SMEC awarded African river feasibility study

The Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) has announced that it has been awarded a contract for the Eastern Nile Irrigation and Drainage Study.

The contract is SMEC's first to be funded by the African Development Bank. The objective of the study is to improve water use efficiency and productivity on selected irrigation schemes in Ethiopia and Sudan.

The study will include 50,000 hectares of irrigation schemes in Sudan and a small-scale irrigation scheme selected from each of the three regions in Ethiopia: Amhara, Oromiya, and Tigray.

SMEC’s study will develop an integrated approach to irrigation and drainage development in the Eastern Nile sub-basin to enhance food security, poverty reduction and sustainable natural resource management.

SMEC Chief Executive Ross Hitt commented: “The project win reflects the strong track record SMEC has in the development and management of water supply and wastewater systems; for example, our work on the Guilin Li River Improvement Project in China.

“In partnership with international financial institutions such as the African Development Bank, SMEC has played a key role in providing sustainable living standards to the emerging countries of the world through the provision of the basic needs of clean water and sanitation,” he said.