World Bank approves $200 million for Uzbekistan's irrigation overhaul

The World Bank has approved a $200 million concessional credit to help Uzbekistan modernize its irrigation and drainage infrastructure, aiming to cut water losses and improve energy efficiency across five regions.

Uzbekistan will receive $200 million in concessional credit from the World Bank to modernize its aging irrigation and drainage systems. The initiative, focused on Karakalpakstan, Bukhara, Kashkadarya, Namangan, and Surkhandarya regions, seeks to reduce water losses, enhance energy efficiency, and improve the quality of irrigation service delivery. The Government of Uzbekistan will contribute an additional $23.2 million in co-financing, with the Ministry of Water Resources responsible for project implementation.

The project involves large-scale upgrades to eight major primary canals linked to the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. These include laying modern concrete and geomembrane linings over 259 kilometers of canals, reshaping and elevating canal beds to enable gravity-fed water supply and minimize the need for pumping, and building approximately 470 hydraulic structures to strengthen water control. In addition, the project will introduce flow-regulated outlets equipped with meters and a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system for automated monitoring and management.

As a result of the project, irrigation service delivery is expected to improve across 232,000 hectares of farmland, boosting agricultural productivity and resilience to climate change. Around 180,000 water users, including 80,000 women, are expected to directly benefit from more reliable irrigation services. Furthermore, the project is projected to reduce annual water losses by 540 million cubic meters and cut electricity consumption by over 165 million kilowatt-hours, significantly lowering operational costs and enhancing the sustainability of water use in Uzbekistan.

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