The KOICA-supported irrigation project, which is completed in two years time, will contribute to improving agriculture productivity in Oromia region
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Ethiopia Office celebrated the completion of water conveying tunnel excavation on 14 April 2020 in Dodota Woreda (district), Oromia region, with its counterpart, Oromia Irrigation Development Authority (OIDA) headed by Ato Elias Abdi, Deputy Head of the OIDA.
Ato Elias said “The 1.96km long tunnel excavation has been finally completed after 720 days since the work started, and it marks a significant stage of the Dodota Irrigation Project implementation,” in an interview with the Oromia Broadcasting Network (OBN), thanking all the engineers and workers for their great endeavors to complete it under the current circumstance of COVID-19 pandemic.
“This KOICA-supported irrigation project will eventually contribute to improving agriculture productivity in Oromia region, and we need to utilize our rich natural resource bases—water and land— in an efficient and sustainable way to further enhance agricultural productivity through an irrigation infrastructure like this,” he added.
Agriculture remains a crucial component of Ethiopia’s economy, contributing 31.19% in the fiscal year 2018. Even though the country has large irrigation potential, rain-fed agricultural production contributes more to the economy of the country. The estimates of irrigable land in Ethiopia is about 3.5 million ha, however the total land under irrigation across country remains less than 20% of the potential.
The KOICA-supported Irrigation Project builds a new gravity-based surface irrigation infrastructure in Dodota Woreda and convert over 1,100ha of less productive, predominantly rain fed land to irrigated land by drawing water from Keleta River. And the project will also construct a 78m weir, a 1.96km water conveying tunnel, and a diversion structure – 12.4km primary canal and 9.5km secondary and tertiary canals. The irrigation infrastructure construction started in 2017 and is scheduled to finish within 6 months.
According to Ato Kasim Kedir, Head of Dodota Woreda Agriculture and Natural Resources Office, the project is expected to benefit two kebeles in the woreda and more than 28,000 farming households. He also said that the farmers in the area have not produced sufficient harvest in previous years, however, the completion of the project will boost harvest and increase household incomes for rural farmers.
KOICA Ethiopia Office, based in Addis Ababa, is dedicated to reducing poverty through economic growth and environmentally sustainable growth. Established in 1995, KOICA Ethiopia Office is celebrating 26 years of development partnership with Ethiopia.
Source: KOICA Ethiopia Office