By the end of this year, Turkmenistan will receive a batch of two hundred of various hydraulic equipment, reported to the newspaper “Neutral Turkmenistan” with reference to the State Committee of Water Management.
At one of government meetings, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov instructed to prepare proposals related to the allocation of necessary funds for the purchase of machinery, dredgers, water pumps and spare parts for them.
In addition, the head of state pointed out the need to survey the riverbed, starting work with the Amu Darya and Karakum rivers, draw up an action plan to improve their trafficability, develop action plans for cleaning other channels, wider introduction of water-saving measures during transportation.
The Garagumderýasuwhojalyk (Karakum river water economy) Association, subordinated to the State Committee for Water Management, is directly engaged in maintenance of the unique and oldest hydraulic system of Turkmenistan – the Karakum Canal or the Karakum River.
This department deals with issues such as water intake, timely filling of reservoirs, maintaining the hydraulic facilities and nodes, as well as the beds of head and inter-farm irrigation channels in working condition.
The Association has at its disposal more than 90 foreign dredgers, including 54 new ones equipped with automatic systems, as well as hundreds of units of earthmoving machinery – excavators, scrapers, graders, rollers, bulldozers, including equipment from such well-known companies as Komatsu and Caterpillar.
Digitalization on the Karakum River
The ministry of agriculture and environmental protection of Turkmenistan has a Central Directorate for the construction of water facilities, which also undertakes planning activities. Among the priority task, facing the Directorate is the introduction of elements of digitalization in the management of the water sector.
So, at the moment, preparations are underway for the installation of electronic water level metering systems along the Karakum riverbed – from beginning to end (the city of Bereket).
Automatic devices will collect data on water parameters and transmit it to the control room for making operational decisions in case of fluctuations.
Vital infrastructure
Along with being the country’s main water supply channel, the Karakum River also houses a network of transport and logistics hubs.
In total, 34 regulatory facilities operate on the 1,445 km long river. There are 30 automobile bridges, 8 railway bridges, as well as 14 pontoon crossings along the river course. Part of the canal route from the head (the Amu Darya River in the east of the country) to the city of Mary is navigable.
At 105 points, various objects such as water channels, pipelines cross the river.
The employees of the water sector also take care of the bank zone, where woody plants are planted.
To combat the overgrowth of aquatic plants, slowing down the free flow of water, herbivorous fish were launched. On an ongoing basis, measures are being taken to stock reservoirs and branch channels. Such fish species as carp, silver carp, white and black carp are released into the river. ///nCa, 11 August 2022