KABUL, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Authorities of Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province have inaugurated a check dam to help overcome drought in the area, provincial director for energy and water Qari Fateh Mohammad Zakir said Thursday.
Constructed for 13 million afghani (about 183,600 U.S. dollars) in Shakhil Abad district, the check dam with a capacity of storing 100,000 cubic meters of water would directly irrigate 1,200 acres of land, Zakir added.
The check dam would help control water erosion and check further recession of the underground waters, he said.
Afghanistan has been experiencing successive years of drought as its residents have been facing severe water shortages. ■
