Rib Irrigation Dam Project, located in South Gondar Zone of Amhara Region and constructed by the Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation, has the capacity to contain 234 million cubic meters of water.
ADDIS ABABA (ENA)―Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially inaugurated the 3.8 billion birr Rib Irrigation Dam Project on 28 October 2018.
Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, President of Amhara Regional State Gedu Andargachew and other federal and regional senior official have presided over the inauguration of the dam.
Rib Irrigation Dam Project, located in South Gondar Zone of Amhara Regional State, has the capacity to contain 234 million cubic meters of water.
Rib Irrigation Dam, which was said to have 800 meters of length and 99.5 meters of height, is expected to develop over 20,000 hectare of land and make 40,000 farmers’ beneficiaries. Moreover, the Dam is believed to protect Lake Tana from alluvial deposits, especially soils formed in the river valleys.
Fitsum Arega, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, said in his tweet that Rib Irrigation Dam is expected to benefit Farta and Eibna Woredas with clean drinking water, farming, fisheries, etc. According to Fitsum, Prime Minister Abiy called on residents to protect the irrigation dam from sedimentation.
The project which started with 1.3 billion birr in 2008 has a six-year overdue irrespective of the initial plan included finalizing and delivering within four years time.
Construction of the project was started some 10 years ago by Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation, it has undertaken four times cost amendment to reach the initial rate.
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Speaking on the inaugural ceremony, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that the government will work to improve livelihood of people through moving forward irrigation scheme and by promoting technological mechanisms of framing in the country.
“Share of irrigation farming in the agriculture is 10 percent, which only accounts four percent of the overall GDP share,” he said adding that “the government set to take irrigation scheme as its core development agenda.”
The prime minister also noted that the newly established Irrigation Commission will invigorate wide range of activities to change the livelihood of people through developing the sector and the government [federal as well as regional governments] will provide modern techniques of agriculture and professional support to the farmers to enhance agricultural productivity across the country.
Source: ENA