Comparison of practices

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources
• Environmental protection

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources
• Environmental protection

Country: Turkmenistan

Country: Kazakhstan

Province: South Kazakhstan Region

Other settlement: distant pastures of A. Sagintayev LLP

17,238 ha of barkhan (sand dune), takyr (dry-type playa) and solonchak (moist-type playa) sites of the Kara Kum Desert; deep ground water occurrence

The climate of Jambyl Region is characterized by significant dryness and continentality. The majority of Talas District is located in the desert zone. The warm season is characterized by high air dryness.

Despite substantial thermal resources, considerable lack of moisture limits crop cultivation. The majority of the district’s territory is used for spring, fall and winter grazing. Water supply of pastures is ensured by underground water.

Start date: 01.01.2012

End date: 31.12.2016

Start date: 01.06.2015

End date: 15.09.2015

Desertification and decreased productivity of desert pastures due to over-grazing around existing cattle watering sites

Water supply of the farms located in the zone of distant-pasture livestock production; possibilities to utilize idle wells containing highly mineralized water, use water resources in a rational manner, as well as to increase the area of used pastures by way of supplying them with additional water.

Technology of building sardobas (stone-dome covered water collection and storage reservoirs) to enhance pasture water supply

Technology of reverse osmosis water de-salination in well casing columns

Main actions:

• mudflow and flood risk assessment and surveying local population regarding sardobas’ locations.

Actions:

• selection of takyrs to construct sardobas jointly with local cattle-farmers;
• construction of sardobas jointly with local cattle-farmers;
• cleaning takyr surfaces.

Results:

• pastures that were not previously utilized due to absence of water sources returned to pasture rotation;
• pastures destroyed due to over-grazing started to restore;
• increased herd productivity due to reduced passage distances and higher fodder value of pastures.

The water-lifting and de-salination technology includes several innovative elements like air-tight wellheads, pipeless water-lifting devices and de-salination module block in absence of high-pressure pump to drive water through them.

Water de-salination with its subsequent separation into soft (permeate) water supplied to consumers and saline concentrate diverted for disposal.

Protected by Patent No. 23118 of the RK:

 - application of water lifting pipes for submersible pumps is excluded;

- pollution of the water-bearing layer is excluded;

- labor input (assembly and dismantling works) decreases by 40-70%;

- power costs (water lifting) decrease by 30%;

- water return of the water-bearing layer due to vacuuming the water reception section increases;

- exclusion of capital costs associated with construction of a heated room for de-salination block.

Economic efficiency

The social effect lies in supplying consumers with high-quality drinking water, and the economic effect – in growing livestock population grazing in distant pastures with additional (de-salinized underground) water supply. The later will increase Kazakhstan’s food security and meat export capacity, as well as enhance the overall environmental condition of distant pastures.

Lessons learnt:

Construction of sardobas in takyr areas allows enhancing pasture water supply, thus, leading to the restoration of over-grazed pastures.

Recommendations:

The practice requires long-term planning and an integrated response with the early-on engagement of desertification experts (designing a set of measures to protect takyrs from sand drifts), state agencies (technical assistance) and pasture users (observance of pasture rotation schemes, prevention of takyrs from contamination and pollution).

Enhancing water supply of pastures by restoring existing and, where possible, building new well infrastructure; possibility of using water sources with mineralized water that were not used previously, providing livestock crews and cattle on pastures with drinking-quality water.

Traditional tools transferred from generation to generation that proved their efficiency in modern conditions

Domestic tools (outcomes of research by domestic R&D organizations)

1. Cost of implementation: Low

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha: $1,000-5,000

3. O&M costs: Low

4. Expert support: Needed at implementation stage

1. Cost of implementation: Moderate

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha: 2,000 thous. tenge

3. O&M costs: Moderate

4. Expert support: Needed at implementation stage

Project title: Responding to climate change risks for dekhan farming system of Turkmenistan on national and local levels.

Project duration: 2012-2016. 

Project goal and objectives: build the adaptation capacity to respond to climate change impacts, including variability on local and national levels. 

Project beneficiaries: Bori Settlement (over 1,100 people) and Bo-Kurdak Settlement (about 4,500 people).

Project implementer: Ministry of Nature Conservation and UNDP

The R&D works were executed under the theme “Investigating the Process of De-Salinizing Different Types of Mineralized Underground Water and Identifying De-Salination Regimes for Water Supply of Pasturable Land” (2013-2015, amount of funding – 13.5 mln tenge) within the framework of Project 0190/GF3 under Program 055 “Research and scientific-technical activities”, Sub-Program 101 “Grant funding of scientific research” as per the contract with SE “Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan”.  The process of de-salinizing mineralized underground water with different physical and chemical characteristics was designed and adjusted in lab and field conditions on distant pastures.  In addition, the technical standards of operating devices to treat underground water with 2-7 g/l mineralization (as per Patent No. 23118 of the RK) were developed.

The practice was deployed under the R&D Workstream “Scientific substantiation of pasture water supply system based on GIS-technologies with the aim of intensifying distant-pasture livestock production” within the framework of Project “Development of technologies to improve and ensure rational use of pastures to advance distant-pasture livestock production” (2015-2017).

tm.undp.org

1. Balgabayev, N.N., Tumlert, V.A., Tumlert, E.V. “Resource-saving technology of de-salinizing mineralized underground water in the conditions of distant pastures” / Water Magazine, No. 6 (82), 2014, pp. 46-49;
2. Tumlert, V.A., Grankin, Yu.Ya., Tumlert, E.V., Gritsenko, N.V. “Disposal of salt brines during de-salination of mineralized water with receiving commodity salts and fertilizers”// “Science and World”, 2015, No. 8 (24), pp. 32-37;
3. Tumlert, V.A., Grankin Yu.Ya., Tumlert, E.V. “Investigating the process of de-salting mineralized underground water based on reverse osmosis via a device installed in well trunk” // ”Science and World”, 2015, No. 12 (28);
4. Tumlert, V.A. “Issues of restoring and upgrading pasture water supply infrastructure to revive distant-pasture livestock production” // “Agricultural Science of Kazakhstan Digest”, 2014, No. 9.

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC