300,000 ha of lands underprovided with water in Kazakhstan
300,000 hectares of lands remain underprovided due to excess water losses in Kazakhstan, Vice Minister of Agriuclture Azat Sultanov said at today’s Government meeting, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The Agriculture Ministry further implements the crops diversification program for long-term water savings focusing on the reduction of high-water-absorbing crops and the introduction of water-efficient processes. It is projected to reduce lands sown under cotton by 36,400 hectares and rice by 14,100 hectares.
He said Kazakhstan has 1.9 million hectares of agricultural irrigated lands, of which just 1.5 million hectares come under cultivation. 1 million (67%) of which are irrigated by surface irrigation and 6.5% by flooding-based irrigation. 26.3% of lands utilized modern irrigation techniques. This year some 11.2 billion cubic meters of water were used for irrigation of 1.2 million hectares.
As a result, nearly 300,000 hectares of irrigated lands remain underprovided due to excess water losses in the vegetation systems.
Recall that Kazakhstan accumulated over 12 bln cu m of floodwater.
