Today, on the banks of the Karakum River near Ashgabat, USAID and the State Committee for Water Resources organized the grand opening of a new metering system to measure water flow on this important waterway. The system will provide real-time data to the State Committee for Water Resources, enabling the agency to plan for more accurate water allocations to agriculture, households, and industry.
The system was installed by Bosfor Public Association in Ashgabat jointly with the Association “Karakumderyasuwkhodzhalyk”, who received a grant from USAID Central Asia’s Regional Water and Vulnerable Environment Activity, as a means to provide Turkmenistan with a powerful tool to sustain water availability and build climate resilience.
Projections from the World Bank suggest that climate change impacts across the region could result in a water reduction of 25% during July and August for the tributaries of the Amu Darya River that flow into Turkmenistan. This reduction would cause major hardships for the country’s drinking water supply and wheat and cotton production. In this context, the new water metering system will provide the Government of Turkmenistan with valuable information about flow rates and water withdrawals on the Karakum River, all captured in a software program for easy visualization of data. With this data, the government will be better able to provide farmers with the precise amount of water needed for optimal crop growth, while cities and communities will benefit from a more stable and efficient water supply, reaching every household and business.
The U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan, Matthew Klimow, took part in the ribbon cutting ceremony along with representatives from the State Committee on Water Resources, stating “I am deeply grateful to the Government of Turkmenistan for its cooperation with USAID on this project to install water meters along the Karakum River. This technological innovation will improve the country’s ability to manage water resources for generations to come,” said Ambassador Klimow.