Irrigation and Drainage

Irrigated agriculture is one of the key sectors of the economy in the Republic of Tajikistan, contributing to the achievement of the country’s strategic goals, including food security and employment in rural areas.

In the Republic of Tajikistan, there are 763,900 hectares of irrigated land. Out of these, 550,000 hectares are serviced through irrigation infrastructure under the management of the Agency for Reclamation and Irrigation under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. The remaining 213,900 hectares are irrigated through irrigation facilities managed by local government authorities, dehkan farms, and other water users who draw water from mountain streams, springs, seasonal rivers, and underground sources (wells).

For the irrigation of lands under the management of the Agency for Reclamation and Irrigation, there are 26,700 km of main canals, 7,099 hydraulic structures, 505 vertical wells, 169 culverts, 110 aqueducts, 5,455 water distribution points, and 3,858 hydro-metric stations.

Out of the 550,000 hectares of irrigated land, 292,200 hectares, 52.9% are irrigated using pumping stations. To irrigate lands in the foothills, 228 cascade pumping stations with 914 pumping units have been constructed and put into operation, irrigating 214,700 hectares of agricultural land, lifting water by 2 to 7 levels by a series of pumping stations.

In total, the Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation has 393 pumping stations with 1,516 pumping units, 539,883 meters of high-pressure pipelines, 247 electrical substations, and 1,113 cells.

To maintain the irrigated agricultural lands in good meliorative condition, there are 12,000 km of collector-drainage networks, including 2,500 km of on-farm and 9,500 km of in-farm drainage systems. Among these, there are 5,600 km of open drainage and 3,900 km of closed drainage systems. Additionally, there are 2,484 observation wells, 1,208 vertical meliorative wells (of which 422 are on the balance of the Agency), 1,303 irrigation wells (of which 110 are on the balance of the Agency), and 97 observation hydrological posts located on the territory of irrigated lands.

Out of the total area of irrigated lands, the area under meliorative control is 700,200 hectares, 91.6%, while the area subject to soil-salinity monitoring is 635,600 hectares, 83.2%. Among the total area of irrigated lands, 329,900 hectares, 43.1%, are equipped with drainage, including 81,000 hectares, 10%, with closed drainage systems.

The improvement of the meliorative state of land is an ongoing process. On one hand, the completion of melioration works enhances the condition of the land, but on the other hand, improper agricultural practices, irrigation techniques, untimely cleaning of collector-drainage networks, inadequate technical maintenance of vertical drainage wells and deteriorating pumping stations, improper flushing of saline soils, and the use of drainage water for irrigation with high salinity year after year can lead to unsatisfactory meliorative conditions of arable land. 

According to the program ” Improving the Meliorative Condition of Irrigated Agricultural Land in the Republic of Tajikistan for 2019-2023″ which was adopted by the resolution of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on August 1, 2018, No. 374, it was planned to improve the meliorative condition of irrigated agricultural land over the past 5 years over 48,572 hectares at a total cost of 51.1 million Tajik somoni (US$ 5 million).

Overall, within the framework of the Program for Improving the Meliorative Condition of Irrigated Agricultural Land in the Republic of Tajikistan for 2019-2023, during the period from 2019 to 2022 and in the first 6 months of 2023, melioration works have been carried out at a cost of 42.53 million Tajik somoni (US$ 4 million), 83% of the planned amount. The improvement of unsatisfactory meliorative conditions at the district and city level in the republic has been achieved over 44,597 hectares, 92% of the planned target. All activities within this program are expected to be completed by the end of 2023. 

The analysis of data from the meliorative cadastre indicates that despite the annual implementation of melioration measures, a portion of the meliorative condition of irrigated agricultural land remains unsatisfactory.

According to the meliorative cadastre data as of January 1, 2023, the meliorative condition of the irrigated lands are as follows: (i) in good condition 593,892 hectares, (ii) in satisfactory condition 137,765 hectares, and (iii) in unsatisfactory condition 32,273 hectares. Additionally, the critical groundwater depth is observed over an area of 19,021 hectares, soil salinity affects 10,666 hectares, and both critical groundwater depth and soil salinity are found over 2,586 hectares.

One of the main reasons for the unsatisfactory condition of reclamation lands is the untimely cleaning of collector-drainage networks, the unsatisfactory condition of reclamation pumping stations, non-functional vertical wells, and a lack of reclamation machinery and equipment. The impact of these factors is disrupting the water-salt balance in the soil.

In order to regulate the water-salt balance over irrigated lands, 12,000 km of collector-drainage networks have been constructed, but due to insufficient equipment and funding, only 600-700 km are cleaned each year. To improve the reclamation status of irrigated lands, it is necessary to clean and repair at least 4,000 km annually. 

During the period from 2008 to 2013, according to the decisions of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, 1,169 vertical wells were transferred to the balance of farmer households and Jamoats. The repair and maintenance of the transferred vertical wells and drains are also considered one of the measures to improve the reclamation status of irrigated lands.