Irrigation: River basin targets 500 farms in Kwara

The on-going construction of Gure Dam in Baruteen Local Government Area of kwara state, has one million cubic metre of water capacity to irrigate 200 hectares of farm land, Managing Director, Lower River Niger Basing Development Authority, Ilorin ,Engineer Niyi Aremu has said .
Aremu said the dam, which is one of the ongoing interventions of the federal government in the state, upon completion can be reviewed to irrigate 500 hectares in the nearest future.
Beside the Gure dam , the managing director said the ongoing construction of Yashikira dam also in Baruten local government also has one million cubic metre of water capacity that will also be used to irrigate 25 hectares of farm land .
Aremu spoke when Chairman of the newly constituted Board of Directors for the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, Alhaji Zakari Idde, and his team inspected some of the ongoing projects of the Authority in Kwara North Senatorial district of the state.
Yashkira and Gurecommunities are two major agrarian communities in Kwara north senatorial district but lack irrigation facilities to boost crop production.
The Gure dam according to Aremu, an associate professor of water resources with the University of Ilorin is at 40 % completion stage.
The dams according to Aremu , are also expected to supply water to the host community and its environs.
Blueprint recalls that the Ilorin river basin had also earmarked over 8,000,hectres of farm land to boost rice production in line with the federal government’s resolve to end rice importation by 2018.
Speaking during the visits, Idde, who led other members of the board to inspect the projects, expressed delight at the level of works done on the projects, describing it as ‘‘laudable’’.
The board chairman said the federal government investment in dam project will help to diversify the economy through Agriculture.

 

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