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PRT assists villagers with canal reinforcement

Jan 3, 2011

By Air Force 2nd Lt. Ashleigh Peck

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Army News Service, Jan. 3, 2011) -- A truck full of cement bags and gabions -- rock-filled baskets used for fortification -- were delivered to the Shutol District Center by a local contractor and the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team civil affairs members, Dec. 20, to assist in the re-creation of an irrigation canal.

"A large section of the canal was completely destroyed by the annual flooding in the spring of 2010," said Gulab Shah, the Shutol district governor.

Shah said the canal supplies irrigation and drinking water to as many as 1,000 families in the villages of Dehe Kalan, Janajoy, Bostan, Chelanak and Ghoran.

"The affected families collected money and worked together to create a fix for the canal, which consisted of wooden frames and metal troughs," said Army Sgt. Joshua O'Keefe, with the Panjshir PRT civil affairs.

However, the wooden frames will not be able to withstand the spring floods, O'Keefe said, so the PRT offered materials to permanently repair the canal.

"Once the PRT discovered the project's importance, we immediately started work to supply $5,000 worth of materials consisting of 400 cement bags and 100 gabions to be used as building blocks to support the canal," said O'Keefe. "The materials will be put into use as soon as the weather permits."

"If this is not fixed by the next growing season in the summer of 2011, several families will no longer be able to support themselves," said O'Keefe. "The affected locals know the importance of this canal, and have been laboring to start re-creating a solid canal again."

The village started the project on their own and the PRT is assisting to expedite the process and provide a more permanent solution.

"The locals are performing the labor but don't have all the required supplies, otherwise the project would've already been completed," said O'Keefe.

"Our intent is to complete the foundation of the canal before the winter weather prevents work," said Shah.

(2nd Lt. Ashleigh Peck writes for Combined Joint Task Force 101)