Contacts: In Kabul Abdul Raouf Zia (93) 700 280800 Azia@worldbank.org In Washington: Erik Nora (202) 458 4735 enora@worldbank.org Washington, June 12, 2008 – The World Bank approved today a US$28 million grant to continue supporting the Government of Afghanistan’s effort to restore irrigated agricultural production in rural areas. The additional financing to the Emergency Irrigation Rehabilitation Project is designed to provide reliable water supply to rehabilitated traditional irrigation schemes in order to increase irrigated area and boost agricultural production in rehabilitated schemes. The original credit of US$40 million was approved by the World Bank on December 23, 2004, and was supplemented by a further US$25 million grant on April 10, 2007. Since inception, the project has made significant progress countrywide, including substantial increases in irrigated areas as well as crop yields. In areas where rehabilitation has been completed the irrigation efficiency has improved, irrigated area has increased by about 83,000 hectares, and yields have increased by 25 percent for wheat, 45 per cent for potatoes, 189 percent for onions, and 59 percent for cotton. In addition, the presence of permanent hydraulic structures at critical locations of the canal systems have resulted in significant time and labor savings for farmers and ensured more reliable irrigation supplies. The project serves all major river basins of Afghanistan, which have been classified into six regions: Kabul, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Herat, Kunduz and Mazar-e-Sharif. Afghanistan’s agriculture sector has suffered from nearly a quarter century of prolonged war, political upheavals, damaging floods and drought, and neglected maintenance of the irrigation infrastructure. At present, the irrigation infrastructure is in a serious state of disrepair. The traditional community-based organizations (mirab systems) and government institutions supporting the operation and maintenance of irrigation schemes have deteriorated. Almost 70 percent of the underground small canals (karezes) are not in use; most of the river diversion structures feeding the irrigation canals are not functioning properly; and many traditional and large canal networks are damaged. Consequently, irrigation schemes now operate at about 25 percent efficiency, compared to the norm of 40 to 60 percent, and are feeding only about a third of the pre-war irrigated farm areas, with low reliability of supplies. “Despite achievements made to date, Afghanistan’s needs for irrigation rehabilitation remain large,” said Usman Qamar, Senior Rural Development Specialist and Project Team Leader. “The project will help improve agricultural performance which in return will raise farmer incomes, contribute to food security, provide rural employment, and reduce vulnerability.” The additional financing will specifically support about 34 additional medium and large rehabilitation schemes and preparation of feasibility studies and detailed engineering designs for irrigation schemes. When completed, these schemes would bring an additional 42,000 hectares under irrigation and increase crop yields as well. It will also support expansion of the hydro-meteorological network in Afghanistan. The expansion would include cableways at about 40 key sites for flow measurement, and installation of meteorological facilities that would help to better forecast river flows and water availability and provide prior warnings of floods and drought. The grant is from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm. For more information on the Bank’s work in Afghanistan, please visit http://www.worldbank.org.af For project information, please visit: http://go.worldbank.org/SHZ9UVTP60 |
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