Water and Energy Minister visits Machlagho Dam in Paktia

KABUL (Afghan Verified) -- Mullah Mohammad Yunus Akhundzada, Afghanistan's minister of water and energy, visited the Machlagho Dam in Ahmadabad district of Paktia province, the ministry said in a press release.

Akhundzada, accompanied by a delegation, inspected previously completed work on the project and expressed hope that remaining construction would resume in the near future, according to the statement.

The dam, designed with a height of 47 meters, has a storage capacity of 5.28 million cubic meters of water. It features two canals measuring 7.5 kilometers and 12 kilometers in length, which are expected to irrigate approximately 2,350 hectares of agricultural land.

More than 20,000 residents from 11 villages are projected to benefit from the project once completed.

Last year, a Paktia official told Pajhwok Afghan News that construction had progressed only 30 percent, with ministry-level efforts ongoing to complete the remaining sections.