Afghan-India Friendship Dam: Why Taliban seized control of the dam?

Formerly Salma Dam, Afghan-India Friendship Dam (AIFD) is a hydroelectric and irrigation dam project located on the Hari River in Herat Province of western Afghanistan.

It aimed for the generation of hydropower with an installed capacity of 42 MW, stabilize irrigation facility of 35,000 hectares of land, and the development of an additional irrigation facility for 40,000 hectares of land.

The dam was jointly inaugurated on 4 June 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. 

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Afghan-India Friendship Dam: Key Highlights

1- The dam was funded and built by India. It was executed and implemented by WAPCOS Ltd, an undertaking of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation. 

2- It generates 42 MW of power, irrigates 75000 hectares of land, supplies water to the natives, along with other benefits. 

3- The project is located 165km east of Herat and is connected with earthen road.

4- The gross capacity of the dam is 633 million m3.

5- The height of the dam is 104.3 m, the length is 540 m, and the width at the bottom is 450 m.

6- BHEL successfully commissioned two 14MW units in Salma Dam. 

History of the Afghan-India Friendship Dam

In 1957, a feasibility report was prepared and in 1976, an Afghan firm was tasked with its construction. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of the country halted the construction work. Unsuccessful attempts were made by WAPCOS Ltd to continue construction of the dam, a company owned by the Indian Government and appointed by an Afghan firm. 

In 2006, India funded 275 USD for the completion of the Salma Dam. In January 2013, the cost of the project was revised to 273.3 million USD by the Indian cabinet and the dam began to impound its reservoir on 26 July 2015. 

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Significance of the Afghan-India Friendship Dam

In its July 16, 2021 statement, the Afghan National Water Authority said that if the Afghan-India Friendship Dam was damaged, it would affect people in eight downstream districts that depend on the water stored there. The dam provides irrigation for nearly 10,000 acres and electricity for 40,000 families.

According to the World Bank, about 70% of Afghans live and work in rural areas and depend upon agriculture, and dams for irrigation of their lands. Thus, dams and water infrastructure are critical for Afghan nationals for irrigation, as well as for drinking and public hygiene. 

Roadblocks in the construction of Salma Dam

As per the media reports in the past, Iranian politicians attempted to halt the work on the project and even funded local Talibani members to oppose the construction of the dam. In 2009, Najibullah Kabuli, a parliamentarian from the Kabul Province, accused Iran of interfering in the construction of the dam.

In mid-January 2010, the Governor of Chishti Sharif District, and five other security officials were killed. The Afghan media labelled it an insurgent attack and the Taliban later took its responsibility. 

In March 2013, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) claimed that Quetta Shura attempted to blow up the Dam with 1,300 kilograms of explosives which were discovered in a deserted area of the Pashtun Zarghun District of Herat Province and were reportedly smuggled into the area from Pakistan. Sayed Gul was arrested in connection with the attacks while Mullah Abdul Ghani was behind the conspiracy. 

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Why Taliban seized control of the dam?

Ever since the construction of the dam started, the Taliban has been targeting it and the attacks continue to date. According to media reports, the dam has witnessed 10 Taliban attacks in the past week, and 10 rockets have been fired at the dam, two of which hit the body of the dam. Earlier, the National Water Authority confirmed that a number of mortars have been fired at the dam.

Under normal circumstances, 600 soldiers guarded the dam, which dropped by 70% in recent days, according to Ali Ahmad Osmani, former Minister of Energy and Water of Afghanistan. The statement came in the days before Herat fell to the Taliban. 

Taliban forces seized control of the dam as the water access can be used to coerce the Afghan nationals. For the Taliban, threatening the country's dams seems to serve as a way to terrorize natives. 

On 12 August 2021, the former governor of Herat, Daud Shah Saba, in an interview said he hoped that “the dams were protected for the Afghan people.”

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