DUSHANBE, March 27, 2013, Asia-Plus — The Government of Japan within the agenda of the Grant Assistance for the Grass–roots Human Security Projects (GGP) supports the development of agrarian sector in Zafarobod district, Sughd province through providing farmers with drainage cleaning machineries for irrigation canals, Japan’s Embassy in Dushanbe said.
On Wednesday March 27, Mr. Hiroyuki Imahashi, Ambassador, Embassy of Japan in Dushanbe and Mr. Rustam Rahmatov, chairperson of the Zafarobod district signed a grant contract of “The Project for Improvement of Irrigation Canals in Zafarobod District” for the total amount of US$ 122,049.
In the Zafarobod district, agriculture is a key sector and a large population of the district has high dependency on farming. The Canals were built decades ago and after many years of usage, the efficiency of the irrigation canals has declined and the productivity of agricultural lands in the district has been dropping significantly. This drop is mainly caused by accumulated mud in the drainage canals. The mud stops a sufficient flow of water within the canals and a lack of water even leads to a malfunction of water pump stations. Insufficient water also causes high salt (calcium) density which already ruined about 7,000 hectares of land.
With the implementation of this project, the Association of Water Users “Istiqlol” in the Zafarobod district will be provided with an excavator, a tractor and a trailer that will enable them to remove mud from the drainage canals. The proper and in time cleaning of canals will help to decrease water salt density, increase groundwater, and improve the productivity of the plot of lands.
Upgrading the agrarian sector will assuredly improve the economic conditions and ensure basic human rights of the farmers and local people in the Zafarobod district of Sughd province. The government of Japan is committed to support Tajikistan to take the necessary measures to ensure the basic human rights and the betterment of people’s life.
Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects (GGP) is provided to local governments, educational/ medical institutions and International NGOs in developing countries. GGP supports projects in the human security sectors at the grassroots level. Since 1996, GGP has extended more than US$ 23.2 million for 301 projects in Tajikistan.
