In Tajikistan, specialists are leaving the field of land reclamation and irrigation due to low wages. The authorities plan to increase their wages by paying for water supply services. But water users either do not want or cannot pay for irrigation water.
Sadoi Mardoum newspaper, a mouthpiece of Tajik parliament, cited an official source within the Land Reclamation and Irrigation Directorate in the northern province of Sughd as saying that more 1000 employees the Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation (Agency) under the Government of Tajikistan have quitted over the past five months alone.
Over the first quarter of this year, the Agency’s wage debts have reportedly amounted to about 1.7 million somonis.
The Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation is the central executive authority in the area of land reclamation and irrigation. It fulfills the functions related to elaboration of the common national policy and legal regulation in reclamation of land, use and conservation of water facilities and water resources.
According to Sadoi Mardum, an official source within the Sughd Land Reclamation and Irrigation Directorate says the wage arrears have resulted from water users’ reluctance to pay for reclamation workers’ services or delay in payment for their services. To-date, water users’ debts have reportedly reached 95.6 million somonis.
The Agency’s subordinate enterprises are one of the main tax debtors. As of January 1, 2024, their tax debts have amounted to 83.8 million somonis. Besides, they owe more than 80 million somonis to energy sector.
The Agency renders services to more than 55,000 water users and provides water to about 550,000 hectares of the irrigated areas in Tajikistan.
In 2023, the Agency reportedly delivered 80.8 million somonis worth of 4.2 billion cubic meters of water to the irrigated areas.
In 2019, employees of the water sector in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) complained about low wages.
In their appeal to the authorities, they were ready to forgive the previous year's debts and asked to pay for that year.
“Let the authorities understand that each of us has children, who need to be fed and clothed and to be sent to school. There are also other problems in the family. What to do when they don't pay a penny?” – the GBAO reclamation workers said in their appeal to the authorities.
Five years have passed and the situation has not changed, except for increasing irrigation water rates…
More than 5,600 people reportedly work in the country’s land reclamation and irrigation sector. An average monthly wage in the Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation is 850.00 somonis.
