Central Asia - Water Efficiency Cooperation Project as Phase 3 of the Multiphase Programmatic Approach

Overview & Synopsis

The development objective of the Second Strengthening Water and Irrigation Management Project for Tajikistan is to increase the efficiency of water and energy use and improve irrigation service delivery. Responding to worsening water scarcity, aging and energy‑intensive irrigation assets, and climate variability that undermine agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods, the operation scales up institutional reforms and targeted investments initiated under earlier efforts to deliver more reliable, climate‑resilient services and reduce operating costs. The World Bank will support institutional reforms and strengthened service delivery by: consolidating basin‑aligned management through Basin Irrigation Scheme Administrations (BISAs); improving scheme governance and financial sustainability for irrigation providers and Water User Associations (WUAs), including performance monitoring and volume‑based billing; advancing policy instruments such as pricing and subsidy frameworks, updated irrigation norms, and mechanisms for a Carbon Finance Program; exploring Public Private Partnership (PPP) options for operations and maintenance; and building human capital and inclusion with youth engagement, targeted training, and mentorship to increase women’s participation in technical and leadership roles. The project will drive digital transformation of the sector by establishing and operationalizing an Irrigation Management Information System (IMIS) and strengthening the National Water Information System (NWIS), installing flow‑measurement and telemetry at bulk delivery points and within WUAs, and creating monitoring and control rooms to enable data‑driven planning and operations. Physical investments will modernize critical infrastructure to bolster climate adaptation and reduce energy intensity, including rehabilitation of approximately twenty pumped irrigation stations nationwide and priority works in gravity systems, canal lining and regulation, drainage rehabilitation, groundwater management where needed, and modernization of key facilities such as the Dangara diversion tunnel, the Beshkent hydrotechnical facility, and the Dekhqonobod and Khalqayor diversion works, with fish and waste protection and efficient electro‑mechanical equipment where applicable. Implementation will be led by the Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation (ALRI) and the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources (MEWR), with strengthened environmental and social risk management, citizen engagement, and grievance redress mechanisms. The project intends to deliver measurable results including improved conveyance efficiency and delivery performance, about 100,000 hectares with improved irrigation and drainage services, energy savings and associated reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and enhanced service reliability benefiting an estimated 470,000 people, while expanding sector capacity through training, digital tools, and performance‑based management to sustain operations and maintenance and improve cost recovery.