Through IDEA-NEW’s community constructed infrastructure program, laborers from the local community are working to construct a canal intake in their village that will improve irrigation of 210 hectares of agricultural land benefiting 300 farming families in the Kalafghan District of Takhar Province.
The Nuqra Chasma canal system sits on an excavated shelf above a substantial stone masonry wall that is more than two meters tall and 260 meters in length. The stone wall helps contain the river that rushes below the canal. Prior to construction of the canal, farmers made do with a small buried pipe, but the new cement-walled canal channel is capable of carrying more water and is less likely to be washed away by annual floods.
This project started in April and is currently 75 percent complete. It has provided cash for work opportunities for 501 skilled and unskilled laborers, including 22 women. A total of US $14,337 has been paid in wages and US $24,980 spent on locally procured materials.
A local farmer named Najibullah was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the construction. He said, “This project works to our benefit in two ways. We are working on a canal that will irrigate our own land, and we are earning extra money building it. I have five children and currently this job is all I have to support my family.” By using local labor, farmers take pride in building infrastructure that supports the community.
IDEA-NEW supports the construction of agricultural infrastructure that strengthens local communities’ income generation capacity and mitigates risk by providing access to irrigation systems, as well as creating opportunities for short-term employment.
RTA coverage on IDEA-NEW agricultural activities in Laghman province (1 of 2)
RTA coverage on IDEA-NEW agricultural activities in Laghman province (2 of 2)
Salar Canal (Barya Program) Part 3 of 4
March/April 2013