Kajaki Dam Project Turned Over to Afghans by USAID

The Kajaki Dam project in Helmand province is being turned over to the Afghan government by USAID. A lot of money and lives were spent and lost in an attempt to get this project finished up. USAID is now turning this critical project over to the Afghan state-run electricity company (DABS). Many are questioning whether DABS has the expertise to install the hydropower turbine and get the electricity flowing. It seems that the Obama administration is keen to push more and more projects off to the Afghans and that Karzai is pushing for the same. What is at stake in regards to the dam is the technical and operational ability to finish the job that USAID started and the great fear that much of the money will be siphoned off by the Afghans due to corruption. Read more in "Dam and other Afghanistan projects being scaled back as U.S. picks up pace of withdrawal", By Rajiv Chandrasekaran, The Washington Post, March 4, 2013.