The loan from ADB will help Kazvodkhoz improve irrigation networks that serve 171,000 hectares in Kazakhstan
Image: The loan from ADB will be used to improve Kazakhstan’s agricultural productivity. Photo: Courtesy of Asian Development Bank.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide $249.8m (£202m) loan to the Republican State Enterprise Kazvodkhoz (KVK) to help rehabilitate and improve irrigation networks across Kazakhstan.
The loan will help KVK, a state-owned enterprise that deals with water facilities, to improve irrigation networks serving 171,000 hectares (ha) in four provinces in the country.
The four provinces under the project are East Kazakhstan, Karaghandy, Kyzylorda and Zhambyl. The loan is guaranteed by the Government of Kazakhstan.
The assistance is expected to improve the country’s agricultural productivity and promote the diversification of agricultural products from traditional low-yielding and low-value crops into high-value cash crops.
ADB’s loan will be used to repair nearly 2,000km of earth canals
The project is expected to rehabilitate and improve about 245 irrigation schemes in the four provinces. The programmes include desilting, re-sectioning and repairing damaged sections of line canals. With the ADB support, nearly 1,064km of concrete-lined canals and 1,976km of earth canals will be repaired.
Other infrastructure works such as the construction and rehabilitation of 4,185 hydraulic structures, including water measuring devices, improvement of 358km of drainage collectors, setting up of drip irrigation system covering 9,300 hectares in Zhambyl and the installation of 24 supervisory control and data acquisition system in the project areas, will be taken up.
Besides assisting agriculture cooperatives as part of capacity-building efforts under the project, a system to monitor water and agricultural productivity using remote sensing technology in selected irrigation systems will also be piloted.
The project will also help KVK improve its tariff planning capacity and financial sustainability and extend advisory services to farmers related to on-farm water management and crop choices.
ADB Central and West Asia principal water resources specialist Yaozhou Zhou said: “Agriculture is an important part of Kazakhstan’s economy, employing 18% of the labor force and contributing 4.4% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). However, the sector’s contribution to the country’s economy has been decreasing.
“Making sure that reliable irrigation water is available will help to realize the agriculture sector’s potential to further contribute to the country’s growth and development.”