Water canal reconstruction begins in Afghanistan's Takhar province

TALUQAN, Afghanistan, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's northern Takhar province started the reconstruction work of four local water canals on Monday, according to provincial administration spokesperson Qari Mohibullah Nikzad.

The project, at a cost of 55 million afghani (about 630,000 U.S. dollars), is expected to achieve the goal of irrigating more than 5,400 hectares of farmland in the province, said Nikzad.

It is also expected to create an estimated 6,000 job opportunities, he noted.

Azmat Noor Mohammad, director of rural rehabilitation and development of Takhar province told reporters here that the provincial administration with the support of aid agencies will soon launch a variety of small projects including building protective walls along rivers, bridges and providing potable waters in parts of the province.