Kamal Khan Dam

Kamal Khan Dam
Kamal Khan Dam
Location of Kamal Khan Dam in Afghanistan
CountryAfghanistan
LocationChahar Burjak District, Nimruz Province
Coordinates30°19′26″N 61°53′00″E / 30.323984°N 61.88337730°E / 30.323984; 61.88337730
PurposeIrrigation and Hydroelectricity
StatusCompleted
Construction began1974
Opening date24 March 2021
Construction cost$78-85 million
OwnerMinistry of Energy and Water
OperatorNational Water Affairs Regulation Authority
Dam and spillways
Type of damGravity
ImpoundsHelmand River
Height16 m
Length2.274Km main dam
Elevation at crest532
Width (crest)9m (changing)
Width (base)90m (changing)
Spillway typeOgee
Reservoir
Total capacity52 million cubic meters
Power Station
Annual generation9 GWh

Kamal Khan Dam (Dari: بند کمال خان; Pashto: کمال خان بند) is a gravity dam on the Helmand River in Chahar Burjak District of Nimruz Province in south-western Afghanistan. It is located about 95 km (59 mi) to the southeast of Zaranj. Work on the dam officially began in 1974, but after the 1978 Saur Revolution the project was abandoned. The work resumed in 2017 during the Presidency of Ashraf Ghani.

The hydroelectric plant produces up to 9 MW of electric power in addition to providing irrigation to about 175,000 ha (430,000 acres) of agricultural land. Its reservoir has the capacity to store up to 52 million cubic meters of fresh water.

Kamal Khan Dam is owned and operated by Afghanistan's Ministry of Energy and Water. Work on the second phase of the dam began on 19 April 2017. The Iranian government has often requested from the Afghan government the releases more water toward Iran.

The second phase of Kamal Khan Dam was inaugurated in March of 2021. Its third and final phase was inaugurated in February of 2025.