THE PRESIDENT COMMISSIONS BANGALE WATER PROJECT
Today, His Excellency the President, Hon. William Samoei Ruto, PhD, C.G.H., commissioned Bangale Water Project located in Bangale, Bura Constituency, Tana River County. The project has been implemented by the National Irrigation Authority as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) under Bura Irrigation Development Project (Gravity) to benefit the residents of Bangale and its neighbouring shopping centres such as Bultobanta and Duhush among others.
The President was accompanied by the Tana River County Governor Hon. Dhadho Godhana, Senator, Hon. Danson Mungatana, Bura MP Hon. Yakub Adow among other leaders. He was received by the State Department for Irrigation Principal Secretary, CPA Ephantus Kimotho, CBS, NIA Chairman, Eng. Gilbert Maluki, NIA CEO, Eng. Charles Muasya, MBS and other officials from the National Government and NIA.
The project will benefit over 300 households through provision of water for domestic and livestock use. It will create employment and wealth as well as open up the area for infrastructural development such as roads, electricity, educational and social institutions.
The Authority has implemented 20 irrigation projects in Tana River County and has four others ongoing. The total acreage put under irrigation with these projects is 54,942 acres benefitting 40,327 households and generating an annual gross income of about Kes. 241,350,000.00. Once the ongoing projects are completed, about 65,000 acres will be put under irrigation.
The County has been earmarked as one of the areas meant to increase rice production in the Country to achieve the targets espoused in the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BeTA). This will be realized through development of its huge potential of over 180,000 acres and involvement of the private sector through Public Private Partnerships (PPP). Bura and Tana Irrigation Schemes are now the new frontiers for rice production and completion of the ongoing projects will contribute significantly to the annual rice production and in turn reduce the rice deficit.
The Authority is committed to providing irrigation water across the country to realize its new vision of “a food secure and prosperous nation.”