Micro-Hydropower Plant Brings Electricity and Economic Growth to Dodarak Village

On April 6, electricity flowed for the first time in Dodarak village in Nangarhar Province.  Supplied by a new 60 KWH micro-hydropower plant funded by USAID, the electricity will improve the villagers’ quality of life and open the door for new business opportunities. Currently, the plant provides 1,200 residents with electricity, allows local shops to sell cold food and drinks, and has the capacity to serve 600 additional households in neighboring villages.

The power plant, built in compliance with international standards, will provide electricity for up to 40 years.  Electricity is available to the village’s residents and businesses for a small, affordable fee, which will be used to pay power plant technicians and perform needed maintenance.

Capitalizing on the new supply of electricity, USAID has worked with Dodarak residents over the past nine months to develop businesses in their village.  The village will soon host a strawberry jam factory, a flour mill, a textile factory, and a carpentry facility, none of which could have operated without the electricity that the micro-hydropower plant provides.  These businesses will provide needed employment and advance economic development in Dodarak and surrounding areas.

Excited at the new development prospects for his community, village head Malik Mir Alam Khan said, “This project is a blessing to the people of this village…in addition to the prospects that it will light up more houses, small industries will be established, employing a large number of people…the economy of the community has improved and I am sure more significant, positive changes will occur.”

To learn more about USAID’s work in Afghanistan, visit here: http://afghanistan.usaid.gov/en/Article.652.aspx.