Afghanistan: Rebuilding reservoir benefits farmers in Bamyan
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July 2015Work begins with the digging of the foundations. The local community provides the labour force.CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Habibullah Husseini -
August and September 2015Construction proceeds apace, despite the unforgiving terrain.CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Habibullah Husseini -
The retaining wall begins to take shape and continues to grow.CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Habibullah Husseini -
The ICRC covered the cost of pipes, other materials and labour.CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Habibullah Husseini -
September 2015The wall nears completion and is becoming a feature of the landscape in Yakawlang.CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Habibullah Husseini -
The local community puts the final touches to the retaining wall.CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Habibullah Husseini -
The reservoir is in service, providing five villages with water and ensuring that farmers can irrigate their crops throughout the year.CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Habibullah Husseini
In the remote western highlands of Bamyan province, farmers are keeping their crops watered by rebuilding a traditional reservoir thanks to an ICRC cash-for-work project.
Over 700 families are benefiting from the scheme in five villages of Yakawlang district. The community provided the labour force for the work, which involved constructing a wall 65 m long and 3.5 m high using stones, cement and gravel to strengthen the community's existing fragile reservoir wall made in the traditional way out of mud. The reservoir is situated some 100 metres from a stream, and melting and seasonal rains help to keep it full.
As the long, hot summer takes hold in Yakawlang, the community is beginning to benefit from their efforts.
"We felt very vulnerable, particularly during the summer when water shortages often caused our crops to fail, " remarks Mr Yaquob, from Hawz-e-Lookhak village. "We now have enough water for our fields all year round."
