As part of the Malawi Resilience and Disaster Risk Management Project (MRDRDMP), Utale Irrigation Scheme has been completed. This was revealed by Francis Wadi, the department of agriculture’s principal irrigation engineer. Wadi doubles as a member of the technical team for the MRDRDMP.
The Utale Irrigation Scheme is built to be powered by cutting-edge solar energy. The solar panels have been installed with an automated system. This will enable them to turn along with the direction of the sun.
Also Read: Lilongwe Water and Sanitation Project in Malawi
Noteworthy, Utale irrigation scheme is one of 12 water supply system schemes that the government aims to renovate under MRDRDMP. The others include Ntonda in Ntcheu, Chididi in Nsanje, and Nkula in Machinga just to mention a few.
Significance of the Utale Irrigation Scheme in the Balaka district
The department of agriculture’s principal irrigation engineer claimed that so far, they have offered several farmers training in the management of sustainable schemes. This enables farmers to directly benefit from 110 out of the 200 hectares of achieved land.
The farmers have also begun joint ventures that will facilitate easy marketing of their produce. Wadi added that the development has excited more farmers. They were also taken on various educational trips to gain knowledge from their counterparts in other areas.
In the meantime, the scheme is used by over 543 farming families. More families are expected to join after seeing the benefits their friends are registering for.
Malawi Resilience and Disaster Risk Management Project
According to Wadi, the Malawi Resilience and Disaster Risk Management project focuses on the rehabilitation of five rural gravity-fed piped water supply schemes. Additionally, it involves the drilling of 310 rural boreholes, as well as the drilling of 14 high-yielding boreholes for the Central and Southern Region water boards, 6 and 8, respectively.
Financed by the World Bank and estimated to cost K3.2 billion, the MRDRDMP is an extension of the Malawi Drought Recovery and Resilience Project, which went into effect in February 2017.
In addition to strengthening the capacity for flood and drought risk management, Wadi asserted that the multi-billion project focuses on rebuilding infrastructure and livelihoods in affected areas.
