BergerWorld: 4th Quarter 2005

Mozambique remains primarily agricultural, with more than 80 percent of the nation's 19 million people working on the land. Farming is the backbone of the economy and offers an enormous potential for growth since only a quarter of the nation's arable land is cultivated. Most of this land is not irrigated, although there is the potential to irrigate more than three million hectares. To increase the amount of irrigated farmland, the government of Mozambique began an ambitious African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded program to rehabilitate the Massingir Dam and the connected Xai-Xai irrigation channels in Southern Mozambique.

The Massingir Dam, along the Elephantes River, was constructed in the 1970s to improve navigation on the Limpopo River and its tributaries and to facilitate irrigation. However, one year after its completion, the dam displayed major stress defects, reducing the irrigation potential of the Xai-Xai channels. As part of a program to rehabilitate these critical structures, the Berger Group was selected to design and supervise the rehabilitation of the dam and the Xai-Xai irrigation structures.

A team of Berger experts reviewed the original plans and designs for the irrigation structures, then conducted a thorough survey to evaluate the condition of the current system and identify necessary repairs. The Team also prepared a soil quality assessment to identify different soil types and develop the most effective irrigation designs. Based on this information, Berger developed detailed designs and bid documents for rehabilitation and expansion of the Xai-Xai Irrigation and Drainage Scheme. The Team then assisted the Project Implementation Management Unit in the tendering process and contract negotiations.

Currently, Berger is supervising the rehabilitation of the Massingir Dam and the supporting irrigation system, a key step for the expansion of irrigation throughout the fertile Limpopo River Valley.