Flood protection wall will improve Afghan quality of life

  • Published
FORWARD OPERATING BASE MEHTAR LAM, Afghanistan (AFPN) --  A contract worth more than $75,000 to begin the construction of a flood protection wall was signed here recently.

The contract between provincial reconstruction team officials and the New Sahak Construction Company provides for all the necessary labor, equipment and materials to construct a 300-meter flood protection wall. The wall will be located in Kandah, a village in the Mehtar Lam district of Laghman Province.

The contract states that the construction project will last approximately three months and calls for the employment of local villagers to work on the project.

The project was nominated by the Laghman Provincial Council and endorsed by the governor of Laghman Province, Gulab Mangal.

"From an engineering perspective, the PRT and provincial engineers have worked together to develop a long-lasting design which will serve the people in Kandah for many years to come," said Matthew Brennan, PRT engineer.

"This is a great example of the government of Afghanistan working to improve the lives of the Afghans," said Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Ricci, Mehtar Lam PRT commander.

Additional benefits of this project include enhancing the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, improving the local economy and the personal sense of accomplishment the workers will experience because they directly contributed to improving their village, Colonel Ricci said.

The wall, once it is completed, will protect more than 400 houses and 10,000 square meters of land from future flooding and land erosion.

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