From an Osprey, a U.S. Marine tail gunner looks over Kajaki Lake.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

The hydroelectric plant at Kajaki Dam churns the turquoise water to a froth.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

Below buzzing high tension wires, an office at the Kajaki Hydroelectric Power Plant functions as sleeping quarters during Ramadan.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

Two thunderous jets of water exit the hydroelectric turbines and rejoin the Helmand River.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

An old Russian anti-aircraft gun lies wrecked near Kajaki Lake. The area is littered with 30-year-old Russian land mines, which are still extremely dangerous.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

In the mountains south of Kajaki Dam, high-tension power lines are the only indication of the dam's existence.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

A power plant worker fishes for carp with a handline just below the dam.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

The two turbines at the Kajaki Hydroelectric Power Plant emit a constant whine. The pit between the two is the projected future home of the third turbine, though its installation has proved an intractable challenge.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

An engineer at the power plant points out the badging on the American-made control arrays.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

Electricity from the Kajaki Hydroelectric Power Plant goes primarily to the cities of Lashkar Gah and Kandahar.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

Engineers work in the control room at the Kajaki Hydroelectric Power Plant in Helmand Province.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

Many of the signs inside the plant are handwritten in English and Pashto.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

Kajaki Hydroelectric Power Plant manager Rasoul has worked in the powerhouse for 34 years.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

Two thunderous jets of water exit the hydroelectric turbines and rejoin the Helmand River.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

Pieces of Kajaki's third turbine have been in this lot for three years, awaiting the hundreds of tons of cement needed to complete the installation.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

A steam shovel used in the Kajaki Dam's original construction lies stripped and abandoned on a hill above the dam.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

From observation post Sparrowhawk East, a weathered memorial to a British soldier overlooks the violent farmland south of the Kajaki Dam. The only road to the dam follows the edge of this green ribbon, making it vulnerable to IEDs and attacks.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

Marines from Echo Battery, 2-12 Field Artillery, patrol one of the most dangerous roads in Afghanistan - the road leading to the Kajaki Dam.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

This antiquated transmission line feeds electricity to Taliban-controlled areas. The Taliban demand more electricity from the dam workers, but the power lines cannot deliver it.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]

End of the line: A power cable stops in a corn field a mile south of the Kajaki Hydroelectric Power Plant.
- [Ben Brody/GlobalPost]