Niamey: Around fifty farmers, out of the 82 in the irrigated area on the right bank of the Manni dam, participated on Thursday in a dredging operation of the main irrigation canal, 2.1 kilometers long, to restore better water circulation to the plots.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the operation was initiated by the perimeter's Executive Office with the support of the block leaders. It follows observations of a slowdown in water flow within the network. The main valve, which is also showing signs of malfunction, is notably leaking water continuously. "The valve is no longer closing properly," explained Lankoand Thiomba, in charge of its operation, stressing that this failure is causing a permanent loss of water from the reservoir.

Armed with shovels, machetes, and other rudimentary tools, the workers spread out along the different sections of the canal. Some cleared away the sand and earth accumulated at the bottom, while others cleared the banks of grass and shrubs that were obstructing the network. After the dredging, the operators also turned their attention to the main valve. Lacking mechanical parts for a permanent repair, they implemented a temporary solution using a rope to manually raise and lower the sealing plug.

According to the operators, the canal had not undergone a general cleaning operation since the start of the last off-season campaign. Runoff from the rainy season has since carried significant quantities of sand, soil, and plant debris into the network. This situation would be exacerbated by the disappearance of a diversion canal that once diverted some of the runoff and protected the main canal. Filled in and gradually converted into farmland due to land pressure, this structure no longer serves its purpose, further exposing the main network to siltation.

For producers, the immediate objective is to allow water to reach all plots normally and to limit losses caused by the leak at the valve, which is particularly worrying as the end of the rainy season approaches. Before the start of the work, the president of the Executive Bureau, Emmanuel Lankoand, invited the operators to make the maintenance of the infrastructure a collective responsibility. "The hand that maintains the canal today is the same hand that will receive the fruits of the harvest tomorrow," he said, before adding: "If we want to harvest together, we must agree to work together."

The operation, which lasted more than four hours, ended at 2:12 p.m. The operators are now considering continuing work on the secondary canals, with each block responsible for maintaining its own network. Carried out without institutional support or the backing of an NGO, this operation demonstrates the producers' determination to preserve their irrigation infrastructure themselves. They do, however, desire support from public authorities and development partners, particularly for desilting the dam, the sustainable rehabilitation of the irrigation network, and the expansion of the irrigated area.

For farmers, these investments would help strengthen the production capacity of the irrigated area, considered one of the important hubs of agricultural activity in Manni, while also meeting a growing demand for arable land.