Realization of hydraulics design of aquaculture facilities with integration of irrigation systems in the upper Blue Nile basin: Challenges and opportunities for aquaculture development
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Abstract
The general objective of this paper is to review hydraulics design of aquaculture facilities with integration of irrigation systems and assessment of potentials, opportunities and approaches. It also disuses the major reasons why an irrigation engineer in the past had little or no concern to include aquaculture facility designs when dealing with the hydraulic design of irrigation structures in fishable- rivers.. Review of the literature showed that aquaculture is a relatively new and underdeveloped farming practice compared to agriculture and animal husbandry in Ethiopia and even in many parts of the word which can be one reason why irrigation engineers ignored fish facilities earlier. In general in spite of its positive social and environmental attributes which make aquaculture business an attractive entry point to improve the livelihoods of the poor in rural development strategies, the large potential contribution of aquaculture was unappreciated and ignored by most agriculture, water resource, rural development professionals and even by policy makers. This paper also includes results of reviewed design documents of the major irrigation diversion or dams and depicted how large the potential water access in Tana basin is available currently for aquaculture business. Based on the review of detail designs of irrigation and hydropower projects in the basin, currently Tana basin has dependable water bodies of 3,906ha artificial reservoirs, 310,000ha natural lake reservoir, 279.4 km of main canals and 708km of secondary canals that could be utilized for aquaculture purposes. Though ponds and tanks have been expected more in the basin because of their prime resources for freshwater aquaculture development, no practice was found in the basin except for some experimental cases near the lake. In conclusion, the paper also discusses the future perspective of aquaculture development and its research, legal, institutional and policy requirements in creating awareness and finally knowledge in the field.
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