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Two canals from Central Asia selected for prestigious WHIS Award 2025
Two historic irrigation canals from Central Asia — Dustlik and Eski Tuyatortar — have been selected for the World Heritage Irrigation Structure (WHIS) Award 2025 by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID). This prestigious global recognition marks the first time that irrigation structures from Central Asia have been included in the ICID's WHIS Register.
The WHIS Award is presented annually to irrigation structures that are over 100 years old, still in operation or of exceptional archival value, and which exemplify long-standing sustainable irrigation practices and management. To date, 177 irrigation structures worldwide have been recognized and inscribed in the WHIS Register.
The WHIS program aims to identify, study, and safeguard historic irrigation infrastructure as a vital part of the world's water heritage. These systems not only reflect the historical evolution of irrigation technologies but also demonstrate their importance to the development of human civilizations.
Operating for over a century, the Dustlik Canal, located in the Syr Darya River Basin, is the largest transboundary main canal in Central Asia. Flowing across both Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, it has played a pivotal role in agricultural development, irrigation, and fostering bilateral cooperation on shared water resources. Since its commissioning, Dustlik has been a backbone of water infrastructure.
Estimated to be nearly 2,000 years old, the Eski Tuyatortar Canal in the Zeravshan River Valley is a remarkable monument of ancient hydraulic engineering. Not only notable for its scale and technical sophistication, it stands as one of the earliest examples in Central Asia of inter-basin water transfer — a concept far ahead of its time.
The nominations were prepared by the Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (SIC ICWC) and the Expert Platform on Water Security, Sustainable Development and Future Studies. The nominations were submitted on behalf of the Uzbek National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (UzNCID). Work is currently underway to prepare nominations for historic irrigation structures in Tajikistan for next year’s WHIS award.
This effort forms part of a broader research initiative to highlight the significance of Central Asia’s water heritage in its technological, socio-economic, and cultural dimensions — and to demonstrate its continued relevance for addressing contemporary and future water challenges.
The research is supported by the IKI project “Regional mechanisms for the low-carbon, climate-resilient transformation of the energy-water-land Nexus in Central Asia” implemented by OECD in partnership with UNECE and SIC ICWC.
The official WHIS Award Plaque will be presented at the 4th World Irrigation Forum and the 76th Meeting of the ICID International Executive Council, to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in September 2025. The plaques will be handed over to the responsible operating authorities for displaying prominently on the body of the structure.