Kajaki Dam - History

History

Final studies for the dam began in 1946 and a preliminary design was crafted in 1950. The dam was built between 1951 and 1953 by the Morrison-Knudsen firm as part of the Helmand Valley Authority project.

In 1975, USAID commissioned the initial installation of two 16.5 MW generating units in a powerhouse constructed at the toe of the dam. This first stage powerhouse was actually constructed to house three equally sized units. Only units 1 and 3 were installed originally.

When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979 the contractors left. They had intended to raise the dam by 2 meters in order to increase the available water for power production and irrigation. They were also excavating an emergency spillway which was never completed. Gates were also never installed in the service spillway so the dam passes all water in the reservoir above elevation 1033.5 meters. Completion of the spillway gates would increase the total storage capacity of the reservoir by 1,010,000,000 m3 (818,820 acre·ft) to 2,725,000,000 m3 (2,209,193 acre·ft).

The Kajakai dam powerhouse was a bombing target of the US Air Force during their attack on Afghanistan in October 2001.

With funding from USAID, World Bank and other donors, Units 1 & 3 have been fully rehabilitated and the power station currently has an installed capacity of 33 MW. Unit 1 was operational in September 2005 and Unit 3 in October 2009. The Unit 3 rehabilitation began in May 2006, with a scheduled return to service in early 2007. The new 18.5 MW Unit 2 turbine/generator has been contracted to China Machine Building International Corporation, which is headquartered in Beijing. Engineering, design and procurement are ongoing. The work will be supervised by Montgomery Watson Harza and was planned to be completed by June 2007.

In February 2007, the Kajakai Dam was the subject of fighting between NATO and Taliban insurgents, as part of Operation Kryptonite. According to Helmand governor, Assadullah Wafa, over 700 Taliban insurgents (including Pakistanis, Chechens and Uzbeks) coming from neighboring Pakistan fought against over 300 NATO troops. Most of the NATO troops were Dutch and British. The number of casualties mentioned varies. The Taliban intend to destroy the dam.