Upholding Afghanistan ties! India signs MoU on construction of Shahtoot Dam

New Delhi, February 09: "Both India and Afghanistan want to see the region free of terrorism", PM Modi was quoted saying at India and Afghanistan summit-level talk while signing of MoU on construction of the Shahtoot Dam. "We are happy that shahtoot dam will provide drinking water facility to Kabul and also be used for irrigation purpose", he added.

 

 

Meanwhile, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani said, " A sovereign and united Afghanistan is essential to South Asia's prosperity, connectivity and stability. Peace is the central desire of Afghan people but that peace must be peace that ends violence and not becomes a preface in chapter to another tragedy" 

 

EAM Dr S Jaishankar had announced at the Geneva Donors Conference in November 2020 that India will be constructing the Shahtoot Dam on the Kabul river in Afghanistan and that the Governments of the two nations have recently concluded an agreement for the same. Jaishankar had also said that the dam's construction would provide safe drinking water to two million residents of Kabul city which is the Afghan capital. The dam would come upon the Maidan river tributary of Kabul river. The conversations for construction of the Shahtoot Dam had begun in 2016.

 

 

 

Reacting to the development, India's former Ambassador to Afghanistan Amar Sinha then had expressed delight and said, "I am happy to learn of India's commitment on constructing the Shahtoot Dam on Kabul river. It is essential for drinking water supplies to Kabul which is staring at serious water shortage." he added, "We should, together with Afghan partners, expedite work on this project for which basic groundwork has been done."

 

Overall, India has completed a large number of infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, including the construction of the Salma Dam, the Afghan parliament building, which was inaugurated in 2015 and a 218-km road from Delaram to Zaranj along the Iranian border to provide alternative connectivity for Afghanistan through Iran.

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