BURUNDI – Join For Water, together with its partners, protects water resources while providing rural communities with access to water for their agricultural activities. With improved irrigation, they expand their harvests and increase their income. In the summer of 2024, the construction of two micro-dams was planned.
First, the local government together with the community looked for the best locations to build the micro-dams. This is how they ended up with the Gatunguru watercourses on the Colline Rushubi* and the Nyarugongo on the Colline Caranka.
After choosing the most suitable sites, sensitisation activities followed with the municipal administration and the communities on how to operate and the principles for managing the infrastructure properly. People were also explained the expectations around own contributions, in the form of sand or stones, and at the same time the layout of ditches to bring water to the fields was determined. The community actively participated in these meetings organised by our partner OAP.
Construction of the two micro-dams for irrigation began in May 2024 with a full study including topographical plans and details of the works, a detailed cost estimate and a schedule for the works. Digging earthen irrigation canals to bring water to the fields was a joint effort between the project managers, local government and community members.
The works were completed in the first half of July 2024 and since mid-July, water from the dams has been used for agricultural activities during harvest season C**. The main crops in season C that benefit from irrigation are beans, tomatoes, maize, aubergines, etc.
200 families
An area of almost 14ha on the Colline Rushubi is irrigated with water from the dam on the Gatunguru, while water from the dam on the Nyarugongo ends up on more than 22ha on the Colline Caranka.
Currently, 132 families benefit from irrigation water from the Gatunguru and 76 families from water from the Nyarugongo. Over time, this number will increase.
The municipalities own this public infrastructure, but producer-farmers will do the maintenance themselves through management committees, under the responsibility of the municipality.
* A Colline is a 3rd-level administrative division.
** Burundi works with 3 harvest seasons, season A is the rainy season in October, B follows in February and season C is the dry season which runs from June to September.
More info on OAP.