The Anyiko-Ujwanga Expansion Irrigation Project, costing Sh408.6 million, will soon be constructed by the Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation. The project will cover 19 villages and three sublocations. They include Kathieno B, Kathieno C, and Sihayi, which is in the North East location, East Ward, in Ugenya Constituency, as well as Ugenya Sub-County.
The sedimentation basin and water intake will be set up in Indaglasia, located in Kakamega. The scheme will be approximately 12km from Siaya and 26km from Unguja towns.
According to an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) study the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) received, the project’s implementation would be carried out in phases.
Implementation of the project
The undertaking would begin with the intake works, via the conveyance system, distribution, and tertiary and drainage systems at farm levels. It also added that the farmers would water their fields using tertiary canals. The canals are directed to their farms with the aim of improving the efficient use of water.
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Any possible direct, indirect, or major negative environmental impact that could arise from the project is identified and addressed by ESIA. Also, ESIA is expected to identify and tackle the social impacts brought by the project.
River Nzoia, in Kakamega County, would be the project’s source of water. The water will be directed downstream through canals. Using simple check structures, the Ministry of Agriculture established the Anyiko rice growing irrigation scheme in 1997.
Some farmers were encouraged by what they saw and began rice irrigation. They are tapping water from the wetland at the upper scheme part. This is with the aim of obtaining reasonable yields.
What the Anyiko-Ujwanga Expansion Irrigation Project would entail
A 14.5-kilometer main canal and a 23-kilometer field canal will be involved in the project’s construction. It will also include service roads and 23.6-kilometer access roads. It added that the intake and canal construction for the irrigation project may require the development of temporary access roads to the sites.
Localized clearance of vegetation for canal construction will also be required for the establishment of the project.
