In January 2022, the Raviart dam will begin to supply its first cubic metres of water. On June 18th, 2021, Power China Municipal Construction Group started work on the project site, located in the Didiévi department, Aries region of Ivory Coast. The Raviart irrigation dam will retain 8 million m3 of water over an area of 262 hectares.
Power China is building the dam on the Kpékpan River. The dam will have a 1.3 km dike. With a budget of 2.7 billion CFA francs (more than 4.1 million euros), the Chinese company will also develop 125 hectares of land downstream from the dam. In total, 300 rice farmers will be supplied with water. This should improve their production.
Water supply, a difficulty in rice cultivation
The Raviart irrigation project is being financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the government of Ivory Coast. The construction of the water reservoir is part of the Agro-Industrial Pole Project in the Bélier region (2PAI-Bélier). This project favours an integrated approach to solving the problems that hamper the development of the agricultural and agro-industrial sector, particularly the supply of water.
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Rice consumes far more water than any other cereal. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), this water is used for evapotranspiration, infiltration and drainage, specific water management before tillage and drainage before tillering.
Inès Magoum