FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT

Kilombero Valley Irrigation Schemes:

10-14 December 2012

Technical Assistance to Support the Development of

Irrigation and Rural Roads Infrastructure Project
(IRRIP2)

January 2013
This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International
Development. It was prepared by CDM International Inc.
FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT
Kilombero Valley Irrigation Schemes:
10-14 December 2012

Technical Assistance to Support the Development

of Irrigation and Rural Roads Infrastructure Project
(IRRIP2)

Prepared by: Keith F. Williams, P.E., Chief of Party

Organization: CDM International, Inc. (CDM Smith)
Submitted to: Robert Pierce, United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)
USAID Contract No.: EDH-I-00-08-00023-00, Task Order AID-621-TO-12-00002
Report Date: 09 January 2013

DISCLAIMER
The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views
of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States
Government.
ES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

ES.1 Background
Under the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future (FTF) program, CDM International Inc. (CDM
Smith) is implementing USAID/Tanzania’s Technical Assistance to Support the Development
of Irrigation and Rural Roads Infrastructure Project (IRRIP21). Among other activities,
IRRIP2 is supporting the development of irrigation schemes in the Kilombero district of
Morogoro region.
This report covers the activities and findings of a week-long field trip to the four IRRIP 2
irrigation areas in the Kilombero Valley between 10 and 14 December 2012.
Each project area was visited and meetings held with all the key village councils.
The Zonal Irrigation Office (ZIO) within the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and
Cooperatives (MAFC) generated rapid appraisal documents for each of the schemes
between 2006 and 2010. The objective of this field visit was to establish whether the land
identified for inclusion in the four schemes remains available and to confirm the villagers
desire to have access to irrigation water.
The team included the CDM Smith Irrigation Head, the ZIO counterpart Irrigation Engineer,
the ZIO surveyor responsible for much of the original scheme identification and the
Kilombero District Irrigation Engineer.

ES.2 Findings
Without exception, at all the villages we visited, the farmers were enthusiastic about the
prospect of having their lands included within an irrigation project and were keen to point out
where additional lands might also be incorporated within the schemes.
The status of a number of private investors with land holdings within the irrigation areas
requires confirmation and a decision needs to be taken whether to include or exclude them
from the schemes. Ideally they will not be excluded, but must agree to contribute to the
upkeep and operation of the scheme and will be responsible for developing the irrigation
distribution system within their own lands.
The area of Mpanga-Ngalimila scheme appears to have been incorrectly recorded in the
original rapid appraisal document, reducing the area from the initial estimate of 31,500 ha to
21,500 ha. The available area at this scheme has been further reduced by the newly
defined Ramsar site boundary which reduces the available area to 12,776 ha if the Ramsar
site boundary is ratified.
The catchment area of the Udagaji River is only 25 km2. This is wholly inadequate to service
the irrigation needs of the Udagaji scheme as envisaged by ZIO. Surplus water is however
available from the Kihansi River and the potential for transferring water to supplement
Udagaji water will be explored.
The airfield operated by the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) which services
the Kihansi hydro-electric scheme is fully within the proposed Mgugwe project area.

1
A closely related but contractually separate project, “Engineering Services for the Tanzania Irrigation and Rural
Roads Infrastructure Project”, is undertaken concurrently by CDM International Inc. and is referred to for
convenience as IRRIP1.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES ES-1

The scheme lands identified by ZIO are summarized below. The summary includes the
initial areas as declared by ZIO in their rapid appraisal documents and our best estimate of
the areas actually developable within the ZIO boundaries. We have also included the
additional areas identified by the villagers for inclusion (in part or in whole) within the
individual schemes.

Table ES-1: Preliminary Assessment of Land Availability of Schemes within

Kilombero Valley
ZIO Area Current Estimated Additional Areas
Scheme (ha) Area (ha)(1) Identified (ha)(2) Comments
Kisegese 7,298 7,707 (a) 3,000 (a) Includes private
investors and SAGCOT
Udagaji 1,935 1,814 (b) 1,595 (b) (b) Will require transfer
from Kihansi River to
irrigate these lands
Mgugwe 2,270 1,737 (c) 1,042 (c) Includes existing
TANESCO airfield
Mpanga- 31,500 12,776 (d) 2,711 (d) Includes SAGCOT
Ngalimila area; excludes Ramsar
site
Total 43,003 24,034 8,348
(1) These are gross command areas that need to be confirmed with the Land Use Planning Commission

(2) These are areas proposed by the scheme villagers. Their availability also needs to be confirmed with the
Land Use Planning Commission

Of the 43,000 ha identified by ZIO, approximately 24,034 ha gross (20,028 ha net irrigable
land) appears to be available from first estimates. A further 8,348 ha (7,453 ha net) may be
available surrounding the schemes, subject to status confirmation through the Ministry of
Land (MoL), National Land Use Planning Commission (NLUPC).

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES ES-2

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

ES.1 Background ............................................................................................... ES-1

ES.2 Findings ..................................................................................................... ES-1

1 FIELD TRIP TO KILOMBERO PROJECT AREAS

1.1 Discussions with District Agriculture Office, Ifakara (10 Dec 2012) ............. 1-1
1.2 Discussions with District Land Administration Office, Ifakara (10 Dec 2012)1-1
1.2.1 Process for Obtaining Title Deed ................................................... 1-1
1.2.2 What the Land Department Has .................................................... 1-2
1.3 Kisegese Project Area (11 Dec 2012) .......................................................... 1-2
1.3.1 Discussions ................................................................................... 1-4
1.3.2 Preliminary Conclusions ................................................................ 1-4
1.3.2.1 Weir Structure .............................................................. 1-4
1.3.2.2 Flood Protection Works ................................................ 1-4
1.3.2.3 Drainage Works ........................................................... 1-4
1.3.2.4 Irrigation ....................................................................... 1-4
1.3.2.5 Additional Blocks of Land ............................................. 1-5

1.4 Mpanga-Ngalamila Project Area (12 Dec 2012)........................................... 1-6

1.4.1 Discussions ................................................................................... 1-6
1.4.2 Preliminary Conclusions ................................................................ 1-6
1.4.2.1 Weir Structure .............................................................. 1-6
1.4.2.2 Irrigated Areas ............................................................. 1-6
1.4.2.3 Flood Protection Works ................................................ 1-6
1.4.2.4 Internal Drainage Works .............................................. 1-7
1.4.2.5 Irrigation ....................................................................... 1-9
1.4.2.6 Additional Blocks of Land ............................................. 1-9

1.5 Mgugwe Project Area (13 Dec 2012) ........................................................... 1-9

1.5.1 Discussions ................................................................................... 1-9
1.5.2 Preliminary Conclusions ................................................................ 1-9
1.5.2.1 Weir Structure .............................................................. 1-9
1.5.2.2 Irrigated Areas ............................................................. 1-9
1.5.2.3 Flood Protection Works ................................................ 1-9
1.5.2.4 Internal Drainage Works ............................................ 1-10
1.5.2.5 Irrigation ..................................................................... 1-10
1.5.2.6 Additional Blocks of Land ........................................... 1-10

1.6 Udagaji Project Area (13 Dec 2012)........................................................... 1-10

1.6.1 Discussions ................................................................................. 1-10
1.6.2 Preliminary Conclusions .............................................................. 1-10
1.6.2.1 Weir Structure ............................................................ 1-10

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES i

 1.6.2.2 Irrigated Areas ........................................................... 1-12
1.6.2.3 Flood Protection Works .............................................. 1-12
1.6.2.4 Internal Drainage Works ............................................ 1-12
1.6.2.5 Irrigation ..................................................................... 1-12
1.6.2.6 Additional Blocks of Land ........................................... 1-12

1.7 Discussions at Ifakara (14 Dec 2012) ........................................................ 1-13

1.7.1 Discussions at Land Commissioner’s Office................................ 1-13
1.7.2 Discussions at KATRIN ............................................................... 1-13
1.7.3 Discussions with Olham Rice ...................................................... 1-13

2 NEXT STEPS

ANNEXES

Annex A Discussions in Kisegese Project Area

Annex B Discussions in Mpanga-Ngalimila Project Area
Annex C Discussions in Mgugwe Project Area
Annex D Discussions in Udagaji Project Area

TABLES

Table ES-1: Preliminary Assessment of Land Availability of Schemes within

Kilombero Valley .......................................................................... ES-2

FIGURES

Figure 1-1: Kisegese Project Area.................................................................... 1-3

Figure 1-2: Mpanga-Ngalimila Project Area ..................................................... 1-8
Figure 1-3: Mgugwe and Udagaji Project Areas ............................................. 1-11

Figure A-1: Kisegese Weir Site ......................................................................... A-5

Figure A-2: Kisegese Weir Site Photograph – View looking upstream ............. A-5

Figure B-1: Mpanga Weir Site........................................................................... B-3

Figure B-2: Mpanga Weir Site Photograph ....................................................... B-3

Figure D-1: Udagaji Weir Site .......................................................................... D-2

Figure D-2: Udagaji Weir Site Photograph – View looking upstream............... D-3
Figure D-3: Udagaji Weir Site Photograph – Left bank .................................... D-3

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES ii

Acronyms and Abbreviations
BTC Belgian Development Agency

DSM Dar es Salaam

FTF Feed the Future

GTZ German Agency for Technical Cooperation

IRRIP1 Engineering Services for the Irrigation and Rural Roads Infrastructure Project
IRRIP2 Technical Assistance to Support the Development of Irrigation and Rural
Roads Infrastructure Project

KATRIN Kilombero Agricultural Research and Training Institute

KPL Kilombero Plantations Ltd.

LiDAR Light Detection and Ranging

MAFC Ministry of Agriculture Food Security and Cooperatives

MoL Ministry of Lands

NLUPC National Land Use Planning Commission

RBWO Rufiji Basin Water Office

RUBADA Rufiji Basin Development Authority

SAGCOT Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania

TANESCO Tanzania Electric Supply Company

TAZARA Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority
TIC Tanzania Investment Centre

USAID United States Agency for International Development

ZIO Zonal Irrigation Office (Morogoro)

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES iii

1 FIELD TRIP TO KILOMBERO PROJECT AREAS

1.1 Discussions with District Agriculture Office, Ifakara (10 Dec 2012)
Rice is generally grown in the wet season and maize in the dry season; however,
with adequate water it is possible to grow three crops of rice per year.
Extension services are available covering all project areas. Most Wards have a full-
time agricultural extension officer.
Feed the Future’s (FTF) associated NAFAKA Value Chain Project (NAFAKA) is now
active in the area advocating improved rice varieties and cultivation techniques.
There are 23 Wards in Kilombero District and 92 villages. Population statistics for
2002 were provided in digital format.

1.2 Discussions with District Land Administration Office, Ifakara (10 Dec
2012)
Land is vested in Villages or State.

1.2.1 Process for Obtaining Title Deed

If it is Village land, then the title deed application starts at village level, goes up to
district level for ratification before being completed back at village level. Copies of
title deeds are held at district level. This process is relatively straightforward. The
time frame from application to award of title deed is said to be only 6 weeks.
If it is State land, the process is more complicated. Application starts at district level
before being referred to the Ministry of Lands (MoL) in Dar es Salaam (DSM). Title
deed when/if it is given will be transferred to Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) who
in turn will transfer it to an organization/entity such as a cooperative. It is also
possible for the land to be transferred to Village land and the process concluded
through that route, though this process is rarer and therefore more problematic. The
time frame from application to award of title deed is not known but likely to be several
months.
 First step: Send MoL at Ifakara a plan as accurate as possible of the areas
which are required for the project. The letter should also request clarification
as to which land belongs to Village land and which to State land. MoL needs
to send surveyors into the field to demarcate the boundary of the application,
picking up all boundaries of existing title deeds, areas allocated to investment,
etc. MoL will review the application, respond in writing to give an estimate of
what this process will cost and will start work as soon as payment is received.
Usually the survey will take a month or more as access is an issue. It is done
using hand held GPS.
 Second Step: MoL will respond formally to the application advising of any
parcels that have already been allocated.
A parallel activity will be the formation of the cooperative/management body
that will manage the whole scheme and ultimately take “ownership” of lands
currently vested in the State.
 Third step: Obtain approval from the various villages for the inclusion of the
parts of their lands that fall within the scheme and the reallocation of land

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 1

 holdings from within the scheme. Decisions relating to the transfer of title
deeds for village lands can be concluded at district level without the need to
refer the decision to DSM. Once these agreements have been reached we
can apply for water rights for these lands.
 Fourth step: Obtain title deed/lease for the state-owned lands through TIC, in
the name of the cooperative2. This process is likely to be time consuming
and needs reference back to DSM. Once we have this then we can apply for
the associated water rights.

1.2.2 What the Land Department Has

An on-going project is registering land parcels at village level and issuing title deeds
to the users. Under the Belgian Development Agency (BTC) a project has apparently
flown aerial photography covering the entire Kilombero valley. Each land parcel is
properly surveyed and a coordinated title deed registered in the individual and village
name. Each village’s land is thus documented and parcelled up. A similar record is
kept of larger private investment parcels. The project has produced a volume for
each village demarcating current and future land use master planning from 2012 to
2022. The zonings are broad and encompass land set aside for housing/social
infrastructure, village agricultural lands, reserved Government land, investors land,
forest reserve, mining, dams and water bodies and grazing. These reports have
been completed for some of the villages in our areas of interest but not all.
We were unable to obtain hard or soft copies of these reports from the District but
were informed that the soft copies could be obtained from the MoL in DSM, National
Land Use Planning Commission (NLUPC), through “proper channels”. We were
however able to make quick photographs of the color land use plans for the villages
which have been completed.

1.3 Kisegese Project Area (11 Dec 2012)

The Kisegese project, as defined by the Zonal Irrigation Office (ZIO), falls mainly
within Kisegese and Chiwachiwa village lands. The ZIO project areas are bounded
by the Ruipa and Chiwachiwa Rivers in the west, the Ifakara River in the south and
the Mofu-Namwawala-Kisegese Road in the east and south.
The villages of Namwawala to the east, Mofu/Ikwambi to the south, and Mbingu to
the west are all keen to have a part of their lands irrigated under the project too. ZIO
carried out a topographical survey of lands within some of these villages, but these
have not been carried forward to the “scheme”.
Figure 1-1 shows the villages visited, the areas envisaged by ZIO and other potential
areas said by villagers to be available for irrigation. The northernmost block, Block 1,
is 2,167 ha gross and the southernmost block, Block 2, is 5,540 ha gross.
These gross areas will be reduced by between 10 and 14% for infrastructure (roads,
canals, drains, etc) and in addition by any lands subsequently discovered to be
unavailable or unsuitable.

2
This process needs to be understood more clearly, in particular the acceptable structure and form of
the cooperative to whom the deed will be transferred.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 2

 Figure 1-1: Kisegese Project Area

Kisegese-Namwawala
Road

Mofu-Namwawala
Road

TAZARA Railway

1:50,000 Survey of Tanzania Sheets. Scale: Grid is 10 km.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 3

1.3.1 Discussions
Meetings were held with the Village Councils of Kisegese, Ikwamba and Mbingu.
These are presented in Appendix A in sections A.1, A.3 and A.4 respectively.

1.3.2 Preliminary Conclusions

1.3.2.1 Weir Structure

ZIO proposes a single weir offtaking from the Ruipa River approximately 5.5 km
north-northwest of Kisegese village. The site has no natural outcropping rock and is
at a location where the river naturally overtops its banks each year. Other locations
for the weir will need to be scoped before settling on the ZIO proposal. A site visit to
the weir site was made and this is discussed further in Appendix A section A.2.

1.3.2.2 Flood Protection Works

Flood protection embankments will be required to surround the irrigated areas and to
protect the main canals on the left and right side of the Ruipa River. At this stage,
until a detailed topographic survey is available it is not known how the irrigated areas
will drain or what problems will be faced regarding internal cross drainage.
The Main Canals on left and right will have substantial embankments which will form
the primary flood embankments. Care will need to be taken when aligning the main
and secondary canals to ensure that water is not ponded on the uphill sides of the
canals but can drain freely, when head allows, to an adjacent conduit.
Care will also need to be taken to establish the impact caused by river training works
and flood control embankments that act to reduce the area of the natural flood plain.
These will tend to increase the depth of flooding in upstream areas and in the
remaining sections of flood plain adjacent to the rivers Ruipa and Chiwachiwa.
Flood control embankments approximately 1 m high will be required to surround the
Block 1 lands and approximately 1.5 m high for the Block 2 lands. Numerical
modelling will be required to establish exactly where flooding is likely to occur and a
range of flood levels for a range of return period flood events.

1.3.2.3 Drainage Works

Ideally internal drainage will be under gravity and pumps will not be necessary. We
are informed by the villagers that floods occur for rarely more than 1 week. We will
therefore review the impact of rain water storage within the scheme coincident with
the passage of the peek floods to determine the designs for internal drainage. Drain
outfalls will probably need to be gated to allow their closure when out-of-bank flood
events occur.

1.3.2.4 Irrigation
Irrigation for the Chiwachiwa lands (Block 1) will be from a canal offtaking from the
right side of the Ruipa River. Block 1 is the subject of an on-going court case
between the villagers and the Ministry of Land disputing its allocation to a private
investor by a neighboring village. In the meantime, the villagers have chased the
investor off and are cultivating the land as before.
Irrigation for the Kisegese village lands (Block 2) will be from a main canal offtaking
from the weir and travelling down the left side of the Ruipa River (eastern side).
Before the majority of the irrigable land can be brought under command the irrigation
water must be conducted under the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA)

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 4

railway embankment which runs east west through the northern part of the village
lands. Negotiations must be opened with TAZARA to establish the process for
designing/implementing these conduits. It is likely that as many as 6 conduits will be
required if all the land is to be commanded. A lesser number could be managed if
some of the village land remains rain-fed.
Whilst the Kisegese village lands do have one or more private investor, the majority
of the land identified by ZIO is available for small holder irrigation development under
the scheme, assuming an accommodation can be reached with TAZARA to allow
supply channels to pass through the railway embankment. It is understood that the
Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) Centre have an 800-
ha allocation of lands within Block 2, although the villagers denied any knowledge of
this.
A revised estimate of undisputed lands available from within the ZIO boundaries for
smallholder development would suggest that 1,900 ha is available within Block 1 and
3,900 ha from within Block 2 (total 5,800 ha). However, this needs to be
checked/confirmed with the Ministry of Land during the Feasibility Study.
The depth of flooding of as much as 2 m in the southern parts of the village lands will
make for relatively high and expensive flood embankments together with the delayed
time in disposal of internal drainage whilst flood waters are high if these lands are to
be incorporated in the scheme.

1.3.2.5 Additional Blocks of Land

Discussions with the surrounding villages have highlighted the very great interest in
irrigation. Those not currently included in the project are naturally keen to benefit
from the development and have proposed three potential areas for inclusion as
shown on Figure 1-1.
If any of the three additional blocks of land are found to be a) available, and b)
suitable, then additional weirs will be required to command them.
 The 700-ha block (Block 3) to the north of Mbingu village will require a weir on
the Chiwachiwa River to provide irrigation water.
 The 1,500-ha block (Block 4) to the west of the Ruipa River and to the south
of the TAZARA railway line will require a weir downstream of the TAZARA
bridge crossing on the Ruipa River. It is also understood that part of this land
is being allocated by the Rufiji Basin Development Authority (RUBADA) who
may or may not have abandoned plans to do so.
 The 800-ha block (Block 5) to the east of the Ruipa and south of the Ifakara
rivers can either be irrigated from a siphon under the Ruipa and an extension
of the main canal feeding Block 4 or by the construction of a new weir
adjacent to the Ruipa/Ifakara river divergence.
The nature of these three additional blocks is such that they are effectively separate
irrigation projects from the Kisegese scheme and can therefore be developed
independently.
Block 3 lies to the south of a substantial parcel of land allocated to the Catholic
Church which is itself developing its own land including a small area of irrigation from
a weir on the Chiwachiwa River and the use of the Chiwachiwa River for hydro-power
for its own private needs.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 5

Block 5 and the southernmost part of Block 4 suffer from very high flood water levels
(in excess of 2 m being quoted by the local farmers) and consequently this will make
their development more expensive.

1.4 Mpanga-Ngalamila Project Area (12 Dec 2012)

The Mpanga-Ngalamila project as defined by ZIO falls mainly within the Mpanga and
Ngalamila village lands. Figure 1-2 shows the location of the villages visited, the
areas identified by ZIO, the Ramsar site boundary and other areas identified by
villagers for inclusion within the scheme.

1.4.1 Discussions
Meetings were held with the Village Councils of Mpanga/Ngalimila/Utengule,
Kamwene and Mlimba A. These are presented in Appendix B in sections B.1, B.3
and B.4 respectively.

1.4.2 Preliminary Conclusions

1.4.2.1 Weir Structure

ZIO proposes a single weir offtaking from the Mpanga River approximately 3.4 km
west of Mpanga village. The site has good outcropping rock in the river bed and is at
a location where the river naturally overtops its banks each year by a depth of at
least a meter. A site visit to the proposed weir site was made and this is discussed
further in Appendix B section B.2. Adequate land is available for site access and
main canal foot print on the left bank.
The ZIO appraisal report also discusses briefly the potential for constructing a dam at
the weir location to provide water storage for release during the dry season. An
additional advantage to this proposal would be added flood control; however, this
would undoubtedly have environmental impacts requiring careful assessment.

1.4.2.2 Irrigated Areas

The ZIO report identifies over 31,500 ha of land available for irrigation under this
scheme. Recalculation shows that the area identified by ZIO is only 21,517 ha3. Of
this area some 5,126 ha have been allocated for private investment under the
SAGCOT initiative. In addition, our best understanding of the Ramsar site boundary
leads us to believe that approximately 8,741 ha of the ZIO project area falls within the
Ramsar site and presumably must be excluded.
This leaves a coherent block of approximately 9,567 ha remaining for development
under IRRIP2. This could be increased to 12,776 ha if the SAGCOT lands are
provided with irrigation water through the project infrastructure.

1.4.2.3 Flood Protection Works

The proposed irrigated areas lie to the east of the Udzungwa plateau. In addition to
the Mpanga River a number of smaller ephemeral streams drain the Udzungwa
Mountains immediately to the west of the irrigated areas. Aggregated surface run off
water during heavy rainfall from these streams is likely to be considerable. Disposal

3
The revised area was calculated by digitizing the ZIO proposed area from the Survey of Tanzania
1:50,000 scale mapping using AutoCAD. Presumably the difference is a typing error in the final
transcript.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 6

of these waters will need to be carefully considered, perhaps by routing them around
the project areas or else through them in a controlled manner. The flood plain to the
west of the project areas and to the east of the Mpanga to Mlimba road should be
included in the LiDAR survey anticipated for the project so that these drainage paths
can be fully identified and incorporated in the drainage and flood protection designs.
Flood protection embankments will be required to surround the irrigated areas and to
protect the main canal on the left side of the Mpanga River. At this stage, until
detailed topographic survey is available it is not known how the irrigated areas will
drain or what problems will be faced regarding internal cross drainage. Given the
size of the irrigated areas this is likely to be a considerable task.
The Main Canal as envisaged by ZIO runs centrally down the irrigated areas. This
alignment will be reviewed once the topographic survey has been received and it is
likely that an alignment running along the western border as a contour canal may
give greater flexibility and an increased command area. Care will need to be taken
when aligning the main and secondary canals to ensure that water is not ponded on
the uphill sides of the canals but can drain freely, when head allows, to an adjacent
conduit.
Care will also need to be taken to establish the impact caused by river training works
and flood control embankments that act to reduce the area of the natural flood plain.
Flood control embankments approximately 1.5 m high will be required to surround
the irrigated lands. Numerical modelling will be required to establish exactly where
flooding is likely to occur and a range of flood levels for a range of return period flood
events.

1.4.2.4 Internal Drainage Works

Internal drainage will ideally be under gravity and pumps will not be necessary. We
are informed by the villagers that generally floods occur for rarely more than 1 week
but some lower lying land may be flooded for up to a month each year. We will
therefore review the impact of rain water storage within the scheme coincident with
the passage of the peek floods to determine the designs for internal drainage. Drain
outfalls will probably need to be gated to allow their closure when out-of-river bank
flood events occur.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 7

 Figure 1-2: Mpanga-Ngalimila Project Area

Mnyera River

1:50,000 Survey of Tanzania Sheets. Scale: Grid is 10 km.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 8

1.4.2.5 Irrigation
Irrigation for the Mpanga-Ngalimila scheme will be from a canal offtaking from the left
side of the Mpanga River.
The TAZARA railway does not cross the Mpanga project area.

1.4.2.6 Additional Blocks of Land

Discussions with the surrounding villages have highlighted the very great interest in
irrigation. Those not currently included in the project are naturally keen to benefit
from the development and have proposed one potential area for inclusion as shown
on Figure 1-2.
 The 2,711-ha block (Block 2) to the south and east of Utengule village will
require a canal from the right side of the weir to provide irrigation water.
 Lands between the Mpanga-Mlimba Road and the ZIO project boundary are
available but are generally above the 290-m contour. Their inclusion in the
project is unlikely due to the command level of the main canal. However, we
will revisit this assessment once the topographical survey has been
completed.

1.5 Mgugwe Project Area (13 Dec 2012)

The Mgugwe project as defined by ZIO falls wholly within the Mgugwe village lands.
Figure 1-3 shows the location of the villages visited, the areas identified by ZIO and
other areas identified by villagers for inclusion within the scheme.

1.5.1 Discussions
Meetings were held with the Village Council at Mgugwe. These are presented in
Appendix C in section C.1.

1.5.2 Preliminary Conclusions

1.5.2.1 Weir Structure

ZIO proposes a single weir offtaking from the Mgugwe River. Unfortunately we were
not able to visit the weir site due to bad weather.

1.5.2.2 Irrigated Areas

The areas proposed by ZIO are largely still available; however, the ZIO assessment
of areas available (2,270 ha) appears to be optimistic (1,737 ha when re-measured
using the same methodology adopted for Mpanga scheme). The area is bounded by
rivers/streams on all sides except the west which is constrained by topography and
the Mgugwe-Udagaji Road.
One oversight appears to be the presence of the TANESCO air strip that services the
Kihansi hydro-electric plant. The airstrip is wholly within the project area on the right
bank of the Mgugwe River which will pose a problem for irrigation of the lands
downstream.

1.5.2.3 Flood Protection Works

Flooding of the proposed areas is of short duration (3 days or less) and of low depth
(less than 0.5 m). Flood protection works are therefore likely to be relatively low.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 9

1.5.2.4 Internal Drainage Works
Short-duration external flooding should mean that gravity drainage of the internal
area should be possible with a relatively small capacity for internal storage to rainfall.
Outfall drain(s) will probably be gated to facilitate closure during external flooding.

1.5.2.5 Irrigation
Irrigation will be run-of-river, from a weir on the Mgugwe River. Left and right side
offtaking canals will be required. The left main canal will service the left side of Block
1 whilst the right main canal will service the right side of Block 1 and all of Block 2.
Both Block 1 and Block 2 areas are divided by the TAZARA railway embankment
which runs north-south through both blocks. Negotiations must be opened with
TAZARA to establish the process for designing/implementing any conduits. It is likely
that only 2 conduits will be required if all the land is to be commanded.

1.5.2.6 Additional Blocks of Land

One additional block of land (Block 2 – 1,042 ha) has been proposed by the villagers.
This is to the south of the ZIO plot and is the area constrained by the next stream line
and irrigable from the same weir on the Mgugwe River. It is proposed that this area
be included in the LiDAR survey.

1.6 Udagaji Project Area (13 Dec 2012)

The Udagaji project as defined by ZIO falls wholly within the Udagaji village lands.
Figure 1-3 shows the location of the villages visited, the areas identified by ZIO and
other areas identified by villagers for inclusion within the scheme.

1.6.1 Discussions
Meetings were held with the Village Council at Udagaji. These are presented in
Appendix D in section D.1.

1.6.2 Preliminary Conclusions

1.6.2.1 Weir Structure

ZIO proposes a single weir offtaking from the Udagaji River. The Udagaji catchment
is small and the river is very steeply falling in the reach where the weir is proposed.
The side slopes of the valley have no natural flat banks and have exposed rock along
the majority of the route. This would all have to be blasted to make a path to the weir
site.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 10

 Figure 1-3: Mgugwe and Udagaji Project Areas

Mgugwe-Udagaji
Road

TAZARA
Railway

1:50,000 Survey of Tanzania Sheets. Scale: Grid is 10 km.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 11

An alternative to building a weir on the Udagaji River would be to build one on the
adjacent Kihansi River and transfer the water to the Udagaji scheme. This would
require a transfer conduit of 3.7 km length from the 320-m contour intersection on the
Kihansi River to the 300-m contour at Udagaji. Whilst this will no doubt add to the
cost of the scheme it may be cheaper than constructing the requisite weir offtake on
the Udagaji together with protection to the offtaking conduit.

1.6.2.2 Irrigated Areas

The areas proposed by ZIO are largely still available; however, the ZIO assessment
of areas available (1,935 ha) appears to be optimistic (1,814 ha when re-measured
from the 1:50,000 Survey of Tanzania sheets). The area is bounded by
rivers/streams on all sides except the west which is constrained by topography and
the Mgugwe-Udagaji Road.
One oversight appears to be the presence of the TANESCO air strip that services the
Kihansi hydro-electric plant. The airstrip is wholly within the project area on the right
bank of the Mgugwe River which will pose a problem for irrigation of the lands
downstream.

1.6.2.3 Flood Protection Works

Flooding of the proposed areas is of short duration (3 days or less) and of low depth
(less than 0.7 m). Flood protection works are therefore likely to be relatively low in
height.
However, flooding in the lower areas of the village lands including parts of the
proposed additional lands may be as deep as 1.5 m and of 2 months in duration.
Flood protection works for these areas will be substantial.

1.6.2.4 Internal Drainage Works

Short-duration external flooding should mean that gravity drainage of the internal
area should be possible with a relatively small capacity for internal storage to rainfall.
Outfall drain(s) will probably be gated to facilitate closure during external flooding.

1.6.2.5 Irrigation
Irrigation will be run-of-river, from a weir on the Mgugwe River. Left and right side
offtaking canals will be required. The left main canal will service the left side of Block
1 whilst the right main canal will service the right side of Block 1 and all of Block 2.
Block 1 is divided by the TAZARA railway embankment which runs diagonally
northeast to southwest through both blocks. Negotiations must be opened with
TAZARA to establish the process for designing/implementing any conduits. It is likely
that only 1 conduit will be required if all the land is to be commanded.

1.6.2.6 Additional Blocks of Land

One additional block of land (Block 2 – 1,595 ha) has been proposed by the villagers.
This is to the southeast of the ZIO plot and is the area constrained by the Kihansi
River as it flows towards the Kilombero River. It is proposed that this area be
included in the LiDAR survey.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 12

1.7 Discussions at Ifakara (14 Dec 2012)

1.7.1 Discussions at Land Commissioner’s Office

The Office was unable to give us the electronic copies of the Land Use Reports for
the villages in Kilombero Valley where land use and title deeds have been
completed. Apparently these are only available in Dar es Salaam. Application must
be made to the Ministry of Lands.

1.7.2 Discussions at KATRIN

We met with officials of Kilombero Agricultural Research and Training Institute
(KATRIN) who currently has World Bank funding to rehabilitate and upgrade its
facilities built in the 1980s with funding from the German Agency for Technical
Cooperation (GTZ). KATRIN also plans to produce a seed bank of indigenous rice
varieties.
KATRIN specializes in rice research. KATRIN is currently recommending the use of
their own developed hybrid rice varieties: TXD306 (SARO 5) semi-aromatic. Other
non-aromatic varieties are available. They do not do full agricultural trials to develop
crop water characteristics, and have no knowledge of whether this is done – they
think it is unlikely.
The most popular local variety is SUPA INDIA with yields of 2.5-3.0 T/ha paddy.
SARO 5 improved variety can give 5.0-7.0 T/ha without perfect conditions but yields
suffer significantly if the plant is water-stressed at critical times.
There is a rain gauge at KATRIN. Copies of the 2000-2006 daily data were provided.
Also, the 1928 to date (Ifakara mission) was provided as hard copy, which must be
digitized.
These are not directly relevant to our areas but the only data we have for a decent
time period so far.

1.7.3 Discussions with Olham Rice

They are developing a new 20,000-ha rice farm on the right bank of the Kilombero
River using sprinkler irrigation. Olham rice is a Singaporean company with an office
in Dar es Salaam.
We spoke with Steve Fousche. He has no knowledge of whether the land has water
allocations. They intend to do 2 if not 3 crops of rice per year. Soil surveys were
completed on the basis of one trial pit per 20 ha. The soil samples were sent back to
South Africa and duplicates to America as Tanzanian laboratories were deemed too
slow and unreliable. Soil surveys took 2 weeks to complete using quad bikes.
They flew LiDAR for their topographic survey work. They reported that only one
provider is in Tanzania. The surveyor was slow to mobilize but in the end did a good
job. We plan to discuss specifics with his boss when he comes to Tanzania in early
2013.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 13

2 NEXT STEPS
(1) Make appointment with Ministry of Lands in Dar Es Salaam. Obtain land
use mapping and development master planning from them. Discuss also
the land tenure aspects with them and the processes of obtaining tenure for
the various land classes.
(2) Make application to Ministry of Lands advising them of project limits and
requesting clarification of land availability. In particular confirm land
allocations to private investors within each of the project areas of interest.
(3) Make appointment with TAZARA to discuss the mechanisms for conveying
irrigation water through their embankments at Kisegese, Udagaji and
Mgugwe.
(4) Follow up with Rufiji Basin Water Office (RBWO) and Ministry of Water for
flow recordings within Kilombero and any associated climate data they may
have. Data originally requested in November 2012 and chased weekly by
telephone, but so far no response.
(5) It would seem that hydropower development of the rivers feeding the
schemes is a long way from becoming a reality; Mpanga River being
perhaps the most advanced. However, the likely location for dams for
hydro-electric purposes is much further upstream from any site proposed for
irrigation storage or weirs. We should attempt to meet with TANESCO
again and the Ministry of Energy and inform both parties of our plans as
they develop. Also discuss issue of airstrip that lies within the Mgugwe
project area.
(6) Obtain Kihansi climate and flow data from TANESCO.
(7) Make contact with Kilombero Plantations Ltd (KPL) to ascertain their best
practices for rice cultivation and their organization of farmers for out-
growers.
(8) Confirm the exact location of the Ramsar site boundary and the rules for
agricultural development within the boundary.
(9) Contact Roman Catholic Church in Londo/Mbingu to see if they have either
climate data or river flow records for the Chiwachiwa area.
(10) Refine and agree with ZIO and USAID the project scheme limits for the
purpose of procuring LiDAR and satellite imagery.
(11) Hold discussions with private investors whose lands fall within the various
scheme boundaries and obtain agreement in principle regarding conditions
for accessing irrigation water through project canals and disposal of internal
drainage water through project drains. Inter alia this will include agreeing a
mechanism for contributing to the upkeep of canals, drains, roads, flood
protection embankments, key control structures and a contribution towards
the management of the scheme.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES 14

ANNEXES

Annex A Discussions in Kisegese Project Area

A.1 Kisegese Village Council (11 Dec 2012) .................................................. A-1
A.2 Kisegesi Weir Site .................................................................................... A-2
A.3 Ikwambi Village Council (11 Dec 2012) .................................................... A-2
A.4 Mbingu Village Council (11 Dec 2012) ..................................................... A-3

Annex B Discussions in Mpanga-Ngalimila Project Area

B.1 Mpanaga + Ngalamila + Utengule Village Council (12 Dec 2012) ........... B-1
B.2 Mpanga Weir Site ..................................................................................... B-2
B.3 Kamwene Village Council (12 Dec 2012) ................................................. B-4
B.4 Mlimba A Village Council (12 Dec 2012) .................................................. B-4

Annex C Discussions in Mgugwe Project Area

C.1 Mgugwe Village (13 Dec 2012) ................................................................ C-1
C.2 Mgugwe Weir Site .................................................................................... C-2

Annex D Discussions in Udagaji Project Area

D.1 Udagaji Village (13 Dec 2012) .................................................................. D-1
D.2 Udagaji Weir Site ...................................................................................... D-2

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES

Annex A Discussions in Kisegese Project Area

A.1 Kisegese Village Council (11 Dec 2012)

The meeting was held in the Village Offices at Kisegese. Present were the council
dignitaries and approximately 8 leading farmers, though more came in as the
meeting developed.
There is no rural power supply at Kisegese. Mobile reception was poor. Best was
Tigo at about 20%. Vodafone and Airtel had no connection.
The council and gathered farmers knew about the project and were still keen for it to
be implemented. The boundaries as identified by the ZIO report appear to
encompass village lands. At least one (maybe two) private investor(s) have lands
within the village (the council seemed to be unsure of the status of the associated
title deeds and land area occupied but reported to be less than 500 acres).
Average landholdings by farmers at Kisegese are 2-5 acres/household.
There is no existing agricultural cooperative at Kisegese. A ward-based agricultural
extension officer and executive officer cover Kisegese.
There are 3 tractors privately owned by Kisegese inhabitants and 4 flour grinding
mills.
The Council has no knowledge of any hydropower project on the Ruipa River. No
representative from TANESCO has been to the site for as long as anyone can
remember.
Farmers plant rice between 15 January to 15 February and harvest between June
and July (May for SARO 5). They get only one crop per year of rice. Bananas are
cultivated in the areas close to the river and maize on the dryer land. 80% of rice
cultivated is traditional varieties and 20% improved varieties (SARO 5). The former
yields 5-7 bags paddy per acre whilst the latter 14-20. The reason more improved
varieties are not grown is that the farmers cannot guarantee the water availability
either by flooding or rainfall and if SARO 5 is planted but not adequately watered it
will not yield anything whilst traditional varieties will still give a yield under the same
dry conditions.
There is a rain gauge at the Ruipa Primary School close to Kisegese Village. When
we visited it was apparent that it was an automatic gauge installed 2 years ago and
the data was beamed back to DSM University for a MSc project. The Primary School
has never seen the data and do not know if the gauge is still working or not. We
unblocked a clod of soil from the intake cup.
There is also a rain gauge at the Rangers Office close to the site of the intake weir on
the Ruipa River. According to the rangers the gauge stopped working earlier this
year when the nozzle corroded off the collecting funnel (Chinese manufactured
gauge). The data was sent back to the Park Headquarters. The rangers would not
give us the data on site and told us to apply to the Park Headquarters. The length of
the data set is not known but it was believed that the gauge was installed when the
Rangers post was constructed by German Aid. The location of the gauge was in a
poor place, heavily shadowed by large trees close by. Consequently data for the last
5-10 years should be excluded anyway.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES A-1

There is a river gauge on the Ruipa River at the Ifakara-Mlimba Road crossing. This
was being reconstructed/relocated by RBWO personnel when we visited, from a
location just downstream. Data for this gauge is available with RBWO for payment.
The Ruipa River floods for a few days every year between March and April to a depth
of between 0.5 m at the upper sections to 1 m in the lower sections. The flooding
generally comes from the Ruipa River but occasionally can come from the
Chiwachiwa River. Back water effect from the Kilombero River is minimal.

A.2 Kisegesi Weir Site

After the meeting at Kisegese we were guided to the proposed weir site on the Ruipa
River. This is at 36°19'10.70"E, 8° 7'16.70"S and lies approximately 4.2 km upstream
of the Ifakara-Mlimba Road junction (as the crow flies). The site is in a meandering
flood plane in a 3-m deep incised channel in alluvial deposits. The whole area floods
to a depth of 0.5 m annually for several days. There are no bedrock outcrops in the
near vicinity.
Access to the proposed site would be primarily from the left bank. A village road
exists for all but the last 100 m. A road also exists for the majority of the way from
the right bank but is a considerable distance from the main road (13 km from
Mbingu). Neither road is currently motorable in wet weather.
Considerable effort (river training embankments/flood embankments) will be required
to channel water through the weir structure and protect the main canals at this
location during the periods of out-of-bank flooding each year.

A.3 Ikwambi Village Council (11 Dec 2012)

The meeting was held in the Village Offices at Ikwambi. Present were the council
dignitaries and approximately 10 leading farmers; more came in as the meeting
progressed.
There is no rural power supply at Ikwambi. Mobile reception was strong for Tigo,
Vodafone and Airtel.
The council and gathered farmers knew about the project and were keen to be
included. However, Ikwambi village lands are outside the project area as defined by
ZIO. Village lands are south of the Ifakara River and west of the Ruipa River. The
villagers were however very keen to advise us that they have lots of suitable land that
can be included in the project if water resources are available.
No private investors have lands within the village boundary.
Average landholdings by farmers at Ikwambi are 3-4 acres/household; however,
there are three households that have 100 acres.
There is no existing agricultural cooperative at Ikwambi. A ward-based agricultural
extension officer and executive officer cover Ikwamba.
There are no tractors privately owned by Ikwambi inhabitants; however, their needs
are met by hiring equipment from Mofu residents and elsewhere. There are 3 flour
grinding mills.
There are no rain or river gauges within the Ikwambi village boundary.
The village lands flood for several weeks each year between April and May to a
depth of between 0.6 m and 1 m in the lower sections. The flooding generally comes
from the Ruipa River but is exacerbated by back water effect from the Kilombero

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES A-2

River. 1980 and 2010 were especially bad years in this regard and flood depths of 2
m were experienced in the southernmost parts of their lands. Extreme events
resulting in out-of-bank flow can occur as early as November.
Farmers plant rice from December to January and harvest between June and July
(May for SARO 5). They get only one crop per year of rice. 100% of rice cultivated
is traditional varieties yielding 8-15 bags paddy per acre. After the rice is harvested
they plant maize.

A.4 Mbingu Village Council (11 Dec 2012)

The meeting was held in the Village Offices at Mbingu. Present were the council
dignitaries and approximately 15 leading farmers; more came in as the meeting
progressed.
There is no rural power supply at Mbingu; however, there is a private hydropower
plant on the Chiwachiwa River to the north of Mbingu that supplies the needs of the
Roman Catholic lands to the north of Mbingu.
Mobile reception was poor to marginal (2/5 bars) for Tigo, Vodafone and Airtel.
The council and gathered farmers knew about the project and were keen to be
included. Village lands are west of the Ruipa River and north of Mofu. The area
between the Chiwachiwa and Ruipa Rivers has been included in the project by ZIO;
however, the council was keen to point out that this is by no means the only suitable
land for irrigation development and identified two additional blocks as shown on
Figure 1-1 if water resources are available.
Title deeds have been awarded by Ministry of Lands. The 2,000 ha of land between
the Ruipa and the Chiwachiwa Rivers (Block 1 in Figure 1-1) is the subject of an on-
going court case between the Village and the Ministry of Lands. It seems that this
tract of land was allocated to a private investor (Usafirishaji Mikoa Ltd) by the
neighboring village (Namwawala) even though the land falls within the jurisdiction of
Mbingu. The villagers have not waited for the court decision and have chased the
investor off the land and are cultivating it all now anyway. If these are all the facts
then it would seem a fairly straightforward case.
The village admitted that there was some private investor allocations being promoted
by RUBADA in what has been labelled Block 4 in Figure 1-1. However, they were of
the opinion that the deals had gone sour and or that they were illegal anyway. These
areas too are generally already under cultivation by the villagers.
The Roman Catholic Church has a large plot of land to the north of Mbingu village;
the tenure of this seems to be undisputed but with increasing pressure on land
availability it is being eyed covetously.
Average landholdings by farmers at Mbingu are 6-20 acres/household.
There are a number of informal and small agricultural cooperatives at Mbingu with 5-
6 members each for the purposes of purchasing agricultural inputs and selling
produce. A ward-based agricultural extension officer and executive officer cover
Ikwambi.
There are 2 small tractors privately owned by Mbingu inhabitants; however, they
have substantial additional needs and hire in as many as 20 additional tractors as
necessary. There are 30 or more flour grinding mills.
There is one rain gauge at Londo school. It fell into disuse this year when the
teacher responsible was posted elsewhere. No one knew how many years of data

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES A-3

there were and no one could locate the records when we asked; however, apparently
the data was sent to the Meteorological Department in DSM. It was not known
whether the Roman Catholics maintain a record of river flows at their hydropower
plant or whether they have a rain gauge, but this should be checked.
The village lands flood for about 3 days to 1 week each year between May and June
to a depth of between 0.6 m above the railway and 1 m south of the railway. The
flooding generally comes from the Chiwachiwa and Ruipa Rivers with little or no back
water effect evident from the Kilombero River.
Farmers plant rice in the lower lying lands between January and February. They only
plant local varieties although they have heard of the improved ones. Rice is
harvested in June-July. In the dry season they plant maize and vegetables after the
rice has been harvested.
In the higher lands they cultivate tree crops such as cocoa, bananas and mangoes.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES A-4

 Figure A-1: Kisegese Weir Site

1:50,000 Survey of Tanzania Sheets. Scale: Grid is 10 km.

Figure A-2: Kisegese Weir Site Photograph – View looking upstream

Site photograph, December 2012

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES A-5

Annex B Discussions in Mpanga-Ngalimila Project Area

B.1 Mpanaga + Ngalamila + Utengule Village Council (12 Dec 2012)

The meeting was held in the Village of Mpanga4. Present were the council
dignitaries of Mpanga, Ngalimila and Utengule and approximately 35 leading farmers;
more came in as the meeting progressed.
There is no rural power supply at Mpanga, Ngalimila or Utengule. The line from
Kihansi stops at Kamwene some 30 km to the north. Promises have been made by
the Government to complete the rural electrification by 2015.
Mobile reception was good for Tigo, Vodafone and Airtel.
The area to the north of the Mnyera and Mpanga River confluence extending
northwest to the 300-m contour, and northeast to the Govilo stream has been
included in the project by ZIO. It should be noted that this effectively puts the whole
project area under the Mpanga and Ngalimila village jurisdiction, with none falling
within the Utengule boundaries. However, the council members from Utengule were
keen to point out that there is suitable land for irrigation development to the south of
the Mpanga River and identified an additional block as shown on Figure 1-2 if water
resources are available. It should however be noted that much of the land to the
south of the Mpanga River is outside the village jurisdiction being owned by the
Government and is also said to be riven with small streams coming from the
escarpment at regular intervals.
Title deeds for individual plots of land for the villagers are in the process of being
awarded by Ministry of Lands. There are no private investors with title deeds in the
project area. The villagers claimed not to be aware of the SAGCOT land allocation5
and were dismissive of the potential for third-party development.
The villagers are aware of the Ramsar site boundary but have an incomplete
understanding of what it constitutes. The villagers themselves think that the Ramsar
site boundary is 64 m from the bank of any permanent river or permanent water
body/swamp and that cultivation or development within this zone is prohibited6. In
fact the villagers are widely ignoring the 64-m strip each side of a river/water body as
land in this zone is easiest to irrigate. This observation contradicts our information
that the villagers have challenged the Ramsar site boundary in court. A court case
would imply they know very well where the boundary is and are not happy with it. No
mention was made of any court case at the meeting with the villagers.
One foreigner, Bruno, lives at Mpanga and hires 300 ha of land from the villagers at
TSH 5000/- per year. He has two separate blocks of land, one close to the Mnyera
River north of Ngalimila village and one further north closer to Kamwene village. The
former looks to be within the Ramsar site and the other outside it. Bruno seems to
be well capitalized and has a house, generator and workshop/maintenance facility in
Mpanga, fuel pump, agricultural machinery, etc all of which he hires out to the local
farmers on a daily basis when not occupied with his work.

4
Under a large mango tree which kept everyone awake by punctuating the meeting at regular intervals.
5
In Ifakara we were given GPS coordinates by the Land Use Planner for the lands allocated to
SAGCOT. These fall wholly within the area identified by ZIO for the Mpanga-Ngalimila scheme and
cover an area of 5,126 ha. These have been plotted onto Figure 1-2.
6
Later discussions at Ifakara with the Land Use Department confirmed that this is not correct.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES B-1

Average landholdings by farmers within the project areas are 5 acres/household.
There are no agricultural cooperatives within the project area; however, the impacts
of NAFAKA are evident with farmers talking about the imminent formation of
cooperatives in the near future.
There are 3 tractors privately owned by Ngalimila inhabitants, but at Mpanga only
Bruno owns tractors. There are 8 flour grinding mills at Mpanga and 12 at Ngalimila.
There is one rain gauge at Mpanga School; however, this fell into disuse recently.
There was also a rain gauge at Ngalimila Secondary School with 5 years of data and
it is thought this is still operational. Apparently the data was sent to the Meterological
Department in DSM.
There is a river gauge at Mpanga River close to the road crossing bridge. This has
continuous data for the last 50-60 years and is still operational. The data is sent to
RBWO.
The village lands flood for up to 1 week each year between March and April to a
depth of between 0.5 m and 1 m. Some lower lying areas may be inundated for
much longer periods of 1 month or so due to their isolation from drainage paths.
Farmers plant rice from December to January and harvest between May and June.
95% of the area is sown by broadcasting but through the efforts of NAFAKA 5% of
the area is now transplanted. All farmers grow traditional varieties but because of
NAFAKA are aware of the improved varieties. Yields are 5-7 bags of paddy (80 kg)
per acre if broadcast and 20 bags/acre if transplanted at Mpanga. At Ngalimila yields
are 5-10 bags of paddy (80 kg) per acre if broadcast and 24 bags/acre if
transplanted. A dry season crop of maize is planted on all areas yielding some 5-7
bags/acre.
Three years ago (2009) Chinese engineers came to survey the river upstream for a
hydropower scheme. Since then the villagers have heard nothing from them or
TANESCO.

B.2 Mpanga Weir Site

Following the meeting at Mpanga we were guided to the proposed weir site. This is
at 35°47'9.73"E, 8°55'57.17"S and lies approximately 3.4 km upstream of the road
bridge (as the crow flies). The site is at a set of low-flow rapids formed by granite
bedrock, inclining downwards towards the north at an angle of approximately 10
degrees from the horizontal. The river meanders over an increasing width of flood
plain between this location and the bridge. The river channel is approximately 3 m
incised at the banks. The banks comprise of alluvial materials. The flood plain is
constrained by low hills on both sides of the river as shown in Figure B-1.
The river passes through similar sets of low-flow rapids for the next 2 km upstream of
this site.
Access to the proposed site would be primarily from the left bank. A village road
exists for the first 1.5 km and thereafter remnants are still evident. The off-taking
main canal would need to be incised into the hill side in two locations to protect it
from future river meanders and to keep it away from the flood plain when the river is
in spate.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES B-2

 Figure B-1: Mpanga Weir Site

Google Earth 2006 imagery. Scale 1:30,000 approx.

Figure B-2: Mpanga Weir Site Photograph

Site photograph, December 2012

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES B-3

B.3 Kamwene Village Council (12 Dec 2012)
The meeting was held in the Village Offices at Kamwene. Present were the council
dignitaries and approximately 12 leading farmers; more came in as the meeting
progressed.
There is electricity power supply at Kamwene. Mobile reception was good for Tigo,
Vodafone and Airtel.
The council and gathered farmers knew a little about the project and were keen to be
included. However, none of the Kamwene village lands are actually within the project
boundaries as defined by ZIO. They have available lands to the northwest of the
current project boundary, which they would like to include in the project; however,
these are out of gravity command of the Mpanga River and would need to be
commanded by the Mlimba and/or Kamwene streams. Both of these have minimal
catchment areas and are ephemeral.
Title deeds for village land holdings are in the process of being awarded by the
Ministry of Lands. There are no private investors in the area or as far as they are
aware any Governmental plans for their lands.
Average landholdings by farmers at Kamwene are 4 acres/household.
There are a number of informal small agricultural cooperatives at Kamwene newly
formed under NAFAKA.
There are 3 tractors privately owned by Kamwene and adjacent village inhabitants.
There are 10 or more flour grinding mills at Kamwene and a further 7 at the adjacent
village.
There is one rain gauge at Mlimba School and Matema School. The status of these
gauges is uncertain but Matema has only been operating for 2 years. There are no
flow gauges.
The village lands flood for about 2-3 days each year between March to April to a
depth of no more than 1 m. The bigger floods come from the Mpanga River and the
smaller ones from the Mlimba River.
Farmers plant rice between January and February. They only plant local varieties by
broadcast means although they have heard of the improved ones and transplanting
via NAFAKA. Rice is harvested in May-June and has an average yield of 8-10
bags/acre. In the dry season they plant maize after the rice has been harvested
which gives a yield of 5 bags/acre.
The village council raised the following additional issues which they hoped could be
addressed under the IRRIP2 project:
 The water supply borehole that supplies water to villages between Mlimba
and Kamwene is going dry (over abstraction) and they want another one
installed.
 They have also heard that USAID is providing free tractors through NAFAKA
and they wanted to know how they could have one!
 The road to Matema needs repairing over its whole 6.5 km stretch.

B.4 Mlimba A Village Council (12 Dec 2012)

The meeting was held in the Village Offices at Mlimba. Present was the secretary
and one villager.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES B-4

There is electricity power supply at Mlimba. Mobile reception was good for Tigo,
Vodafone and Airtel. Internet was available but slow.
None of the Mlimba A village lands are within the project boundaries as defined by
ZIO. They have available lands to the northwest of the current project boundary,
which they would like to include in the project. However, these are out of gravity
command of the Mpanga River and would need to be commanded by the Mlimba
stream which has a minimal catchment area and is ephemeral. Farmers from
Mlimba are currently cultivating lands within the current project boundary…but
unofficially.
Title deeds for village landholdings are in the process of being awarded by the
Ministry of Lands. There are no private investors in the area.
There is one rain gauge at Mlimba School but the gauge broke 1 year ago. The
gauge had only been in use 2 years prior to that and all data had been sent to the
Meteorological Department in DSM.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES B-5

Annex C Discussions in Mgugwe Project Area

C.1 Mgugwe Village (13 Dec 2012)

The meeting was held in the Village Offices at Mgugwe. Present were the council
dignitaries and approximately 15 leading farmers; more came in as the meeting
progressed.
There is electricity power supply at Mgugwe. Mobile reception was 40% for Airtel.
The airstrip operated by TANESCO for Kihansi is to the east of Mgugwe village and
is wholly within the ZIO project area….this will be a potential problem when
orientating irrigation canals and drains. It is not known whether TANESCO have title
deed to the airstrip land.
There is one rain gauge at the TANESCO offices at Kihansi and also a river gauge
on the Kihansi River. Presumably these have data going back to the days before
construction so should constitute a reliable7 data set spanning the last 30 years.
The council and gathered farmers knew about the project and were keen for it to
proceed. They also pointed out that they have additional available lands to the south
of the current project boundary as shown on Figure 1-3.
Title deeds for village landholdings are in the process of being awarded by the
Ministry of Lands. There are no private investors in the area or as far as they are
aware any Governmental plans for their lands. However, the existence of the Kihansi
airstrip is a significant obstacle to the development of some of the scheme.
All village lands at Mgugwe are outside the Ramsar boundary.
The Mgugwe project area is bisected by the TAZARA railway and lands to the south
will require canals to pass under the railway embankment.
Average landholdings by farmers at Mgugwe are 2-5 acres/household. There are no
agricultural co-operatives.
There are no tractors owned by Mgugwe villagers and only 2 flour grinding mills.
Tractors are hired in to meet their needs as and when required.
The village lands flood for about 1-3 days each year generally in April to a depth of
about 0.5 m. The floods come from the Mgugwe River and are not affected by
backwater effects from the Kilombero. The land around and including the airstrip is
said not to flood.
The whole project area is already cultivated (borne out by Google Earth imagery
dated 2006) and no new lands will be brought into cultivation. Farmers plant rice
between January and February. They only plant local varieties by broadcast means.
Rice is harvested in May-June and has an average yield of 20 bags/acre. In the dry
season they can no longer get a second season’s crop because the Kihansi River no
longer floods to the depths that it used to (now controlled by the dam).

7
We stopped at the TANESCO offices to try and obtain this data but were advised to apply to
TANESCO head office in Dar es Salaam.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES C-1

C.2 Mgugwe Weir Site
We were unable to go to the Mgugwe weir site as access was on foot for several
kilometers and it was raining torrentially … for which we were not prepared!

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES C-2

Annex D Discussions in Udagaji Project Area

D.1 Udagaji Village (13 Dec 2012)

The meeting was held in the Village Offices at Udagaji. Present were the council
dignitaries and approximately 15 leading farmers.
There is no electricity power supply at Udagaji. Mobile reception was 40% for Airtel.
There is a rain gauge and river gauge operated by TANESCO at the Kihansi
hydropower plant as discussed in Section C.1. This should be applicable to the
Udagaji scheme and catchment area.
The council and gathered farmers knew about the project and were keen for it to
proceed. They also pointed out that they have additional available lands to the
southeast of the current project boundary as shown on Figure 1-3. The current
project boundary is limited to the north, southeast and southwest by river channels.
To expand into the new area will require the river channel to be crossed.
Title deeds for village landholdings are in the process of being awarded by the
Ministry of Lands. There are no private investors in the area as far as they are
aware. RUBADA have been active in the area but the village councilors believe they
have been successful in refusing RUBADA access to any of the land around them.
All village lands at Udagaji are outside the Ramsar boundary.
The Udagaji project area is bisected by the TAZARA railway and lands to the
southeast will require canals to pass under the railway embankment. Probably a
single main canal crossing under the embankment will be sufficient just after Udagaji
village.
Average landholdings by farmers at Udagaji are 3-5 acres/household. There are no
agricultural cooperatives.
There are 2 tractors owned by Udagaji villagers and 3 flour grinding mills. In addition
tractors are hired in to meet their needs as and when required.
The village lands flood for up to 2 months in the lowest lying lands. Floods are as
much as 1.5 m deep in these areas. Within the ZIO project areas flood depths are
about 0.7 m and last for less than a week. Flooding generally occurs in March/April.
The flooding comes from any one of the local rivers – Udagaji, Mgugwe or Kihansi.
The biggest floods occur when all three are in spate. Backflow from the Kihansi
River can also delay drainage of the Udagaji lands.
The whole project area is already cultivated (borne out by Google Earth imagery
dated 2007) and no new lands will be brought into cultivation. Farmers plant rice
between January and February. They plant mainly local varieties by broadcast
means (80%) but increasingly improved varieties are being planted on the remaining
20% (SARO 5). Traditional varieties yield 8-10 bags/acre and improved varieties 20
bags/acre. Maize is grown on the higher lands in the dry season yielding 8 bags/acre
and a second crop of rice is grown on the lower lands. This second crop of rice is no
longer as certain as it used to be because the Kihansi River no longer floods to the
depths that it used to (since flooding is now controlled by the dam).

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES D-1

D.2 Udagaji Weir Site
Prior to the meeting at Udagaji we were guided to the proposed weir site. This is at
35°52'28.52"E, 8°36'29.67"S and lies approximately 600 m upstream of the road
bridge (as the crow flies). The site is in a deeply incised valley with steep side slopes
either side and dominated by large granite boulders in the river. The river channel is
approximately 2 m incised at the banks and is flowing at a steep gradient. The
channel banks comprise of loose alluvial materials and large boulders.
Udagaji has constructed its own weir at a location some 200 m from the bridge.
However this is a work in progress that looks unlikely to be completed. The main
body of the weir has been concreted in place but no gates are installed and there are
no canals to convey water anywhere as yet.
Access to the proposed site would be primarily from the left bank. A village road
exists for the first 100 m; thereafter access is problematic both for construction and
for the alignment of the canal. The off-taking main canal would probably need to be
piped in steel or reinforced concrete pipes for 500 m, until clear of the valley and
protected from loose rock falls en-route. In addition space will need to be made for
an access road to the weir site.

Figure D-1: Udagaji Weir Site

Mgugwe-Udagaji
Road

Google Earth 2007 imagery.

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES D-2

 Figure D-2: Udagaji Weir Site Photograph – View looking upstream

Site photograph, December 2012

Figure D-3: Udagaji Weir Site Photograph – Left bank

Site photograph, December 2012

FIELD RECONNAISSANCE REPORT – KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEMES D-3