The Ministry of Irrigation and Lowland (MoIL) has revealed that contractors’ inadequate capability is having an impact on the way projects are carried out. It is considering altering the trajectory of furrow irrigation.
Aysha Mohammed, the Minister of MoIL, acknowledged the concerns expressed by lawmakers about the poor performance of projects completed within the allotted time in the nine-month performance report for the 2023/24 budget year in parliament. She stated that the majority of the issues raised by parliamentarians and the Standing Committee on Water, Irrigation, and Lowland Development Affairs are legitimate and should be addressed by the ministry, as well as other pertinent government agencies.
Regarding her report and in response to members’ concerns, she stated that the nation does not have a large enough pool of players to manage irrigation projects. She said that there aren’t enough local contractors in the industry to execute projects on schedule and that their capacity is insufficient. State-owned contractors have contracts, according to Aysha, “and we have also considered including new players in the sector.” She highlighted the extremely low interest in managing projects.
She went on to say, “We don’t want to give more projects to public enterprises since concerns about project execution performance have been raised regarding them.” She expressed her dissatisfaction that the ministry has not received enough bidders and that there is a lack of enthusiasm in taking on projects. She said, “We are extending an invitation to global developers to collaborate on irrigation infrastructure developments.”
Regarding modernization and technology-based initiatives, the minister stated that the majority of irrigation development projects are now supported by furrow irrigation systems, with the exception of relatively few sugar projects. There are improvements that need to be made to enhance this system. The proposal for cost sharing states, “The formation of an irrigation fund is another area that will be an instrument to mobilize resources for the implementation of technology-based irrigation.” Aysha says that the next strategy pertaining to agriculture and rural development will incorporate these innovative methods. Their design work takes into account the fact that the next infrastructures should be supported by modern technologies.
She said that a project program to modernize and restore irrigation infrastructure is being developed with the World Bank to enhance both current and future irrigation infrastructure. “While the cost would be very high, existing projects will also be reviewed in the new scheme,” she stated.
Members of parliament and the standing committee that oversees the industry voiced their concerns throughout the session regarding the extremely subpar performance of projects managed by MoIL. The chair of the standing committee for water, irrigation, and lowland development affairs, Fetiya Ahmed, stated that the ministry is unable to implement all of the recommendations made by the standing committee.
She said that when it comes to supporting the population in the lowland region, there is also a lack of collaboration with other partners. She suggested that in order to address the issues MoIL confronts, the government should become involved.
MoIL has identified a number of challenges that impact the progress of certain projects, including inadequate funding, security concerns, rising costs, inadequate project management by contractors, and several other difficulties.
