ADFD finances water projects worth $544.5 million

On World Water Day, which falls on March 22 each year Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (AFDB) published a report in which the organization stated that the financial support it had invested in various countries had enabled their populations to obtain clean drinking water due to the dams and water networks which had consequently been constructed.

Water projects prominently feature in developmental initiatives of ADFD. These initiatives which are estimated at $544.5 million (AED2 billion) have benefited a total of 18 countries and simultaneously fueled other sectors such as agriculture, industry and energy. ADFD has also helped reclaim vast arable land, improve crop quality and ensure food security in partner countries.

The emphasis on water reflects ADFD’s global commitment in supporting efforts to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG6 that seeks to ensure clean water and sanitation for all.

The theme of World Water Day this year is groundwater which draws to attention that there are approximately more than 2 billion people around the globe who do not have safely managed drinking water services indicating the need to take action to address the global water crisis. Roughly 40% of the total amount of water used for irrigation is derived from groundwater aquifers.

The following are the more major water projects supported financially by ADFD:

Water system in Santa Fe – Argentina

As part of its efforts to create provisions for potable water for the populations of developing countries, in 2019 ADFD invested AED294 million in a water network project in the province of Santa Fe in Argentina which enabled more than 300,000 people in 19 areas to get access to fresh drinking water.

The fund also financed:

• Expansion of the main water treatment plant in Desvario Oregon
• Supply and extension of roughly 111km main water lines
• Establishment of 4 pumping stations in 4 different cities
• Construction of 8 water tanks in various areas of Santa Fe

Samandini Dam- Burkina Faso

In 2019 ADFD contributed AED37 million towards the development of the Samandini Dam in Burkina Faso. The project involved the construction of a dam  2,900m-long and 23.9m-high with a storage capacity of one billion cubic meters, plus a 2.9MW power plant.

Works also included:

• The establishment of irrigation systems to reclaim 1,500 hectares of agricultural land in the dam’s basin.

The project has generated about 100,000 jobs and contributed to the efforts to achieved sustainable economic growth in Burkina Faso.

Rural water project in Zanzibar, Tanzania

In 1993 ADFD invested AED18 million in a rural water project in Zanzibar to help to ensure an adequate water supply for its population. That has provided a reliable source of drinking water for the inhabitants of seven villages on two islands.

Serat Dam – Tunisia

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development helped build a valley dam with a storage capacity of 21 million cubic meters, mainly to supply irrigation water to Ouled Ghanem and Mahjouba areas.

The project includes the following:

• Construction of the dam
• Ensured facilities for storage, pumping & transportation of water
• The installation of hydromechanical equipment
• The installation of irrigation & drainage systems

Teesta Dam – Bangladesh

ADFD provided an AED54 million concessionary loan for the construction of a dam on the Teesta River, allowing for the irrigation of more than 48,000 hectares of land and benefitting over 68,000 people.

The project involved the following:

• Construction of a 44 km long Dinajpur canal
• The secondary & tertiary canals
• A bridge over the Bogra canal and its regulator and exit outlets

Director General of ADFD, H.E. Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi said:

“From the very beginning, ADFD has accorded great importance to the water and irrigation sector, owing to its significance in relation to the sixth Sustainable Development Goal, which is to ensure that everyone in the world has access to clean drinking water by 2030. The effect of the availability of water, or the lack of it, will reflect on many other sectors. Moreover, access to clean water and sustenance of freshwater sources are some of the key challenges facing the world.”

H.E. Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi stated likewise that ADFD had also financed dams that generated about 9,000 megawatts of hydroelectricity.