India and Afghanisatn Inks MoU for the construction of the Lalandar “Shatoot” Dam in Afghanistan

India and Afghanisatn Inks MoU for the construction of the Lalandar “Shatoot” Dam in Afghanistan

• India and Afghanistan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] on February 09, 2021 over video-teleconferencing (VTC), for the construction of the Shahtoot Dam (Lalander Dam) on a tributary of the Kabul river in Afghanistan.
• The project, which costs nearly $ 300 million, is a part of the New Development Partnership between India and Afghanistan. 
• The MoU was signed between External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar and Afghanistan Foreign Minister Mr. Hanif Atmar, in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Dr. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.
• The Lalander [Shatoot] Dam would meet the safe drinking water needs of Kabul City, provide irrigation water to nearby areas, rehabilitate the existing irrigation and drainage network, aid in flood protection and management efforts in the area, and also provide electricity to the region.
• This is the second major dam being built by India in Afghanistan, after the India- Afghanistan Friendship Dam [Salma Dam], which was inaugurated in June 2016.