In a first since Taliban takeover, Indian experts inspect Afghan dam: Report
The visit, not officially revealed, shows India’s slow and steady engagement with the Taliban regime that is not recognized by any country
A four-member Indian technical team has inspected the India-built $265-million dam in Afghanistan’s Herat province in the first such visit from New Delhi since the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021.
According to The Wire, the Indian experts spent three days examining the condition of the Salma dam, officially called the India-Afghanistan Friendship Dam, constructed eight years ago.
Project in remote Afghanistan
The hydropower project was built on the Harirud river in a remote part of north-western Afghanistan. Most Afghans who were overseeing it after being trained in India had fled the country following the Taliban takeover.
The Indian team, from the public sector company Wapcos, journeyed to Kabul via a weekly flight on Wednesday and proceeded to Herat city the next day. The team took a helicopter ride to reach the dam site.
India’s engagement with Taliban
The visit, which has not been officially revealed, shows India’s slow and steady engagement with the Taliban regime that is not recognized by any country, The Wire said.
Afghan security officials and representatives from the Afghan ministry of energy and water accompanied the Indians who included specialists in geology, software and electrical systems.
Taliban request for visit
The name board at the dam site remains intact although some letters have faded. The Indian flag can still be seen while the earlier Afghan flag had been deliberately defaced.
The Wire reported that the Taliban had made repeated requests to India to send a technical team to address longstanding issues at the dam. But it took time for the trip to take place due to diplomatic complexities.
Although India does not officially recognise the Taliban government, there has been a gradual built-up of engagement since Indian diplomats returned to Kabul in 2022. The diplomats are designated as a technical team.
Dam’s opening
While India appointed state-run Wapcos to execute the project, the latter contracted the construction to a joint venture of two private firms, SSJV and Angelique Ltd.
The dam was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in June 2016.
The technical team from Wapcos went to Herat with a list of items that needed to be assessed, The Wire reported.
Issues with dam
This included the SCADA system, the centralised software for controlling the dam and which has not been working for years. The automatic mechanism for opening and shutting the irrigation sluice gates have also been out of action.
The Wire said the team will return to Kabul for talks with Afghan ministry officials.
During their stay at the dam, the Indian officials lived in a camp accommodation constructed by another Indian public sector company, BHEL, for its technicians as the Wapcos quarters were wrecked.
