BATKEN. On April 5, the regular meeting of the Small Basin Council on the Isfara river (SBC) was held. Vice-mayor of Batken, representatives of the water management department, SBC, specialists of the Aga Khan Fund and CAREC. The meeting was held within CAREC-USAID joint project "Smart waters".
During the discussion, the council members touched upon several topics: the results of updating the Basin Plan (2014-2020), the establishment of a demonstration site on modern agricultural practices and water-saving technologies, and the creation of a public fund with the participation of basin council members.
The basin plan for the Isfara river was developed in 2014. An analysis of the implementation of this document showed that there is a need to clarify the list of planned activities and the budget. The analysis and adaptation of the basin plan were carried out by the members of the Small Basin Council, who conducted the presentation for the participants of the meeting.
"Since of the end of 2017, strategic development plans of the Kyrgyz Republic are being updated, including the water management and environmental protection. The policy of interaction between the Central Asian countries on the use of water resources is changing, and we must reflect all these new challenges in the updated version of the basin plan " said SBC Chairman on the Isfara river Mamadiev Doranbek.
Then the meeting participants considered the organization of a demonstration site, the mayor's office of the Batken provided 2.5 hectares of land for this purpose. The SBC Board presented the project of the demonstration site, it will collect the best practices of sustainable land use, effective irrigation technologies, growing drought-resistant and acclimatized varieties of fruit trees and shrubs, using renewable energy sources, growing vegetables in greenhouses.
"The allocated territory for the sustainability of SBC will help local farmers and agricultural specialists to get the necessary knowledge and practical experience in the application of affordable technologies and methods of growing agricultural fruit crops," - said the deputy mayor of Batken Sultanov Mamasadyk.
Тhe first step in organizing the demonstration site will be the creation of a public fund from the representatives of the Small Basin Council. In fact, the creation of such a fund is the registration of an existing council as a legal entity; it is necessary to start work on the site allocated by the city council. After numerous negotiations with local partners and partners from CAREC, the members of the SBC approved the decision to be the founders of the public fund: the Rural Advisory Council for the Batken oblast, Mayor's office of Batken city and the Union of the Water Users Association. Members of the Small Basin Council and CAREC specialists joined the supervisory committee of the public fund, participants of the meeting also elected members of the board and the audit committee.
As a result of the discussion, SBC members decided to complete the revision of the basin plan, register the draft of foundation charter and prepare the cost estimate for the demonstration site.
The next meeting is scheduled for early May. On the meeting members of SBC will consider the program of the "Isfara River Day", which will take place on June 23-24.