In the course of 11 months of the current year, Kyrgyzstan used 5.6 billion cubic meters of water for irrigation and providing the population with clean water, according to information provided by the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry.
According to the agency, irrigation was provided to 404 legal entities and over 77 thousand farmers, allowing the irrigation of more than 2.8 million hectares of agricultural land.
Summary:
- 10 reservoirs have been put into operation, and the construction and design of several more are ongoing;
- More than 550 km of canals have been repaired and cleaned, as well as work carried out on hundreds of hydraulic structures and pumping stations;
- 729 hectares of new land have been developed, improving water supply for more than 22 thousand hectares of irrigated land.
Additionally, drip and rain irrigation systems have been implemented on 17.7 thousand hectares, particularly actively in the Chui region. The Issyk-Kul region has been selected as a pilot area for the development of drip irrigation to conserve the water resources of the lake.
“The introduction of tariffs has borne fruit, as revenues from water use have increased 2.5 times, amounting to 263 million soms. All collected funds are directed towards the further development of irrigation infrastructure,” the statement notes.
Despite a difficult year with drought, there have been no mass complaints from farmers this season.
As for drinking water:
- 796 settlements are provided with clean water;
- Construction and preparatory work is underway in more than 600 villages.
The sector is also actively transitioning to digital technologies: sensors for water accounting are being introduced, government services are being automated, as well as online payments and digital maps of irrigation systems.
