The Yemeni government is currently awaiting bids from private companies, interested in undertaking works, as part of the second phase of the Marib Dam reconstruction project, reported Yemen Times. Works are scheduled to commence by April’s end.
The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s main development assistance agency, finances the $30 million second stage, which includes the construction of a diverting dam and 66 kilometers of irrigation channels. The fund has so far allocated over $100 million for the dam reconstruction project.
The reconstruction project will enable to irrigate 5,000 acres of land in the northern part of Yemen, thus allowing farmers to reclaim agricultural fields, which were hurt by drought, as well as to gain additional 120,000 hectares of new arable lands.
The Marib Dam is designed to have the capacity to hold up to four million cubic meters of water. Two secondary diversion dams were also built, with a storage capacity 200,000 and 1.8 million cubic meters.
The Marib Dam will provide irrigation and hydroelectricity for a region adjacent to the Yemeni desert region, known as the Empty Quarter. It is constructed near the pre-Islamic Great Dam, considered as one of the wonders of the ancient world. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
