storage capacity | Height (m) | Length (m) | Power Gen. | Year Completion | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayno Maina Dam | Kandahar, Kandahar Province | Irrigation | Embankment | |||||||
| Band-e Amir | Bamyan Province | Irrigation | Embankment | |||||||
| Bakhshabad Dam | Bala Buluk District, Farah Province | Farah River | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | 27 MW | Under Construction | [4] [5] [6] [7] | ||||
| Chaki Wardak Dam | Chaki Wardak District, Maidan Wardak Province | Logar River | Irrigation | 1938 | Oldest modern dam | |||||
| Dahla Dam | Shah Wali Kot District, Kandahar Province | Arghandab River | Irrigation | Embankment | 55 m (180 ft) | 535 m (1,755 ft) | 1952 | |||
| Darunta Dam | Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province | Kabul River | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | Gravity | 11.5 MW | 1960 | ||||
| Grishk Dam | Grishk District, Helmand Province | Helmand River | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | Embankment | 1945 | |||||
| Kajaki Dam | Kajaki District, Helmand Province | Helmand River | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | Embankment | 1,715,000,000 m3 (1,390,373 acre⋅ft) | 100 m (330 ft) | 270 m (890 ft) | 151 MW | 1953 | [8] [9] |
| Kamal Khan Dam | Chahar Burjak District, Nimruz Province | Helmand River | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | Embankment | 16 m | 2.274 km | 9 MW | 2021 | [10] [11] | |
| Machalgho Dam | Ahmad Aba District, Paktia Province | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | 0.8 MW | Under construction | [12] | |||||
| Mahipar Dam | Kabul Province | Logar River | Hydroelectricity | 66 MW | 1967 | [13] [14] | ||||
| Miankoh Dam | Kandahar, Kandahar Province | Irrigation | Embankment | 1,500,000 m (4,900,000 ft) | 9 m (30 ft) | 150 m (490 ft) | 2024 | [15] | ||
| Naghlu Dam | Surobi District, Kabul Province | Kabul River | Hydroelectricity | Gravity | 550,000,000 m3 (445,892 acre⋅ft) | 110 m (361 ft) | 280 m (919 ft) | 100 MW | 1968 | [16] |
| Nahr Gawkush Dam | Kunduz Province | Khanabad River | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | Gravity | 10 MW | [17] | ||||
| Nawur Dam | Nawur District, Ghazni Province | Irrigation | Gravity | [18] | ||||||
| Pashdan Dam | Karukh District, Herat Province | Hari River | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | Embankment | 2 MW | Under Construction | [19] [20] [21] | |||
| Qargha Dam | Kabul Province | Paghman River | Irrigation | Embankment | 32,800,000 m3 | 30 metres (98 ft) | 450 m (1,480 ft) | N/A | 1933 | |
| Salma Dam | Chishti Sharif District, Herat Province | Hari River | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | Embankment | 633,000,000 m3 (513,181 acre⋅ft) | 107.5 m (353 ft) | 551 m (1,808 ft) | 42 MW | 2016 | [22] |
| Sangjoy-Loman Dam | Jaghori District, Ghazni Province | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | Gravity | Under construction | ||||||
| Sarda Dam | Andar District, Ghazni Province | Gardez River | Irrigation | Embankment | 259,000,000 m3 (209,975 acre⋅ft) | 1967 | ||||
| Shahtoot Dam | Char Asiab District, Kabul Province | Kabul River | Irrigation | Gravity | Under Construction | [23] [24] | ||||
| Shah wa Arus Dam | Shakardara District, Kabul Province | Shakardara River | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | Gravity | 180,000 m3 (146 acre⋅ft) | 75 m (246 ft) | 1.2MW | 2023 | [25] | |
| Shorabak Dam | Fayzabad District, Badakhshan Province | Kokcha River | Hydroelectricity | Gravity | 7.5 MW | 2021 | [26] [27] | |||
| Sukhtook Dam | Nili District, Daykundi Province | Lazier River | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | Gravity | 0.7 MW | 2021 | [28] | |||
| Sultan Dam | Zana Khan District, Ghazni Province | Ghazni River | Irrigation | Gravity | 10th Century | |||||
| Surkhab Dam | Logar Province | |||||||||
| Surobi Dam | Surobi District, Kabul Province | Kabul River | Hydroelectricity | Gravity | 22.8MW | [30] | ||||
| Omari Dam | Qalat District, Zabul Province | Hydroelectricity, Irrigation | Gravity | 25 | 0.1 MW | 2024 | [31] | |||
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The economy of Afghanistan is listed as the 124th largest in the world in terms of nominal gross domestic product (GDP), and 102nd largest in the world in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). With a population of around 41 million people, Afghanistan's GDP (nominal) stands at $14.58 billion as of 2021, amounting to a GDP per capita of $363.7. Its annual exports exceed $2 billion, with agricultural, mineral and textile products accounting for 94% of total exports. The nation's total external debt is $1.4 billion as of 2022.
Transport in Afghanistan is done mostly by road, rail and air. Much of the nation's road network was built in the mid-20th century but left to ruin during the last two decades of that century due to war and political turmoil. Officials of the current Islamic Emirate have continued to improve the national highways, roads, and bridges. In 2008, there were about 700,000 vehicles registered in Kabul. At least 1,314 traffic collisions were reported in 2022.
Environmental issues in Afghanistan are monitored by the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA). They predate the political turmoil of the past few decades. Forests have been depleted by centuries of grazing and farming, practices which have only increased with modern population growth.
Tarinkot, also spelled as Tarin Kowt, is a city in south-central Afghanistan, serving as the capital of Uruzgan Province. It sits at 1,317 m (4,321 ft) above sea level, and is connected by a road network with Kandahar to the south, Nili in Daykundi Province to the north, and Malistan in Ghazni Province to the northeast.
The Kajaki Dam is "an earth and rockfill embankment type dam" located on the Helmand River in the Kajaki District of Helmand Province in Afghanistan, about 161 km (100 mi) northwest of Kandahar. It has a hydroelectric power station, which is operated by the Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority through the Ministry of Energy and Water.
Chak is a district in the southern part of Maidan Wardak Province of Afghanistan. Its population was estimated at 83,376 in 2005, the last year for which figures are available. The administrative center of Chak district is the town of Chak.
Afghanistan has long been known for diverse wildlife. Many of the larger mammals in the country are categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as globally threatened. These include the snow leopard, Marco Polo sheep, Siberian musk deer, markhor, urial, and the Asiatic black bear. Other species of interest are the ibex, the gray wolf, and the brown bear, striped hyenas, and numerous bird of prey species. Most of the Marco Polo sheep and ibex are being poached for food, whereas wolves, snow leopards and bears are being killed for damage prevention.
Khost International Airport, formerly known as Khost Airport, is located in the eastern section of Khost, which is the capital of Khost Province in Afghanistan. The airport is under the country's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, and is used for domestic and international flights. The Ministry of Defense also uses it for emergency relief purposes such as when the June 2022 Afghanistan earthquake occurred.
Afghan passports are international travel documents issued by the General Directorate of Passports to nationals and citizens of Afghanistan. Every person with a valid Afghan identity card (Tazkira) can apply for and receive an Afghan passport, which is renewable every 5–10 years.
Sport in Afghanistan is managed by the General Directorate of Olympics, Physical Education and Sports, currently headed by Ahmadullah Wasiq. Currently, cricket and association football (soccer) are the most popular sports in Afghanistan. The Afghan Sports Federation has promoted many types of sports, including basketball, bodybuilding, boxing, bowling, cricket, football, golf, mountaineering, paragliding, skating, skiing, snooker, taekwondo, track and field, volleyball, and weightlifting. The traditional sport of Afghanistan has been Buzkashi, which is now occasionally seen in the northern parts of the country.
Islām Qala is a border town in the western Herat province of Afghanistan, near the Afghanistan–Iran border. It is the official port of entry by land from neighboring Taybad in Iran. The Dowqarun-Islam Qala border crossing is located about 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of the town.
Energy in Afghanistan is provided by hydropower followed by fossil fuel and solar power. Currently, less than 50% of Afghanistan's population has access to electricity. This covers the major cities in the country. Many rural areas do not have access to adequate electricity but this should change after the major CASA-1000 project is completed.
Tourism in Afghanistan is regulated by the Ministry of Information and Culture. There are at least 350 tourism companies operating in Afghanistan. Tourism was at its peak before the 1978 Saur Revolution, which was followed by the decades of warfare. Between 2013 and 2016, Afghan embassies issued between 15,000 and 20,000 tourist visas annually. Following Taliban's return to power in August 2021, visitor numbers gradually increased from 691 in 2021 to 2,300 in 2022, reaching 7,000 in 2023.
The Salma Dam, officially named Afghan-India Friendship Dam, is an embankment dam located on the Hari River in Chishti Sharif District of Herat Province in western Afghanistan. It has a hydroelectric power station that produces 42 MW of electricity in addition to providing irrigation for 750 km2 (290 sq mi) of farmland.
The Shah wa Arus Dam is located in the Shakardara District of Kabul Province in Afghanistan, about 20 mi (32 km) northwest of the capital Kabul. It is a gravity dam with approximately 20 m (66 ft) wide spillway. The height of the dam is 77 m (253 ft) and its width is 60 m (200 ft).
Kamal Khan Dam is a hydroelectric and irrigation dam project on the Helmand River in Chahar Burjak District of Nimruz Province in south-western Afghanistan. It is located about 95 km to the southeast of Zaranj. Construction work on the dam officially began in 1974 but after the 1978 Saur Revolution, the Americans involved in the construction were compelled to leave Afghanistan and the project was abandoned. It was completed in 2021.
The Mahipar Dam is located on the Kabul River next to the Kabul–Jalalabad Road in the western part of the Surobi District in Kabul Province of Afghanistan. It is about 30 km (19 mi) away from the center of Kabul. It is a gravity dam owned and maintained by the country's Ministry of Energy and Water.
The Pashdan Dam, also known as Band-e Pashdan, is located about 15 km (9.3 mi) to the northeast of Herat, Afghanistan, in the Karukh District of Herat Province. It is an embankment dam with a 70 km (43 mi) canal network. Its power station is expected to be operational in 2025. Once completed, the dam will produce up to 2 megawatts of electricity and provide irrigation water to over 13,000 ha of agriculture land. Its reservoir will be able to store up to 54 million cubic meters of water.
The Bakhshabad Dam, referred to as Band-e Bakhshabad in Dari and Bakhshabad Band in Pashto, is located on the Farah River in the Bala Buluk District of Farah Province in western Afghanistan. The dam is currently under construction by the Ministry of Energy and Water with assistance of workers from Turkey.
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