Oued-Beth Dam
| EL Kansera | |
|---|---|
 Location of EL Kansera in Morocco
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| Country | Morocco |
| Coordinates | 34°02′30″N 5°54′26″W / 34.041583°N 5.907346°WCoordinates: 34°02′30″N 5°54′26″W / 34.041583°N 5.907346°W |
| Purpose | Irrigation water storage |
| Construction began | 1927 |
| Opening date | 1935 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Height | 68 m (223 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 227×106 m3 (184,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 4,500 km2 (1,700 sq mi) |
| Power Station | |
| Operator(s) | Office National de L'Electricite (ONE) |
| Commission date | 1946 |
| Turbines | 1 x 8.3 MW (11,100 hp) Francis-type |
| Installed capacity | 8.3 MW |
EL Kansera is an irrigation storage dam in Morocco.
El Kansera is the oldest irrigation storage dam in Morocco. It is northwest of Meknes and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Sidi Slimane, upstream from Dar bel Amri. The dam impounds the Oued Beht (or Beth), the last major tributary of the Sebou River before its mouth. The watershed that supplies the dam has an area of 4,500 square kilometres (1,700 sq mi). The climate is temperate, and average annual rainfall is 620 millimetres (24 in).
The site of the dam was a deep, narrow gorge that the Beth had cut through the limestone bordering on the lowlands. Winter floods of the Beth had created large merdjas on the Sebou's left bank, which would be ideal for cultivation once irrigation water was available.
At first the colonial agriculture and public works administrations opposed construction of this and other dams, but the main settlers, led by Gaston Lebault, pushed the project forward. When governor-general Théodore Steeg arrived in 1925, known as the "water governor", the pace accelerated. El Kansera was built between 1927 and 1935. In 1928 Steeg's administration created a new colonization zone ("perimeter") located between Petitjean and Sidi Slimane. The land was taken from the Cherardas, who were moved to less productive areas. The new perimeter was sited where water from the dam could be used in irrigation.
The main construction work was undertaken between 1931 and 1934. The dam was built by Société Générale d'Enterprises, a French company.François de Pierrefeu was the prime contractor.Henri Prost (1874-1959) was the architect for the power station, which was completed in 1934. The dam was 51 metres (167 ft) high, with a storage capacity of 225,000,000 cubic metres (7.9×109 cu ft). It would control flooding of the Beht and irrigate 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of fertile land in the Rharb plain. The hydroelectric plant at the base would generate 13 million KWh annually. The concrete structure was built on calcareous marl, which caused great difficulty in construction.
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Wikipedia