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Channels to irrigate Dana

Project of Dana, small village located at the South of Amman on the road of the Kings.
We question Khalid which is a volunteer of the village having taken part in the development and the application of the project.

"they gave with the whole of the volunteers of the village a training"

Hydrotour: Did the village of Dana receive a help of CARE in 1999, on what carried this help?
Khalid: It is necessary to take up the idea of the project at its beginnings. In 1998 we create Dana Association for the Development in order to obtain funds for a project of irrigation. We were in competition at the time with other associations of close villages also postulating for a purse. Our project was to build 3 600 meters of drain with open sky in order to allow an agriculture of subsistence to the villagers. It is finally Dana association which gained the assistance of CARE.

Hydrotour: How you are you organized to accomodate the assistance of CARE?
Khalid: The village counts 250 families, it did not really have there an election to decide which would be in load or not project. Those which it are felt ready to endorse the responsibility it naturally did and the village community accepted. Association counts 7 volunteers.

HY: Which was the rising one granted by CARE for your project
KH: Initially, before the installation of the project, they gave with the whole of the volunteers of the village a training concerning the management of the liquidities in general (water and money). This type of practice allows a true transfer of competences. Following these 4 months of training course, a first sum of 10 000 JDS (1 JDS = 1,33 €) was paid, followed of a second of the same amount, to which a participation of 3 000 JDS given by the village was added. That is to say a total of 23 000 JDS for the construction of the channels and their maintenance during two years. During the phase of construction of the channels, 3 representatives of CARE came each week to control the projection of the project.

"the only problem is the division of water between the peasants"

HY: Before did these channels exist already a system of irrigation?
KH: Yes, there was of old channels, but in insufficient quantities, sometimes dug with same the ground and often out of uses. We thus made the decision to build the new ones without preserving those which existed already.

HY: Which were the problems encountered during and after the phase of construction?
KH: Aucuns..., The only problem is the division of water between the peasants and the maintenance of the channels. It sometimes happens to see arguments bursting between the peasants upstream, who take water without being concerned with those which are downstream, and those downstream, with which it remains often only one wee of cat. The ideal would be to appoint somebody with management of water (coordination between the upstream and the downstream), but for that one needs money... Idem for the maintenance of the drains. The farmers often do not have the means of maintaining them and nobody wants to pay for the others. In a piece, the channels are maintained by the owner, if it is laid out to do it. Repairs are thus made with the means of the edge or are not made whole.

HY: Is there of another project being studied?
KH: Yes, there is a project of extension of the channels, bus not enough pieces is still irrigated and today the needs grew. But, it is more one project dreams of it that with the study.

HY: And for drinking water?
KH: The fountain of the village was the subject also of a help. It is an ONG based in Amman which entirely rebuilt it.
The drinking water comes from the source which feeds the irrigation canals by a closed drain, and exclusively dedicated to this use. The village counts 5 sources of running water.

HY: The water of the village east it regularly analyzed?
KH: Not, certain villagers complain about renal problems, but aucuns bonds of causality does not seem to be proven by the doctors.

HY: is the project a success in your eyes?
KH: Yes well on! The project is a success. It made it possible to develop an agriculture sufficient for the needs for the village and it is what counts.

Subsidiary question

HY: did you already hear spoken about the international year of fresh water?
KH: Not never...?!

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Photographs

 


The village of Dana at the edge of Wadi (large valley)


Geoffroy during the maintenance with Khalid

 


Irrigation canals upstream of the village

 


A section of channel not like the others...

 


The fountain of the village

 


Peasants of close villages making their full of water using a cistern

 


A father and his son with the foot of the source upstream of the village

 

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