Intensive efforts in Raqqa Canton to rehabilitate irrigation projects in support of agriculture

The Irrigation Office in Raqqa Canton is working on implementing a series of vital projects to secure water for farmers and improve the agricultural sector in the region. However, it faces significant challenges due to the lack of irrigation operating hours resulting from weak and intermittent electricity supply.

The office works on maintaining and rehabilitating the main and secondary irrigation networks, in addition to irrigation water stations, to ensure the efficient delivery of water to agricultural lands. It also cleans the channels and drains to remove obstacles that hinder water flow, which contributes to increasing their efficiency and ensuring their continuous operation.

The irrigated agricultural lands in Raqqa Governorate are supplied with 85 cubic meters per second of water from the Euphrates Dam, distributed across five main irrigation channels: the main Balikh Canal, the Wadi al-Faid Canal, the Upper Salhabiya Canal, the Lower Salhabiya Canal, and the Left Bank Canal.

The co-chair of the Irrigation Office in the Economic and Agricultural Council of Raqqa Canton, Mohamed Ali, indicated that the office's budget for this year is 400,000 US dollars, distributed as follows:

-$280,000 for the maintenance department, including equipment repairs.

-$70,000 for the stations department.

-$50,000 for the operations department.

As part of the established work plan, the office is currently working on the maintenance of the Maisalon Farm irrigation canal (flume), where the maintenance team has started work on the canal located in the northern countryside of Raqqa province, removing the damaged parts and preparing the ground.

The project is scheduled to be completed within one week, after which the maintenance team will move to the Tarboush Canal in al-Raqqa Farm located in the western countryside.

The head of the Maisalon Farm Association, Ahmad al-Aziz, explained that this canal irrigates 5,700 dunams, of which 4,000 dunams are planted with wheat, 1,500 dunams with cotton and summer vegetables, and 200 dunams with alfalfa as a pasture crop.

According to the Irrigation Office in the Council of Agriculture and Economy, the pumping stations rely on electricity, with 8 units currently out of service, and there is a study to repair them as part of upcoming investment projects.

The challenges facing the irrigation office

Al-Ali explained that the most significant challenge facing the office is the continuous power outages, which lead to a substantial waste of irrigation water. When the power goes out, the water is drained through the spillways.

He pointed out that there is coordination between the Irrigation Office and the Energy Authority in the Executive Council of Raqqa Canton to solve these problems.

The irrigated areas in Raqqa Province reached 93,000 hectares, with 190,000 dunams of irrigated land on riverbeds and agricultural drains, and 140,000 dunams through artesian wells.

T/S

ANHA