The project on the introduction of drip irrigation in Balkhash district, implemented by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the public foundation "Ecobioproject", with the financial support of the Global Water Challenge, has been completed in Almaty region

Since 2020, a program of small grants for local residents has been held in the villages of the Balkhash district, where the priority areas are: the development of ecotourism, environmentally sustainable entrepreneurship, melon growing and gardening. Thus, within the framework of the grant program, a pilot project on growing agricultural products for 20 families of the village of Karoy was successfully implemented, and in 2021 residents of the neighboring village of Koktal were added to them. In turn, the winners of the grants had the opportunity to plant fruit trees and melons on an area of up to 1 hectare using a drip irrigation system.

During the project "Introduction of modern water saving technology for local communities", a number of seminars and training sessions on the installation of a drip irrigation system were held in the villages of Karoy, Koktal and Zhideli. The events were attended by specialists working with technology throughout Kazakhstan, in particular, in the southern region in the Turkestan region. Local residents were told about the features of the system, its advantages and principles of operation. After a number of theoretical seminars, a master class on the installation of drip irrigation was held. During the training, the participants managed to assemble the installation step by step and evaluate its performance in practice.

"Unfortunately, drought is a common and widespread phenomenon in the daily life of the entire Balkhash district. But this season several localities were at the epicenter of the heat wave. Lack of precipitation and lack of irrigation water have become a strong cause for concern for local residents, – says the director of the WWF Central Asian Program, Grigory Mazmanyants. - This project on the introduction of a drip irrigation system was developed in order to combat drought, save fresh water and produce agricultural crops. After all, with irrigation every 3 days, 800 to 1000 cubic meters of water are consumed, while drip irrigation requires no more than 60 cubic meters per hectare.

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After the end of the educational events, the residents of the villages of the Balkhash district received a special brochure, which describes in stages the principle of operation, installation and further use of drip irrigation. About 100 families took part in the project.

"This guide has been created in two languages for all residents of the district in order to effectively use the system. Thanks to drip irrigation, gardeners will be able to get higher yields. Especially during the period of unstable agriculture and the consequences of climate change in the Balkhash district, where water conservation and its rational use are the key to the successful development of economic activity," said Zhasar Adilbayev, project manager.

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WWF Russia

Earlier, in the spring of 2021, the republican contest of water projects was held in Kazakhstan for the first time in order to develop scientific, technical and project activities of high school students in the field of sustainable water use. This is also a solution to the problems of water treatment, water treatment and conservation of water resources necessary for natural ecosystems. Among the prize-winners were schoolchildren of the village of Kara with the project "Rational use of water at the school site". Also on the territory of the local school, thanks to the project, a drip irrigation system was installed.

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Drip irrigation - the way to success