The Ministry of Water and Energy said on Sunday that a Pakistani company will do the survey and design of the Farah River Dam, a $4 million project.
The National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) is expected to complete the project in 18 months. The ministry has hailed the project as the first of its kind by a Pakistani company in Afghanistan.
The dam will be paid for by Afghan government funds and, once completed, is expected to meet all the irrigation and energy needs of Farah province.
"The dam's storage capacity will be more than one billion cubic meters. At the same time, it can irrigate more than 68,000 acres of agricultural land and produce about 27 megawatts of electricity, which can meet the electricity needs of Farah Province," said Muhammad Ismail Khan, minister of energy and water.
About 545 large, medium and small dams will be built or refurbished across the country. About 111 of these dams are a priority for the ministry.