Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority

[2] Before the outbreak of conflict in the late 1970s, the area irrigated by the HAVA produced a large proportion of Afghanistan's grain and cotton[7] and was a major source of foreign exchange through exports.

"[3] In 2005, it was reported that, following a United States Agency for International Development funded project to build six reservoirs in Lashkar Gah, the HAVA would manage the provision of fresh water connections to the city's residents and the collection of the associated fees to keep the system maintained.

[10] During the Helmand province campaign, the Operation Tethys initiative by the British Royal Engineers 170 (Infrastructure Support) Group led to repairs being carried out to the HAVA's irrigation systems between 2010 and 2012[11] at 30 sites.

[12] During 2011, it was reported that work was being started on a Helmand River Basin Study and Master Plan (HRBMP) to rebuild the capacity of the HAVA[13] with funding from the British Department for International Development.

[2] In addition to irrigation and land development it also included elements of flood control and power supply, improvements to farming practices and equipment, health, education and road connections and the resettlement of some 5,500 nomadic and landless families into the area.

[1] Following the overthrow of the Najibullah Government in 1992 and aided by the irrigation, the Helmand valley region has become a major area for the cultivation of the opium poppy, a crop which had been largely suppressed by the HAVA in the 1950s.