Irrigated Land in Central Asia Grows Fivefold

The area of irrigated land in Central Asia has expanded from 2.2 million to 10 million hectares since the region gained independence. This was stated by Stanislav Pritchin, head of the Central Asia Sector at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, during the roundtable on "Climate Change and Water Use Issues in Central Asia."

According to him, not only the population is growing, but also the area of agricultural land is increasing, so water use for municipal and domestic needs has doubled, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.

Due to the fact that almost 80 percent of all irrigation canal systems are morally and physically obsolete, water losses reach 55-60 percent.

"At the same time, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan face the most difficult choice in terms of water use, because there is also an energy factor there. Due to limited natural resources, hydropower is very important; there is a certain dilemma - to develop energy or agriculture. In Uzbekistan, for example, about 24 percent of GDP is formed in agriculture, where 26 percent of the population is employed.

The figures are somewhat lower in Kyrgyzstan - 12 percent of GDP and 24 percent of the able-bodied population is employed in agriculture. In Tajikistan, up to 70 percent of the economically active population is employed in this sector. Agriculture, indeed, is the most important direction, and to a very large extent depends on the competent and efficient use of water resources and their availability in general," Stanislav Pritchin said.