Uzbekistan undertakes extensive irrigation system modernization to enhance agricultural water supply, Euronews has reported.
In Southern Karakalpakstan, the regional irrigation system is undergoing a significant overhaul, shifting from electric pumps to gravity-fed irrigation for agricultural fields. This major infrastructure project aims to reduce water losses substantially, addressing a critical issue faced by the country.
The Bustan Canal serves as a major water artery. Before its reconstruction, it was an earthen channel, susceptible to significant seepage. Azat Serzhanov, the project leader, highlighted the challenges, stating, "You can see it for yourself: there were dunes and sands. Around 50% of the water seeped into the soil. Therefore, we decided to cement the canal."
Water now flows through the right-bank canal from the Tuyamuyun reservoir, located in neighboring Turkmenistan. The Bustan Canal is interconnected with a network of secondary canals, totaling over 800 kilometers in length. All of them have been reconstructed as part of this project, spanning three regions and covering 100,000 hectares of agricultural land.
Shavkat Khamraev, the Minister of Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan, revealed, "Here, we felt a severe shortage of water resources. 35,000 hectares of irrigated lands were taken out of circulation."
The project involves cementing the canal beds and shores to reduce water losses significantly. Concrete is laid over a geomembrane, a specialized material that minimizes water seepage. Engineer Bahodir Kulumbetov explained, "The geomembrane is made of high-density polyethylene, with a thickness of 1 mm, making it 100% waterproof. It is used in hydraulic works as a waterproof layer under canals, helping us conserve water."
The shift from electric pumps to gravity-fed irrigation has brought considerable benefits. The bottom of the Bustan Canal is now raised higher than the level of the secondary canals and irrigated fields, allowing water to flow naturally by gravity. This change enables the government and farmers to save approximately $3 mn in electricity costs annually.
"We are dismantling over 400 farm pumps, as well as 20 small and three large pumping stations, which were previously funded by the state budget. As a result, we reduce CO2 greenhouse gas emissions by cutting 36,000 cubic meters of gas", said Shavkat Khamraev in an interview with Focus.
To witness gravity-fed irrigation in action, we visited a farm that grows fruits in the Ellikalla region, located along one of the secondary canals. Farmer Muzaffar Saparbayev can easily open these water gates to irrigate his orchard. 1600 such water gates have been installed along the secondary canals in Southern Karakalpakstan.
Muzaffar stated that his farm saved €6000 in electricity costs in just one year, attributing the increased productivity to the laser-leveling of their land through the project. This optimization allows them to grow more crops as the water flow has significantly improved compared to previous years.
The land leveling conserves water that would otherwise be wasted on uneven fields and enhances crop yields. This improvement is part of an extensive project aimed at enhancing water resource management in Southern Karakalpakstan, an arid region near the Aral Sea. Supported by the World Bank, the overall project cost amounts to $374 mn.
Azad Abdulhamid, a leading specialist in water resource management at the World Bank's Representation in Uzbekistan, emphasized, "The project has provided guaranteed employment for over 38,000 people directly involved in irrigated agriculture. Additionally, there are numerous indirect jobs. Employment, climate adaptation, and efficient water usage are highly important and are part of the government and World Bank's strategy."
The country's strategy is to implement modernized water resource management across the nation, making agriculture - one of Uzbekistan's key employment sectors - more environmentally friendly and resilient to climate change challenges.
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