Majes-Siguas
Majes-Siguas is an irrigation project in Peru which envisages transferring water from the Colca River to the Siguas River for irrigation purposes, and further to take water from the Apurimac River.
The project
The original plan of the project involved the construction of a long aqueduct that diverts water from the Rio Colca close to Tuti and transfers it around Ampato mountain to a canal which ends into the Siguas River. The diversion has a capacity of and is part of the first stage of the project. The diversion has a hydraulic drop of about and it is envisaged to exploit it for hydropower production at the Lluta and Lluclla hydropower stations, yielding and respectively; the company Luz del Sur was tasked to construct these plants. From the Siguas River a long tunnel-canal starting at Pitay delivers the water to the Pampa de Majes. As part of the project, the Condoroma Reservoir with a capacity of on the Colca.The Angostura Reservoir is part of Majes-Siguas II. This reservoir with a capacity of is located on the Apurimac River at its confluence with the Rio Hornillos and transfers the water through a long aqueduct to the Colca River. As part of Majes-Siguas II, another diversion at Lluclla can divert as much as in a long canal to the Pampa de Siguas.
Effects
The Majes-Siguas project allowed the irrigation of land, which were settled by about 2693 colonists, and the development of about 5700 households. As part of the second stage, a further expansion of in the Pampa de Majes and of in the Pampa de Siguas is envisaged. Also, the second stage foresees the development of about hydropower, with hydropower plants being constructed along the aqueduct that transfers water from the Colca to the Siguas.The irrigated area has been planted with artichokes, avocado, cantaloupe, chili pepper, cochineal, garlic, grapes, kiwicha, onion, paprika, peas, quinoa and tomatoes; also there is a dairy industry at Majes-Siguas. The total productivity of the project has been estimated to be, and Majes-Siguas is projected to yield a further gross domestic product of per year, as well as benefitting 300,000 people.
Water leaks and destabilization of the clayey soils by waters from sprinkler irrigation have caused landslides, sometimes approaching the Pan-American Highway, and concerns have been raised that the expansion of the Majes-Siguas project through Majes-Siguas II will aggravate the situation.
History
In 1971, the construction of the Majes-Siguas project was declared necessary by the decree No.18375 in order to develop Southern Peru and in the next year another decree classified it as a regional development project. Work began on the 3 October 1971; about were invested in the project.In 1982, the statutory corporation AUTODEMA was created in order to administer the project. In 2018, concerns were raised about corruption in AUTODEMA including fabricated expenses, resulting in an investigation by the Comptroller General of Peru.
Between 2006 and 2010, the second stage of Majes-Siguas was planned, including the development of an environmental impact statement for the Angostura Dam. An investment of - was projected for Majes-Siguas II. In 2014-2015, laws were enacted authorizing the acquisition of land for the construction of Majes-Siguas II, which was also declared a "project of public need". In 2014, were projected as investment in Majes-Siguas II, which is considered to be payable with the revenue from hydropower and the newly cultivated land. The project is being carried out through a public-private partnership involving the state and the "Angostura-Siguas Consortium". The work on the Apurimac-Colca diversion project began in 2017, with a ceremony in the presence of the then Peruvian president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.