Farmers in Zamfara State have commended Senator Abdul’aziz Yari for facilitating the ongoing rehabilitation of Bakalori Dam, saying the intervention will boost irrigation farming and food production.
The Project Manager of the Bakalori Irrigation Scheme, Alhaji Umar Adamu, described the intervention as timely, noting that its impact on agriculture and food security would be significant.
Adamu said the rehabilitation would restore water flow to thousands of hectares of farmland and improve agricultural production.
“When completed, the rehabilitation is expected to restore full water flow to thousands of hectares of farmland and boost rice production, returning Bakalori to its status as the food basket of Zamfara,” he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Bakalori Water Users Association, Alhaji Yakubu Abubakar, described the project as a rescue intervention for irrigation farmers.
Abubakar said more than 80,000 registered members and other unregistered farmers benefited from the Bakalori Dam through the association.
He commended Yari and the Federal Government for the intervention, describing the senator as a representative who listened to the needs of people at the grassroots.
Abubakar also declared the association’s support for Yari in his role as Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council.
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Bakalori Dam is a major embankment dam located in Maradun Local Government Area and a tributary of River Rima.
The Bakalori Irrigation Scheme had experienced years of challenges, including faulty irrigation gates, siltation and blocked secondary drains, which affected dry-season farming and threatened food production.
Yari, who represents Zamfara West Senatorial District, chairs the Senate Committee on Water Resources.
An official of the senator’s constituency office in Talata Mafara, Dahiru Samaila, said the Water Users Association of Nigeria submitted a request to Yari on October 4, seeking urgent intervention in the condition of the dam.
Samaila said Yari directed K.K Technologies Limited to commence rehabilitation work after receiving the request.
He added that the senator had also promised to engage the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to ensure a lasting solution to the dam’s challenges.
Beyond the repairs, Samaila said the intervention would provide farmers with fertilisers, tractors, power tillers, combine harvesters, and semi-mechanised and mortised transplanters.
He said arrangements would also be put in place to ensure proper maintenance and use of the equipment.
NAN
