Comparison of practices

Use of water resources

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources
• Environmental protection

Country: Kazakhstan

Province: Karaganda Region

District: Shet District

Other settlement: Aksa-Ayuliye Rural District

Country: Kazakhstan

Province: South Kazakhstan Region

Other settlement: distant pastures of A. Sagintayev LLP

The site is located in the area of acute shortage of irrigation and drinking water

The climate of Jambyl Region is characterized by significant dryness and continentality. The majority of Talas District is located in the desert zone. The warm season is characterized by high air dryness.

Despite substantial thermal resources, considerable lack of moisture limits crop cultivation. The majority of the district’s territory is used for spring, fall and winter grazing. Water supply of pastures is ensured by underground water.

Start date: 01.01.2015

End date: 31.12.2015

Start date: 01.06.2015

End date: 15.09.2015

Acute shortage of irrigation water

Water supply of the farms located in the zone of distant-pasture livestock production; possibilities to utilize idle wells containing highly mineralized water, use water resources in a rational manner, as well as to increase the area of used pastures by way of supplying them with additional water.

Measures to restore natural springs: arrangement of stone protection fencing around springs and installation of water-release pipes

Technology of reverse osmosis water de-salination in well casing columns

Actions
For project purposes, 10 springs were selected still able to exert water to the surface. Project actions included arrangement of stone protection fencing around springs to prevent cattle from trampling the springs. To allow water release, drain pipes were installed in protection stone walls.

Results
Financial and economic:
The economic effect of livestock production and irriga-tion development exceeding 100,000 USD.

Technical
Enhanced (by up to 30-40%) supply of irrigation and drinking water in the area; drafted “Rules of Using General Use Water Facilities for Personal and Domestic Needs Located on the territory of the Rural District”.

The water-lifting and de-salination technology includes several innovative elements like air-tight wellheads, pipeless water-lifting devices and de-salination module block in absence of high-pressure pump to drive water through them.

Water de-salination with its subsequent separation into soft (permeate) water supplied to consumers and saline concentrate diverted for disposal.

Protected by Patent No. 23118 of the RK:

 - application of water lifting pipes for submersible pumps is excluded;

- pollution of the water-bearing layer is excluded;

- labor input (assembly and dismantling works) decreases by 40-70%;

- power costs (water lifting) decrease by 30%;

- water return of the water-bearing layer due to vacuuming the water reception section increases;

- exclusion of capital costs associated with construction of a heated room for de-salination block.

Economic efficiency

The social effect lies in supplying consumers with high-quality drinking water, and the economic effect – in growing livestock population grazing in distant pastures with additional (de-salinized underground) water supply. The later will increase Kazakhstan’s food security and meat export capacity, as well as enhance the overall environmental condition of distant pastures.

Lessons learnt:
The practice demonstrated the advantages of restoring springs and the need to regularly maintain water bodies

Recommendations:
It is necessary to continue the efforts not only in Kazakhstan, but also across the region. For example, it is possible to rehabilitate multiple springs and water accumulators (like “sardoba” or underground “kyariz”) across all Central Asia.

Enhancing water supply of pastures by restoring existing and, where possible, building new well infrastructure; possibility of using water sources with mineralized water that were not used previously, providing livestock crews and cattle on pastures with drinking-quality water.

Domestic tools (outcomes of research by domestic R&D organizations)

Domestic tools (outcomes of research by domestic R&D organizations)

1. Cost of implementation: High

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha:

3. O&M costs: High

4. Expert support: Not needed

1. Cost of implementation: Moderate

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha: 2,000 thous. tenge

3. O&M costs: Moderate

4. Expert support: Needed at implementation stage

Project title: SaveH2Okz Project within the framework of the joint EU/UNDP/UNECE Project “Supporting Kazakhstan in its transition to green economy model”

Duration: 2015-2018

Project goal and objectives: raising awareness on the issue of water resources exhaustion with the aim of fostering “green economy” practices

Project beneficiaries: local population

Project implementer: Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The R&D works were executed under the theme “Investigating the Process of De-Salinizing Different Types of Mineralized Underground Water and Identifying De-Salination Regimes for Water Supply of Pasturable Land” (2013-2015, amount of funding – 13.5 mln tenge) within the framework of Project 0190/GF3 under Program 055 “Research and scientific-technical activities”, Sub-Program 101 “Grant funding of scientific research” as per the contract with SE “Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan”.  The process of de-salinizing mineralized underground water with different physical and chemical characteristics was designed and adjusted in lab and field conditions on distant pastures.  In addition, the technical standards of operating devices to treat underground water with 2-7 g/l mineralization (as per Patent No. 23118 of the RK) were developed.

The practice was deployed under the R&D Workstream “Scientific substantiation of pasture water supply system based on GIS-technologies with the aim of intensifying distant-pasture livestock production” within the framework of Project “Development of technologies to improve and ensure rational use of pastures to advance distant-pasture livestock production” (2015-2017).

Joint EU/UNDP/UNECE Project “Supporting Kazakhstan in its transition to green economy model” sponsored by the European Union (saveh2o.kz)

1. Balgabayev, N.N., Tumlert, V.A., Tumlert, E.V. “Resource-saving technology of de-salinizing mineralized underground water in the conditions of distant pastures” / Water Magazine, No. 6 (82), 2014, pp. 46-49;
2. Tumlert, V.A., Grankin, Yu.Ya., Tumlert, E.V., Gritsenko, N.V. “Disposal of salt brines during de-salination of mineralized water with receiving commodity salts and fertilizers”// “Science and World”, 2015, No. 8 (24), pp. 32-37;
3. Tumlert, V.A., Grankin Yu.Ya., Tumlert, E.V. “Investigating the process of de-salting mineralized underground water based on reverse osmosis via a device installed in well trunk” // ”Science and World”, 2015, No. 12 (28);
4. Tumlert, V.A. “Issues of restoring and upgrading pasture water supply infrastructure to revive distant-pasture livestock production” // “Agricultural Science of Kazakhstan Digest”, 2014, No. 9.

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC