Recommendations of Principles and Priority Actions for Irrigation and Drainage in the Republic of Tajikistan

To achieve this goal, the Government is recommended to issue a Statement on Principles and Priorities for Irrigation and Drainage. Tajikistan is endowed with vast water resources, with more than 11,000 meters³ of renewable water per capita per year. The country is highly dependent on irrigation, with 741,200 hectares (or 85 percent of the land) being irrigated. Over 60 percent of the population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods. However, Tajikistan faces many challenges in its irrigation and drainage sub-sector. The country has found it difficult to mobilize sufficient resources to properly maintain and operate its irrigation systems, leading to widespread deterioration, insufficient drainage, shrinking irrigated areas, and declining production. Many structures have become non-functional, requiring extensive rehabilitation and maintenance to prevent further decline. The main constraint of the Government at present is that it has very little of its own revenue to work with on this issue. This constraint will be overcome in the short term through grants and loans from international financial institutions, and in the long term, these investments will be gradually replaced with Government revenues as Tajikistan's economy grows in strength. The main challenges facing irrigation and drainage in Tajikistan are: * Resolving the irrigation water charge debt inherited from previous years * Developing more consistent and mutually supportive irrigation and agriculture policies and strategies * Overcoming the shortage of investment in irrigation and drainage rehabilitation and modernization * Achieving full financing for routine and periodic maintenance and repair of irrigation and drainage systems through needs-based budgeting and the principle of pay for service * Developing a system of volumetric measurement at the intakes to Water User Associations * Building the capacity of Water Users Associations and Federations of Water Users Associations to govern, manage, and finance their sections of irrigation systems * Establishing effective river basin water supply agencies that are responsible to the Ministry and to their customers, the water users * Improving irrigation data bases, monitoring, and performance assessment of irrigation and drainage systems To address these challenges, the Government is recommended to adopt eight key principles for irrigation and drainage: 1. Hydrologic boundaries for irrigation and drainage systems 2. Participatory irrigation development and management 3. Accountability and incentives 4. Routine and periodic performance assessment 5. Technical and financial norms and needs-based budgeting 6. Payment for service agreements 7. Continual capacity building and support services 8. Government-provided guidance Additionally, the Government is recommended to take 21 priority actions to improve irrigation and drainage systems in Tajikistan, including: * Developing sustainable irrigation systems through needs-based financing * Implementing water supply agreements and annual water service contracts * Encouraging closer collaboration between irrigation, agriculture, and marketing * Strengthening the legal and regulatory framework * Changing government offices and capacity building * Implementing provisions in this policy The vision of the improvement of irrigation and drainage in Tajikistan is to achieve efficient, productive, and sustainable governance, management, and financing of irrigation and drainage systems. This will be achieved through the adoption of the eight key principles and the implementation of the 21 priority actions.