Historically, during the Soviet period, internal channels were managed by collective farms and state farms, and later by Water User Associations that operated on a voluntary basis. However, due to insufficient control and growing dissatisfaction among the population, the process of returning the channels to state management began two years ago.
In Kyrgyzstan, there are about 28 thousand kilometers of channels, of which the ministry serviced only 5 thousand 800 kilometers. After the transfer of major first and second-order trunk channels, this figure increased to 8 thousand 50 kilometers. According to Nurlan Tynaliev, the ultimate goal is to bring at least 20 thousand kilometers onto the state’s balance sheet.
For the major repairs of irrigation facilities in 2026, 12.3 billion soms are allocated.
“This year we plan to lay 650 thousand square meters of concrete covering on the most damaged channels. Last year we completed the laying of 342 thousand square meters, and the volume of work is gradually increasing,” he noted.
The specialist also emphasized that since the 1990s, irrigation systems have not received due attention, and it is now quite difficult to make up for this shortfall.
Currently, water losses in the country amount to just over 1 percent, but on some old channels, losses can reach up to 60 percent.
