Water diversion dam is under construction in Afghan province

The construction work for a water diversion dam has been launched in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar, the local government said on Wednesday January 19.

With a total cost of 14 million afghani (about 136,000 U.S. dollars), the Mianko Water Dam on the outskirts of provincial capital Kandahar city will help irrigate agricultural lands and gardens. Furthermore, it will control the flow of seasonal floods to Kandahar and neighboring villages, the government said in a statement.

The dam is 195 meters wide and 10 meters tall and its building will benefit the province famous for fruit production, according to the statement.

The local government said it will continue to build water canals and dams in Kandahar in an effort to boost local agricultural production.

In general, dams in Afghanistan are used for irrigation, water supply, hydro-electric power generation or combination of the above. Here is a map and a chart showing some of Afghanistan's dams and reservoirs.