Somalia Advances Rehabilitation of 136 Agricultural Irrigation and Water Resource Facilities

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The African Development Bank has disclosed the latest environmental and social assessment documents for the Beero Oo Barwaaqee Soomaaliya (BBS) project in Somalia. The project is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of the Federal Government of Somalia and financed by the African Development Bank. It plans to rehabilitate and upgrade 136 irrigation canals, water harvesting facilities, wells, and related agricultural water infrastructure across 24 districts in 6 states and Somaliland.

The project's construction content focuses on the restoration of existing irrigation and water resource facilities, including irrigation canal rehabilitation, water harvesting facility upgrading, groundwater well upgrading, and related supporting infrastructure. The project primarily aims to restore the existing agricultural water use system, serve farmland irrigation and pastoral water supply, and enhance the agricultural water supply guarantee capacity under drought and flood conditions.

This disclosure has produced independent environmental and social impact assessment documents for the regions of Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubaland, North Eastern, Puntland, Somaliland, and Southwest, along with supporting stakeholder engagement plans and pest and vector management plans. The project is implemented in accordance with the African Development Bank's Environmental and Social Category 1 standard.

The 136 facilities are distributed across 24 districts. Project implementation will organize environmental management, construction impact control, and community coordination separately by region. The regional assessment documents will be used to define the environmental management requirements for subsequent canal rehabilitation, well construction, water harvesting facility upgrading, and other works, and to provide project foundation documents for subsequent construction and procurement.

The BBS project focuses on areas in Somalia where existing agricultural and pastoral water infrastructure is weak, restoring irrigation capacity by rehabilitating existing water facilities. After project implementation, the availability of water for agricultural production will increase, and water resource guarantee conditions in some pastoral and rural areas will be improved.