UNDP Continues to Strengthen the Capacity of Local Communities for Effective Water Resource Management
On October 17-18, 2024, in Lebap province, the UNDP project “Conservation and sustainable management of land resources and high nature value ecosystems in the Aral Sea basin for multiple benefits," implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), held a practical workshop on effective water resource management in irrigated agriculture.
The platform created by the project allowed participants to exchange experiences and knowledge on water use planning in the context of climate change, using a scientifically-based and integrated approach grounded in the principles of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Representatives from the Seiitnazar Seidi Pedagogical Institute gave a presentation on rice cultivation in Lebap province, highlighting the region's specific soil and climate conditions, as well as a methodology for using groundwater from the Amu Darya riverbank for drip irrigation.
During the two-day seminar, participants discussed measures to improve water use efficiency and protect water resources, which helps reduce costs and improve irrigation water supply. At the project’s demonstration site in Danev district, the work of the UNDP-installed wells for monitoring the reclamation status of irrigated lands and a new irrigation technology for efficient sprinkler irrigation was demonstrated. Participants also discussed the prospects for developing fish farming as an alternative income source for the region.
As part of the workshop, participants visited the inter-farm canal "Berzen," where a comprehensive water accounting and distribution system is implemented at the water distribution node by the “Amu Darya” Basin Water Management Organization (BVO).
The event gathered representatives from the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan, the State Committee for Water Management of Turkmenistan, the administration of Lebap province, the Dashoguz branch of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, BVO “Amu Darya”, local NGOs, and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan.
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