Executive Summary
Eng. Seid Shimelis is an accomplished irrigation and water-resources engineer whose career has progressed from field investigation and detailed engineering design into management of major irrigation, drainage, dam and water-infrastructure programmes. His experience covers water-resource identification, reconnaissance, feasibility studies, hydraulic and structural design, preparation of drawings and bills of quantities, project planning, multidisciplinary coordination, tender documentation, contract management and senior technical leadership.
He holds a BSc in Irrigation Engineering and an MSc in Water Resource and Irrigation Engineering from Arba Minch University. His continuing professional development includes project analysis, FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Plant and Design-Build and for Construction, finance for non-finance managers, leadership, AutoCAD, MS Project, Microsoft Office and Visual Basic.
His project portfolio includes the Ziway and Raya Pressurized Irrigation Projects, Kesem-Bolhamo Sugar Development Expansion Irrigation Project, Omo Valley Farms Irrigation Project, Kebabo and Angereb Pressurized Irrigation Projects, and detailed headworks engineering for diversion schemes including Megech. This record demonstrates a sustained progression from detailed design of individual hydraulic structures to management and coordination of irrigation developments extending across thousands of hectares.
His career connects detailed hydraulic and structural design with the planning, management and technical leadership required to deliver major irrigation and water-resources infrastructure.
Selected Major Irrigation and Water-Infrastructure Experience
Representative assignments illustrating Eng. Seid's progression from irrigation and headworks design to major project management and senior technical leadership.
HARE Irrigation Project — 1995
Original BSc engineering project prepared with Mesfin Hagos, Mitiku Bedru and Tamir Mitiku at Arba Minch Water Technology Institute.Ziway & Raya Pressurized Irrigation
Project Manager for schemes of approximately 3,000 ha and 18,000 ha, integrating pump stations, pressurized conveyance, gravity-furrow application, groundwater wells and surface irrigation.Kesem-Bolhamo — 10,000 ha
Project Manager for a major irrigation and drainage expansion combining pressurized conveyance with gravity irrigation under challenging drainage conditions.Omo Valley Farms — 6,000 ha
Project Manager responsible for planning, management and multidisciplinary coordination of a major irrigation development in South Omo.Headworks, Dams and Detailed Design Experience
Early and mid-career assignments established a strong technical foundation in hydraulic structures, diversion works, small dams and detailed irrigation design.
Megech Diversion Irrigation Project
Design Engineer and Team Leader responsible for reconnaissance, field data, hydraulic and structural design of the diversion weir and intake, drawings, detailed-design report and cost estimation.Headworks Design Management
Managed study and design of storage and flood-protection dams, diversion structures and pumping projects within Water Works Design & Supervision Enterprise.Kebabo & Angereb Pressurized Irrigation
Feasibility study and design covering water-resource assessment, irrigation-method selection, system design, BOQ, cost estimation and construction scheduling.Small-Scale Irrigation & Micro-Earth Dams
Early-career study and design work on Zana, Gomit, Uwa, Telalak, Gota, Gumara, Megech and Zarima irrigation/headworks assignments.Areas of Professional Strength
Core Engineering Expertise
- Irrigation and drainage engineering
- Dam, diversion and headworks design
- Water-resource assessment and planning
- Reconnaissance, feasibility and detailed engineering design
- Pressurized and gravity irrigation systems
- Pump stations and conveyance systems
- Hydraulic and structural design of diversion works
- Working drawings, BOQ and cost estimation
- Construction supervision and contract administration
- Surveying and mapping coordination
Management & Leadership
- Project planning and multidisciplinary coordination
- Technical proposal preparation and review
- Contract management
- Tender-document preparation
- Resource and manpower mobilization
- Performance monitoring and reporting
- Technical decision-making
- Design-team supervision, coaching and quality assurance
- Client and senior-management communication
- Senior irrigation and drainage process leadership
Core Technical and Professional Strengths
Professional Profile
Private date-of-birth and other unnecessary personal information from the source CV are intentionally omitted from this public professional profile.
Education and Professional Development
MSc in Water Resource and Irrigation Engineering
Arba Minch University, Ethiopia.
BSc in Irrigation Engineering
Arba Minch University / Arba Minch Water Technology Institute, Ethiopia.
Professional Training
Project Analysis; FIDIC Yellow Book and Red Book conditions of contract; Finance for Non-finance Managers; leadership training; mindset training; AutoCAD; MS Project; Microsoft Office and Visual Basic.
Selected Career Highlights
Nearly Three Decades in Irrigation and Water Resources
Career progression from reconnaissance and detailed design to senior management of irrigation, drainage, dam and water-resources design processes.
Large Irrigation Project Management
Project-management responsibility for major schemes including Ziway, Raya, Kesem-Bolhamo and Omo Valley Farms, with command areas extending from approximately 3,000 to 18,000 hectares.
Strong Headworks and Dam Design Foundation
Detailed engineering experience in diversion weirs, intakes, head regulators, small dams, flood-protection dams and pumping projects.
Technical and Institutional Leadership
Senior roles covering headworks design, water-resources infrastructure design, surveying and mapping, and irrigation and drainage process management.
Employment Record
Process Executive Officer — Irrigation & Drainage
Plans, organizes, supervises and controls irrigation and drainage process activities; evaluates subordinate process performance; mobilizes professional resources for new assignments; follows technical proposals and contract management; and prepares periodic performance reports.
Sub-process Manager — Irrigation & Drainage
Managed irrigation and drainage design projects together with construction supervision and contract administration for irrigation-construction assignments.
Process Executive Officer — Surveying & Mapping
Led planning, organization, supervision, manpower mobilization, technical proposals, contract-management follow-up and performance reporting for surveying and mapping activities.
Headworks Design Sub-process Manager
Managed study and design of storage and flood-protection dams, diversion structures and pumping projects.
Project Manager — Omo Valley Farms Irrigation Project
Planned, managed and coordinated an irrigation project covering approximately 6,000 ha of gross irrigable land.
Water Resources Infrastructure Development Design Sub-process Manager
Managed studies and designs for irrigation, drainage, flood-protection and water-supply systems.
Project Manager — Kesem-Bolhamo Sugar Development Expansion Irrigation Project
Managed and coordinated study and design of approximately 10,000 ha of irrigation and drainage development.
Project Manager — Ziway & Raya Pressurized Irrigation Projects
Managed major irrigation developments of approximately 3,000 ha and 18,000 ha, including pump stations, pressurized conveyance, surface irrigation, feasibility studies, detailed design and tender documentation.
Irrigation Engineer — Freelancer
Completed feasibility study and design for Kebabo and Angereb Pressurized Irrigation Projects, including water-resource assessment, irrigation-method selection, system design, BOQ, cost estimation and construction scheduling.
Design Engineer / Team Leader
Undertook irrigation studies and designs from reconnaissance through detailed engineering, BOQ and cost estimation; coordinated multidisciplinary teams; and served as headworks engineer for diversion-irrigation projects including Zingbn and Kalo.
Design Engineer / Team Leader
Conducted water-resource identification, reconnaissance, field-data collection and detailed design of small-scale irrigation schemes, micro-earth dams and diversion/headworks projects while coordinating multidisciplinary teams.
Representative Project Experience
| Project / Assignment | Role | Location / Client | Representative Technical Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| HARE Irrigation Project | BSc Engineering Project / Co-author | Arba Minch Water Technology Institute, Ethiopia | Integrated irrigation-project design prepared in 1995 with Mesfin Hagos, Mitiku Bedru and Tamir Mitiku. |
| Ziway & Raya Pressurized Irrigation Projects | Project Manager | Oromia & Tigray / Ministry of Water Resources | 3,000 ha and 18,000 ha schemes; pump station, pressurized conveyance, gravity-furrow/surface irrigation, groundwater wells, feasibility, detailed design and tender documents. |
| Kesem-Bolhamo Sugar Development Expansion Irrigation Project | Project Manager | Afar Region / Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy | Approximately 10,000 ha irrigation and drainage design; farm infrastructure; pressurized conveyance; gravity application; drainage integration under swampy command-area conditions. |
| Omo Valley Farms Irrigation Project | Project Manager | South Omo, Ethiopia | Planning, management and coordination for approximately 6,000 ha of gross irrigable land. |
| Megech Diversion Irrigation Project | Design Engineer & Team Leader | North Gondar / Amhara National Regional State | Reconnaissance, field data, hydraulic and structural design of diversion weir and intake, detailed-design report, working drawings and engineering cost estimation. |
| Kebabo & Angereb Pressurized Irrigation Projects | Irrigation Engineer | Tigray / Hiwot Agricultural Mechanization Share Company | Water-resource assessment, irrigation-method selection, system design, BOQ, cost estimation and construction scheduling. |
Selected Professional Training and Tools
Professional Training
- Project Analysis — Ministry of Water Resources / AFD
- FIDIC Yellow Book — Plant and Design-Build
- FIDIC Red Book — Construction
- Finance for Non-finance Managers
- Leadership Training
- Mindset Training
Software & Management Tools
- AutoCAD
- MS Project
- Microsoft Office
- Visual Basic
- Project Management
- Technical Team Coordination
Languages
Amharic
Excellent speaking, reading and writing.
English
Excellent speaking, reading and writing.
Professional Value in Irrigation and Water-Infrastructure Programmes
Eng. Seid Shimelis brings a valuable combination of detailed irrigation and hydraulic-design experience, major project management and senior technical leadership. He has worked across the full project-development chain—from water-resource identification and reconnaissance through feasibility, detailed design, hydraulic structures, bills of quantities and tender documents to project coordination, construction supervision and contract administration.
His experience is particularly relevant to programmes requiring integration of irrigation, drainage, dams, diversion works, pumping systems, multidisciplinary engineering teams and strong project-delivery management.
HARE Irrigation Project — Engineering Foundation
The HARE Irrigation Project Design Report, prepared in 1995 at Arba Minch Water Technology Institute, represents an important early chapter in Eng. Seid's professional journey. The technical questions addressed there—how water should be assessed, conveyed, controlled and applied productively to agricultural land—continued to define much of his professional life as he progressed into the design and management of increasingly larger irrigation and water-infrastructure projects.
From the HARE design table to major irrigation developments, his career reflects a sustained commitment to turning water-resources engineering into practical agricultural infrastructure.