KAWA MULTIMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
Gezira irrigation scheme
This scheme lies in a huge land between the Blue Nile and the White Nile, north of Sennar and south of Khartoum. The British thought of this scheme as far back as 1904 and the first experiment crops were produced in 1911. The scheme came under construction in 1925 after completion of Sennar dam. It was nationalized by government in 1950 and is managed by the Sudan Gezira Board.
After nationalization in 1950 the area farmed almost doubled with the addition of the extension known as Managil. The total area under irrigation is 804,000 hectares; 480,000 ha at Gezira and 324,000 ha at Managil.
Most of the land under irrigation is flat, thus allowing both irrigation and drainage to be done by use of gravity. Irrigation in this scheme is the lowest in the world. Only a simple amount of pumping is needed during the low season.
Irrigation water for the Gezira is from Blue Nile with the Sennar dam playing the role of storing water to be used in when necessary. I t also acts as a barrage raising the water table level to the main canal especially when the volume of water in the Blue Nile is low.
There are two main irrigation canals: The first is the main canal which supplies the Gezira scheme and Second is the Managil canal which supplies the Managil extension. It was set up in 1962. This gets water from the Roseiries dam on Blue Nile. There are also branch canals, which carry water from canals to the distributing channels. The distributing channels lead water to the fields
Sketch map for location of Gezira scheme.
When the scheme was completed fully, were settled on consolidated blocks of land which was rent free and secure.
Each acquired up to 16 hectares of rectangular land to grow cotton and food. Gezira is the largest producer of high quality cotton in Sudan. Other crops such as maize, ground nuts, dura (sorghum) and lubis beans. Some of the farming processes in the Gezira are now mechanized, for example land preparation and spraying of crops. However, most of the other processes are still done by hand.
After nationalization in 1950 the area farmed almost doubled with the addition of the extension known as Managil. The total area under irrigation is 804,000 hectares; 480,000 ha at Gezira and 324,000 ha at Managil.
Most of the land under irrigation is flat, thus allowing both irrigation and drainage to be done by use of gravity. Irrigation in this scheme is the lowest in the world. Only a simple amount of pumping is needed during the low season.
Irrigation water for the Gezira is from Blue Nile with the Sennar dam playing the role of storing water to be used in when necessary. I t also acts as a barrage raising the water table level to the main canal especially when the volume of water in the Blue Nile is low.
There are two main irrigation canals: The first is the main canal which supplies the Gezira scheme and Second is the Managil canal which supplies the Managil extension. It was set up in 1962. This gets water from the Roseiries dam on Blue Nile. There are also branch canals, which carry water from canals to the distributing channels. The distributing channels lead water to the fields
Sketch map for location of Gezira scheme.
When the scheme was completed fully, were settled on consolidated blocks of land which was rent free and secure.
Each acquired up to 16 hectares of rectangular land to grow cotton and food. Gezira is the largest producer of high quality cotton in Sudan. Other crops such as maize, ground nuts, dura (sorghum) and lubis beans. Some of the farming processes in the Gezira are now mechanized, for example land preparation and spraying of crops. However, most of the other processes are still done by hand.