DOUKKALA IRRIGATION II

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The Second Doukkala Irrigation Project for Morocco consists of: enlargement of the main supply canal over 22 km, construction of about 10 km of feeder canals and installation of automatic flow regulators; construction of six pumping stations with a total installed capacity of 11,300 kw, each with an elevated equalizing reservoir; construction of 31 km of 60 kv and 62 km of 22 kv power transmission lines and a substation for pumping stations; land preparation and consolidation including farm roads, windbreaks and drainage; installation of 450 km of buried pipe distribution system including hydrants, each serving about 16 ha, and associated mobile sprinkler equipment; construction of main drainage channels entailing about 300,000 cubic meters excavation; construction of 108 km of roads, reinforcement of 64 km of existing roads; and construction of buildings and provision of equipment for extension, operation, maintenance, artificial insemination, and telecommunications. This report comprises two impact evaluation reports for Mexico an Morocco, and an overview which synthesizes the findings of both impact evaluations regarding the extent of, and reasons for, sustainability a compares the impact of irrigation systems design on project performance striking feature of all four projects is the lower agricultural and performance than that estimated at the time of audit. Weaker commodity an inadequate development approach in one project, lower than expected efficiencies, insufficient attention to operation and maintenance in a projects, and damage to the environment and natural resources have been main factors affecting performance. However, with one exception, which performed poorly, the degree of success in the transfer of technology respect of both irrigation practice and agricultural productivity has continued to be sustained in the other three projects.