Comparison of practices

Use of water resources

Use of water resources

Country: Tajikistan

Province: Khatlon Region

District: Jilikul

Country: Tajikistan

Province: Districts of Republican Subordination

District: Rudaki

• Located in the valley part of the Vakhsh River Basin (river catchment area);
• Deep (below 3 meters) ground water occurrence;
• Middle loamy soils.

• Located in the Varzob River Basin (right-bank tributary of the Kafirnigan (Kofarnihon) River);
• Valley section of the Kafirnigan River Basin (river catchment area);
• Deep (below 5 m) ground water occurrence;
• Other peculiarities: middle loamy soils.

Start date: 01.04.2010

End date: 31.10.2011

Start date: 01.04.2012

End date: 31.10.2013

Uneven distribution of irrigation water, lack of water accounting means to ensure observance of recommended irrigation norms for cotton

Surface irrigation is associated with considerable water losses, uneven root zone moistening, increasing irrigation-induced soil erosion, low labor productivity of irrigators, low irrigation system efficiency, etc.

Tubular water outlet flowmeter

Low-pressure impulse mist irrigation system

Actions:

- Construction of tubular water outlet flowmeter with removable nozzles (procurement of polyethylene piping to make tubular water outlets and matching nozzles);
- Installation of tubular water outlet flowmeter along temporary sprinklers. 

Results:

Financial and economic:

saving of irrigation water; low cost of irrigation system automation (total kit cost: $500/ha) with the service life of 5 years. 

Technical:

simple design allowing a more even distribution of irrigation water stream among furrows, thus, ensuring the prescribed water supply mode.

Social:

improved working conditions of irrigators; lower labor needs/costs; enhanced mutual trust among farmers and water users.

Actions:

- Construction of low-pressure impulse mist irrigation system (procurement of polyethylene piping, pumping unit, cassette filter);
- Installation of pumping equipment, settling pond, impulse mist sprinkling nozzles.

Results:

Financial and economic:

rational use of irrigation water; enhanced efficiency of water and land resources use; low cost ($4,164/ha) compared to the basic option ($4,326/ha).

Ecological:

no damage to atmosphere, water and soil and production of ecologically clean agricultural produce.

Technical:

the system operates under low pressure enough to ensure sufficient mist sprinkling irrigation (high-quality artificial rain) creating the necessary microclimate stimulating proper plant growth and development, ensuring even and highly uniform soil moistening; the system is easy to assemble and operate.

Social:

reduced irrigation costs on behalf of water users due to smaller volume of consumed irrigation water; increased profitability of farms due to higher crops productivity.

Lessons learnt:

Installation and deployment of tubular water outlet flowmeter allows to improve the uniformity of irrigation stream’s distribution among furrows and conduct irrigation water accounting.

Recommendations:

It is necessary to widely use the small-scale irrigation automation means like the tubular water outlet flowmeters which have simple design, are convenient to operate, are low-cost and mobile and ensure supply of the prescribed amount of irrigation water.

Lessons learnt:

Low-pressure impulse mist irrigation system allows improving the overall conditions in greenhouses and/or lemon tree nurseries – rain-like water distribution curbs irrigation-induced soil erosion and unproductive water losses in the course of irrigation.

Recommendations:

It is necessary to widely deploy low-pressure impulse mist sprinkling systems with the aim of irrigation automation and saving irrigation 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: High

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha:

3. O&M costs: High

4. Expert support: Not needed

Project title: Watering technology based on tubular water outlet flowmeters.

Project duration: Apr 2010-Oct 2011.

Project goal and objectives: development and deployment of a crop watering technology for dekhan farms of the Republic of Tajikistan allowing to significantly increase the efficiency of water use.

Project beneficiaries: members of “Istikol” WUA (Water User Association).

Project implementer: Institute of Water Issues, Hydropower and Ecology of the Academy of Sciences of the RTj

Project title: Low-pressure impulse mist sprinkling system for greenhouses and/or lemon tree nurseries.

Project duration: Apr 2012-Oct 2013.

Project goal and objectives: development and deployment of new low-pressure impulse mist irrigation system for greenhouses and lemon tree nurseries in the context of acute water shortage to ensure even distribution of irrigation water, exclude irrigation-induced soil erosion and unproductive irrigation water losses, thus, leading to water and power saving.

Project beneficiaries: “Ziroatkor” Farm.

Project implementer: Sh. Shotemur Tajik Agrarian University

Report by the Innovation Technology Department of the IWIHE of the AS of the RTj, Dushanbe, 2012, 45 p.

Report by Tajikistan Water Partnership, Dushanbe, 2012, 18 p.

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC