USAID IRRIGATION IMPROVEMENTS IN
TAJIKISTAN
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Development Challenge
Tajikistan is the least developed of the
five Central Asian countries, with 80% of the population in poverty. The
overwhelmingly rural population depends upon irrigated agriculture for its
survival. Because of unfavorable economic conditions and limited public
funding, irrigation systems have rapidly deteriorated to the extent that
water supplies have been reduced by about 40%. Most major canals need
urgent silt removal and reshaping to improve their hydraulic properties.
Many canal banks are in poor condition and numerous water control
structures do not work properly and need to be replaced. The areas
dependent on pumped irrigation are most at risk where pumps and motors have
reached the end of their working lives and pipelines have been badly
damaged by corrosion. Unless effective rehabilitation measures are carried
out soon, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources
estimates that over the next 10-15 years the country could lose a substantial
portion of the land currently under cultivation.
Pump stations serve about 290,000
hectares out of the nationwide total of 720,000 irrigated hectares. In
these schemes, pumping is the only option for irrigation water supplies to
reach the fields. Over the past decade, the effectiveness of the pump
stations has declined significantly, resulting in reduced supply of water
and a decrease in crop yields. Pump stations are not working according to
their installed or design capacities, and it is not uncommon to find only
one pump in a set of four actually capable of supplying water. Many of
these installations are in severe crisis; without immediate investment,
some will collapse altogether with a serious impact on agriculture in those
areas.
USAID’s Response
Improper management of water and energy
in Central Asia has resulted in waste of these limited resources and
increased the potential for conflict among users. USAID’s water activities
bring people together to solve common water problems and give them the
tools they need to resolve issues and manage resources better. Funding for
this program is provided by the U.S. Government through special
supplemental assistance funding for Central Asia, in response to
Tajikistan’s support for U.S. foreign policy objectives.
USAID is striving to improve the
management of Tajikistan’s water resources. Two key factors were identified
as essential: 1) trained, capable staff and 2) improved equipment and infrastructure.
With the assistance of the Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water
Resources, USAID drew up a priority list of pumping schemes that needed
urgent attention. These were concentrated in the irrigated areas in the
southwestern districts of the country, along the Amu Darya River and the
border with Afghanistan. This region suffered greatly in the 1990s during
Tajikistan’s civil war.
USAID’s program provided technical
assistance and equipment to rehabilitate the first priority pump station, Iskra #1. Rehabilitation of this station has already
been completed and will be able to serve the 2003 irrigation season. More
pumps and motors are on order, and USAID has approved local contracts for
the rehabilitation of additional pump stations, as well. To compliment this
work, USAID has installed computers in the ministry’s headquarters and
carried out intensive training programs to enhance the computer skills of
ministry staff. Staff was trained to serve as trainers for others to ensure
continuation of the computer training programs. USAID computer assistance
will help the ministry to develop more accurate reporting, improve the
analysis of water resources data, and allow better decision-making on flow
management.
In the near future, radio communication
systems will be installed to enable operators to effectively and
efficiently manage water resources and coordinate operations of the pump
stations. This communication system can be expanded as needed. At present,
in some irrigation areas, the only means of communication is for a
dispatcher to travel several kilometers by bicycle to give a verbal
message, which is then relayed by radio.
Benefits
The pump stations selected for
rehabilitation serve a total of 20,000 hectares. The additional water made
available from the rehabilitation of the selected pump stations will
significantly enhance irrigation effectiveness. This is an important step
toward increasing crop production and improving the well being of 60-70,000
people, all in areas that are dependent on irrigated agriculture. Greater
reliability of water supply will help promote economic growth in this
depressed region of Tajikistan.
Introduction of better water management
practices and concepts through this activity will yield other benefits, as
well. Improved communications capabilities will enable system operators to
better calculate water requirements for specific crops and increase
real-time knowledge of the water flowing through the system. This
translates to more timely and efficient water deliveries, decreased pumping
costs, and improved production at the farm level. Increased water use
efficiency may also result in water savings that can be further used to
place new areas under irrigation.
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