Dam Building

Ha Makoanyane in Lesotho was excavated in 2010 as part of the Metolong Cultural Resource Management (MCRM) Project ahead of the construction of the Metolong Dam, and represents a significant advance both in our archaeological understanding of the Maloti-Drakensberg region and in public participation in archaeological practice. The site, occupied from roughly 1881 until the 1960s, offers a window on a major transitional period in Lesotho's colonial history, in terms of both the region's economy and the role of traditional authority. This case study highlights the need for interdisciplinary approaches to such recent periods, including bringing ethnohistoric, archival and archaeological evidence to bear upon short-lived and potentially disturbed archaeology. It also identifies future directions for the archaeology of Farming Communities in Lesotho and for community collaboration therein.

We are a nation where the treasures of the world lie on our soil. Logar has the most copper in the world, Bamiyan has the most iron ore in the region, and the Hajigak mine alone is estimated at 2070 million tons, of which (63-69%) percent is iron ore.
        The east of the country has water, the price of a liter of which is equal to the price of a liter of oil from the rest of the world, and it has a season in which four seasons of the year are cultivated. Khost is a province rich in chromite, which China is using in its weapons. In short, our country's fertile soil has such treasures under its bosom, the regular use of which saves Afghans from starvation.
          Unfortunately, the ongoing war here is for Afghanistan's mines and water. Precious stones are still being smuggled into Pakistan from many parts of the country, the Taliban provide security and the Taliban provide the same ground, and in some areas even Pakistani miners who know the precious stones are brought.
          Water storage has just begun at the Kamal Khan Dam, upon completion, the Kamal Khan Dam will control 2788 million cubic meters of water, store 55 million cubic meters of water, irrigate 180000 hectares of farmland and have the capacity to generate 9 megawatts of electricity.
          During the reign of Afghan President Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan in year 1966, reconstruction and survey work resumed, but was halted due to the Saur coup and other political factors

In response to growing energy needs and emerging water insecurity, countries around the world have resorted to building dams of unprecedented size. This dynamism emerged following a global consensus at the end of the 20th century that vowed to transform the large dam industry into one that was sustainable and ecologically sensitive. The consensus evolved due to years of popular anti-dam activism on a global scale and the emergence of new knowledge on various aspects of large dams. Although the number of large dams built has sustained its descending pattern that has initiated in the late 1970s, hundreds of dams with unprecedented size have emerged around the globe in the last twenty years. These dams have distinguished attributes. By descriptively examining ICOLD’s World Register of Dams data, this study revealed that large dams of the 21st century are larger in size. They create expansive reservoirs with unprecedently large surface areas. Paradoxical to the size of their surface are...