dAi success stories

AfghAn VillAges Bolstered By Microhydro Power PlAnt

Empowering communities to improve living conditions and create jobs
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Livelihoods do not come easily for those living in the foothills of the Hindu Kush. The few roads are rough and hard to travel, and homes and shops in many villages go dark after sundown for lack of electricity. Families in eastern Afghanistan have also been forced to live with war. Those in provinces such as Nangarhar, which shares a border with Pakistan and its tribal areas, live each day under the threat of violence. Prospects are improving, however, for people in the village of Dodarek in Nangarhars Dare Noor district. A mountain stream runs through the village, and though it is only a few feet wide, its water is powerful. Now, thanks to a DAI-led project, some of the water from the stream flows through a turbine that creates electricity for homes and shops. This project is a blessing to the people of this village, said Mir Alam Khan, the head of Dodaraks tribal shura, or village council. The economy of the community has improved, and I am sure more significant, positive changes will occur.

Energy harnessed from the stream provides electricity for 150 households in Dodarak, Dodailak, and Gorkhal villages, over an area of 2.5 square kilometers. Families use their new electricity for lighting and for electrical appliances such as refrigerators. The plant also powers six shops that sell food, cold drinks, and other staples. ADP/Es micro-hydro programs are designed to support broader community and economic growth; in fact, the supplementary benefits are central to the model and provide added value with minimal added cost. As the Dodarak micro-hydro power plant came together, for example, local residents organized the labor efforts and took a personal stake in the project. They learned the skills needed to maintain the plant while earning money to fuel the local economy. All the while, ADP/E engineers and managers engaged shura members to respond to the communitys interests and needs.

. Photos courtesy of ADP/E.

On April 6, 2009, members of Dare Noor District Development Assembly, elders of Dodarak village, and representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development-funded Alternative Development ProgramEastern Region (ADP/E), gathered to open a 60-kilowatt micro-hydro power plant driven by the stream.

The plant is designed to expand: it has the capacity to power 600 more households and provide electricity for private sector growth. A strawberry jam factory, flour mill, medium-scale textile factory, and carpentry facilityeach powered by electricity from the streamwill soon open in Dodarak, creating more than 100 jobs. Shops for sewing and selling ice cream will also open. Indeed, the strategic planning that supported the project has spawned additional business planning and goal setting within Dodarak and nearby communities. The Dodarak micro-hydro plant cost roughly US$107,000including $17,000 for local labor to engineer and build. If designed appropriately, such run-of-the-river plants have no adverse impacts on water resources, aquatic life, or the environment. A portion of the water from the stream is diverted through the turbine, and sometimes small water storage areas are needed to ensure consistent flow and power production. Additional micro-hydro plants can be placed up or downstream, harnessing the power of the same water many times over. About 160 micro-hydro plants have been installed in Afghanistan in recent years. The Dodarak project was conceived by Afghan experts, and after technical feasibility and economic viability surveys, the plant was designed by Afghan engineers working for USAIDs ADP/E, then manufactured in Lahore, Pakistan.

The micro-hydro plant in Dodarak is designed and built in compliance with international standards for micro-hydro power, said Ziauddin Zaib, an engineer and micro-hydro expert in Jalalabad. I expect the life of the plant to be 40 years. Electricity is not free, however, and the Community Development Council (CDC) of Dodarak village has implemented a transparent system for managing electricity accounts. Each family pays three Afghanis, and each business five Afghanis, for one kilowatt hour of electricity. The CDC collects the money, which is used to pay the power plant technicians and maintain the plant. If revenue exceeds regular expenses, the CDC can allocate funds for other development projects in the village.

DAI Advancing Human Prosperity

05.09