IIE Lunchtime Seminar - Kate Ward (University of Edinburgh)

Keeping the water flowing: experiences from Helmand Province Afghanistan

The twilight years of a megaproject

Abstract:

In mountainous Afghanistan, Helmand is one of the few areas with potential for major agricultural development. The Helmand River, fed by snow melt, flows between two deserts and discharges into a series of shallow lakes in neighbouring Iran. To unlock the agricultural potential of the province work began on the first of the major formal canals in the late 1930s and the Kajaki Dam was completed in 1953, primarily to supply a year round supply to the major formal irrigation projects.

Time, along with decades of conflict and insecurity, a lack of skills in governance, administration and construction, and entrenched corruption have resulted in an irrigation system on the verge of collapse. This talk will reflect on the development of the system and the work of the Provincial Reconstruction Team alongside the Helmand Arghandab Valley Authority to extend the life of this vital piece of infrastructure.

Bio:

Before coming to Edinburgh to work on her PhD on the water supply of Constantinople, Kate worked for six years as a design engineer for the consultancy Mott MacDonald. With a background in sewer rehabilitation, SuDS and drainage network design for major infrastructure projects, an interest in the people-side of engineering, and a slightly foolhardy sense of adventure, she spent a year working with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Providing technical support to DFID (UK Government Department for International Development) she worked on rehabilitation projects on the irrigation infrastructure and erosion protection works on the Helmand River and she led a programme to increase the capacity of the Afghan organisation tasked with managing the irrigation system. 

Pizza from 12.45