Reduction of mesqa improvement costs

Abstract

The irrigation improvement program implemented by MWRI aimed to modernize Egypt’s irrigation system through improvement of infrastructure and establishment of Water Users Organizations WUOs.There is concern about the high cost of the IIP improvements, which has increased from about 2500 LE/fed in May 2000 to about 10,000 LE/fed May 2016. The concern focuses mainly on the mesqa improvement, which represents over 85% of the cost of the civil works.The modelling analysis discussed reducing mesqa design capacity (water duty), reducing the installed pump capacity, modifying the pump size, modifying the hydraulic design criteria, reducing the wall thickness of PVC pipes for pipeline mesqas, direct pumping of mesqa pipelines, and mesqa layout.Results show that using the revised approach brings down the cost of mesqa improvement from nearly 10,000LE/fed at present to about 6000LE/fed. These reductions based on the analyses of different mesqa modelling through the adoption of certain parameters such as feasibility of the revised design, effective application of continuous flow for water distribution, and downsizing of the capacity of improved mesqas.