BAKU,Azerbaijan, December 9. The Shakhimardan Irrigation System modernization project will officially begin with a time capsule ceremony on December 11, hosted at the headwater intake of the Mukhtar Nurgaziyev Canal in Kyrgyzstan's Kadamjay District, TurkicWorld reports via the Ministry of Agriculture.
The event will be attended by Bakyt Torobaev, Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Agriculture, and Hugh Riddell, the World Bank’s Country Manager for Kyrgyzstan, underscoring the project's pivotal role in enhancing regional water management.
The Kyrgyz government has allocated 425.5 million soms (approximately $4.8 million) for the upgrade, which will span across two rural municipalities and one urban area in Kadamjay District. Of the canal’s total length of 35.2 kilometers, 25.67 kilometers are slated for complete reconstruction.
Agriculture remains a fundamental pillar of Kyrgyzstan’s economy, contributing over 10% to the national GDP and employing a significant portion of the rural population. Notably, around 90% of the country’s total water consumption is allocated for irrigated agriculture, emphasizing the critical need for efficient water management systems.
The urgency of reconstructing the 25.67 kilometers of the Mukhtar Nurgaziyev Canal is amplified by the current system’s marked inefficiency. According to the Water Resources Service, irrigation water losses in Kyrgyzstan’s canals commonly range from 30% to 50% due to filtration issues and inadequate infrastructure. Modernizing the canal system is expected to substantially reduce these losses, thereby increasing the availability of water for agricultural production.
