British-based Mott MacDonald has been appointed by Yemen’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation to design and supervise the third phase of the Wadi Hadramout Agricultural Development Project (WHADP) valued at 8.7 million Kuwaiti dinar ($28.7 million).
The project, partially funded by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), aims to consolidate and expand agricultural development in Wadi Hadramout to ensure a sustainable increase in agricultural production.
Wadi Hadramout, located within Yemen’s southern states of Hadramout and Al Mahrah, receives very low and erratic rainfall with the mean temperature varying between 29 and 41 degrees celcius. From a total area of 120 000 hectares, agricultural development is currently restricted to 50,000 hectares of irrigable land. WHADP aims to increase agricultural production through the construction of irrigation canal networks, tube wells, and 16 kilometers of flood control bunds plus improvement of spate irrigation.
Phase three of the project targets management of groundwater aquifers and the quality of irrigation supplies, seeking to improve both by introducing new infrastructure and management systems as well as increasing extraction of fresher groundwater from deeper sandstone aquifers. This involves construction of irrigated farm networks covering 500 hectares, provision of an up-to-date groundwater model for the area and implementation of training and flood protection works.
The project, which will have a strong environmental focus, also involves some capacity building for local firms in design and costing procedures with a strong environmental focus. The most efficient systems will be introduced and disruption to existing farming activities kept to a minimum during construction.
Mott MacDonald’s role builds on its previous involvement with the WHADP, which included undertaking an initial hydrogeological study in the mid 1980s plus design and supervision of phase two. The consultant will now undertake surveys and complete the layout and design of irrigated farm networks including open lined and unlined canals, 20 new boreholes, weirs and flood protection structures. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
