130
10.1 Introduction
This chapter outlines the problems existing in the management of the irrigation
infrastructures in the FV and evaluates the benefi ts of irrigated agriculture and also
the costs of environmental degradation and pollution caused by changes in water
management.
The Fergana Valley, one of the oldest world oases, is unique with its highly fertile lands (Irrigation of Uzbekistan 1975 ), manageable river waters and adequate
natural (hilly areas or adyrs in local language) and artifi cial (central plain part of
Fergana) drainage. Combine the above with the local climatic conditions and we
have the reason for the area’s agricultural importance.
Despite this, there are obstacles to the well-being of the region’s population, the
key ones being the high rates of population growth, interdependence of water and
energy (Baker 2011 ) and limited land resources (Dukhovny and Stulina 2012 ).
The geographical location of the FV is also a peculiarity. The valley is blocked
in by high mountains in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, while the valley itself is rather
plain and arid. The specifi c climate and topography conditions limit the further
development of land and water resources. Agriculture, accounting for about 90 % of
withdrawal from the total water resources available in the region (CAWATERinfo
2012 ), heavily depends on irrigation. Moreover, agricultural production is highly
vulnerable to climate change (Lioubimtseva and Henebry 2009 ). High fl uctuations
in precipitation and temperature increases may infl uence land use in irrigated lands,
create diffi culties in water management at regional and local levels and increase
competition for scarce water resources amongst water users in various sectors.
Demographic pressure will further limit the availability of the water and land
resources. Population density in the valley increased from an average 135.5 people
per km
2 in 1980 to 229.1 people per km
2 in 2010 (CAWATERinfo 2012 ).
Consequently, food demand has increased and the area of irrigated land has
expanded, leading to further degradation of the surface and groundwater quality as
agricultural activities have increased. The expansion of irrigated land has resulted in
increasing water withdrawals from two main rivers, Amudarya and Syrdarya, and
induced the problems of land degradation and water resource contamination and, as
a fi nal consequence, has led to the Aral Sea environmental disaster.
In their natural state, many of these lands, especially the plain lands within the
Uzbek part of the valley, are poorly drained. Therefore, the irrigated lands were
intensively developed in the second half of the twentieth century increasing the
artifi cially drained area to about 682 × 10
3 ha in the valley (CAWATERinfo 2012 ).
There are no doubts that the development of the collector-drainage network (CDN)
had a positive impact on irrigated lands by preventing salt accumulation in soils
and creating favourable soil aeration conditions. However, as a consequence of the
development of the irrigation and drainage systems, a steady rise of return water
was observed. This increase was caused by low irrigation and drainage effi ciencies
on the one hand and misuse (over-irrigation) of water resources on the other. At the
same time, the collector-drainage infrastructure in the region is designed, naturally
S. Kenjabaev and H.-G. Frede
10.1 Introduction
This chapter outlines the problems existing in the management of the irrigation
infrastructures in the FV and evaluates the benefi ts of irrigated agriculture and also
the costs of environmental degradation and pollution caused by changes in water
management.
The Fergana Valley, one of the oldest world oases, is unique with its highly fertile lands (Irrigation of Uzbekistan 1975 ), manageable river waters and adequate
natural (hilly areas or adyrs in local language) and artifi cial (central plain part of
Fergana) drainage. Combine the above with the local climatic conditions and we
have the reason for the area’s agricultural importance.
Despite this, there are obstacles to the well-being of the region’s population, the
key ones being the high rates of population growth, interdependence of water and
energy (Baker 2011 ) and limited land resources (Dukhovny and Stulina 2012 ).
The geographical location of the FV is also a peculiarity. The valley is blocked
in by high mountains in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, while the valley itself is rather
plain and arid. The specifi c climate and topography conditions limit the further
development of land and water resources. Agriculture, accounting for about 90 % of
withdrawal from the total water resources available in the region (CAWATERinfo
2012 ), heavily depends on irrigation. Moreover, agricultural production is highly
vulnerable to climate change (Lioubimtseva and Henebry 2009 ). High fl uctuations
in precipitation and temperature increases may infl uence land use in irrigated lands,
create diffi culties in water management at regional and local levels and increase
competition for scarce water resources amongst water users in various sectors.
Demographic pressure will further limit the availability of the water and land
resources. Population density in the valley increased from an average 135.5 people
per km
2 in 1980 to 229.1 people per km
2 in 2010 (CAWATERinfo 2012 ).
Consequently, food demand has increased and the area of irrigated land has
expanded, leading to further degradation of the surface and groundwater quality as
agricultural activities have increased. The expansion of irrigated land has resulted in
increasing water withdrawals from two main rivers, Amudarya and Syrdarya, and
induced the problems of land degradation and water resource contamination and, as
a fi nal consequence, has led to the Aral Sea environmental disaster.
In their natural state, many of these lands, especially the plain lands within the
Uzbek part of the valley, are poorly drained. Therefore, the irrigated lands were
intensively developed in the second half of the twentieth century increasing the
artifi cially drained area to about 682 × 10
3 ha in the valley (CAWATERinfo 2012 ).
There are no doubts that the development of the collector-drainage network (CDN)
had a positive impact on irrigated lands by preventing salt accumulation in soils
and creating favourable soil aeration conditions. However, as a consequence of the
development of the irrigation and drainage systems, a steady rise of return water
was observed. This increase was caused by low irrigation and drainage effi ciencies
on the one hand and misuse (over-irrigation) of water resources on the other. At the
same time, the collector-drainage infrastructure in the region is designed, naturally
S. Kenjabaev and H.-G. Frede