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Three new dams to be built in Kandahar to ease water shortage crisis
Three new dams are being built in the southern Afghanistan province of Kandahar in a bid to ease an acute water shortage after years of drought.
China’s Xinhua News Agency reported the dams are being built in Shah Walikot and Spin Boldak districts.
The dam in Spin Boldak district will reportedly hold up to 2.3 million cubic meters of water and will cost 35 million afghanis (about $400,000) to build, Xinhua reported.
The other two dams are in Manda Kanda and Lawal Shah Walikot in Shah Walikot district.
“One dam with a capacity of 1.7 million cubic meters will be constructed in Manda Kanda at a cost of 50 million afghanis,” a local religious leader Mullah Khaleq told Xinhua.
Kandahar province is known for its grapes and pomegranates but has taken a hard knock in the past few years due to the ongoing drought.
Local farmers have had to rely on wells, which has in turn resulted in a further loss of underground water.
The new dams will bring water to two million acres of farmland, Xinhua reported.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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