Bishkek, May 21, 2026. /Kabar/. Following scheduled Open Cabinet meetings, Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry Erlist Akunbekov participated in the opening ceremony of the Osmon Canal following.
Speaking at the channel's opening, the minister detailed the ongoing work in the irrigation sector.
"The need for irrigation water has remained pressing for Central Asian countries for centuries, and today this issue remains high on the agenda of farmers. This is why the country's leadership provides comprehensive support to the irrigation sector. Significant funds are allocated annually for the repair and modernization of this system. Thus, while 520 million soms were allocated in 2021 and 1 billion 442 million soms in 2025, 10 billion 350 million soms have been allocated for the current year, of which 1 billion 600 million soms have already been utilized. In addition, more than 300 units of specialized equipment and service vehicles have been transferred to the sector."
"Over the past five years, repair and modernization work has been carried out on a total of 2,700 kilometers of canals, 4,263 hydraulic structures, and the repair and replacement of 140 pumping units. Construction of daily and ten-day regulation basins with a total capacity of 8.65 million cubic meters has been completed. As a result, the irrigation water supply to 21,555 hectares of irrigated land has improved."
"Osmon Canal project was funded by the Asian Development Bank. During the work, the concrete pavement of 37 kilometers of the canal was renewed and 23 hydraulic structures were repaired. "Nineteen hydrostatic stations, 86 water outlets, and 10 pipe crossings were also reconstructed, and four pedestrian bridges were built. Furthermore, 17 automated water distribution systems were commissioned. As a result, the irrigation water supply to 5,862 hectares of irrigated land has improved. Approximately 572 farmers will benefit from this project," Akunbekov emphasized.
It's worth noting that the Osmon main canal, which belongs to the Burana and Birimdik rural municipalities, was commissioned in 1937. Today, it supplies irrigation water to over 4,000 hectares of agricultural land.