The Irrigation Development Commission has hired two local companies to build the Kaza Irrigation Dam project in Western Tigray Regional State for 4.3 billion Br.

Having a 55m height and 2.5Km length, the Dam will be built by the Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation and Sur Construction Plc. Expected to be completed in four years, the project will irrigate 10,000ha of land and benefit over 20,000 households. The agreement with the two companies was signed on May 4, 2020.

The Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation was awarded the first lot of the project, worth 2.5 billion Br. The project includes the construction of the main body of the Dam including water-retaining and releasing structures such as the reservoir dam, sluice and outlets, spillways, and the major irrigation canal. The Corporation secured the project after vying with five companies.

Sur Construction will work on irrigation development and drainage elements of the project and water conveying structures, including the water distribution canal system. It will be paid 1.8 billion Br for the project. Sur, which won the project after outbidding three companies, is also undertaking the construction of the Zarema May Day Dam, which is being constructed using asphalt concrete with a holding capacity of 3.6 billion cubic metres of water with a 12.5-billion-Br budget.

The Dam will be essential for the Beaker Integrated Agro-Industrial Park in Western Tigray, according to Michael Mehari (PhD), commissioner of the Irrigation Development Commission.

“It's a crucial project in terms of reinforcing the value chain by supplying agro-processing inputs like cotton,” Michael said.

Launched in February 2017, the Industrial Park is set to lie on 151ha of land, and is expected to house 120 medium-sized corporations and employ 779,000 people. It is estimated to cost 109 million dollars and expected to produce 700,000tn of products with a total value of 18 billion Br.

The construction of the Dam, which will have a holding capacity of 276 million cubic metres of water will be completed in four years, and the canal system will take three years.

In addition to irrigation, the project will be used for fishery, animal husbandry, and producing other agro-processing inputs, according to Abraha  Adugna (PhD), state minister for Water, Irrigation & Energy.

The project is essential for ensuring food security by improving commercial farming, agro-industrial input supply, import-substitution, strengthening the supply chain, and saving foreign currency, according to Abraha.

“It's vital for the textile industry in the area to supply sufficient cotton inputs,” he said.

Tigray Water Works Study, Design & Supervision Enterprise worked on the design of the Dam.