Afghanistan UNDP on rural electrifying micro-hydro-power projects
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Afghanistan UNDP on rural electrifying micro-hydro-power projects
POWER LINES RUN THROUGH A RURAL VILLAGE AFGHANISTAN. (PHOTO: NATO)
Speaking from Kabul, Moqamuddin Siraj uses a word that is at a premium in Afghanistan: “Momentum.” Siraj, a programme officer with the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), says Afghanistan is making progress on micro-hydro-power projects that are bringing much-needed electricity to rural parts of the country.
Powered by available water sources, the hydro energy projects – begun last year – have changed the lives of hundreds of people who previously relied on kerosene oil and other flammable sources to light their homes and businesses.
“It wasn’t healthy,” Siraj says of the older ways. “The smoke [from kerosene sources] would billow out into the rooms, affecting children and others. Now, they’re using clean electricity.”
Highlights
- 80 percent of Afghanistan’s total population lives in rural areas, where about 85 percent of residents lack electricity.
- UNDP and Afghanistan’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development implemented six micro-hydro-power projects in rural areas.
- The largest hydro-power project can provide electricity to more than 400 families.
Besides the micro-hydro-power projects already operating, six full projects are near completion, Siraj says, and 150 more have been requested by rural communities.
Each 14 kilowatt mini hydro project benefits more than 100 families, and the largest-size project (120 kilowatts) gives more than 400 families the ability to tap into electrical outlets.
The projects’ success – and demand – is why Siraj volunteered the words “momentum” and “major benefits.”
UNDP works with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development to implement the micro-hydro-power projects. The new hydro energy sources have produced an uptick in the economies of the affected areas, since small businesses – such as tailoring shops run out of homes – can now work more efficiently and, if they choose, keep longer hours.
“Their lives have changed,” Siraj says.
Still, Siraj offers a big caveat: About 85 percent of rural Afghanistan is in need of electricity, and the country’s urban centres experience gaps where electricity is unavailable for hours.
Energy in Afghanistan is just one policy area where UNDP is able to assist the national Government in improving aspects of Afghan society, including the country’s electoral process.
In the run-up to the September Parliamentary elections, UNDP worked with Afghanistan’s Independent Directorate of Local Governance to hold orientations with the country’s Provincial Councils – an affiliation that is segueing into a five-year program to train Afghan staff around the country. UNDP also has an important working relationship with the Afghanistan Independent Election Commission, which it supports.
Other programmes in Afghanistan that receive UNDP support include the country’s Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) project, which collects weaponry. UNDP has also organized workshops for government ministries on budgeting that considers gender inequalities.
Each program is a chance to make an impact – whether small or big. Though size is relative, Siraj doesn’t hesitate to describe the micro-hydro-power projects this way: “They are a big change for Afghanistan.”
Afghanistan UNDP on rural electrifying micro-hydro-power projects
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http://www.archimedeshydroscrew.com/archimedes-hydro-screw-industry-gets-a-much-needed-boost/
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