NEW DELHI (Indian Ministry of External Affairs press service) – A signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of the Lalandar (Shatoot) Dam in Afghanistan took place yesterday. The MoU was signed by Dr. Jaishankar and Foreign Minister Mr. Hanif Atmar, in the presence of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani.

The project is a part of the New Development Partnership between India and Afghanistan. The Lalandar (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 by the Prime Minister and the President in June 2016. Indian government says signing of the MoU on Lalandar (Shatoot) Dam is a reflection of India’s strong and long-term commitment towards the socio-economic development of Afghanistan and the enduring partnership between the two countries. As a part of their Development Cooperation with Afghanistan, India has completed more than 400 projects covering all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

The Prime Minister, in his remarks, highlighted the civilizational relationship between India and Afghanistan and gave an assurance of India’s continued support for a “peaceful, united, stable, prosperous and inclusive Afghanistan”.