Tajik Water Specialists Strengthen Their Capacity in Water Resources Accounting Through Uzbekistan’s Best Practices
From 17 to 19 June, a specialized training on “Fundamentals of Hydrometry and Water Resources Accounting” was held in Khujand.
The event brought together specialists from district irrigation and land reclamation departments of Sughd Region, as well as hydro-technicians from Water User Associations (WUAs).
The training was jointly organized by the National Water Resources Management Projects of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan with financial support from the Swiss Government. Its main objective was to strengthen the capacity of local professionals to improve efficiency, transparency, and evidence-based management of irrigation systems.
A key contribution to the training was made by experts from the National Water Resources Management Project of Uzbekistan (NWRM-Uz), who served as trainers and shared their country’s advanced experience in water measurement, accounting, and digitalization with their Tajik counterparts.
The programme followed a practical “theory-to-practice” approach. During the first two days, participants studied the fundamentals of hydrometry, water balance assessment methods, and modern approaches to measuring water discharge. Uzbek experts demonstrated practical applications of current meters and digital monitoring tools, while also highlighting common challenges and errors encountered in water accounting.
The practical field session took place at the Shavkat Canal in Spitamen District. Under the guidance of Uzbek experts, participants conducted hydrometric measurements, calculated water discharge, and strengthened their skills in applying measurement data for water allocation planning and management.
“Experience sharing between neighbouring countries is an important driver of water sector development. Adopting successful practices from Uzbekistan helps improve the accuracy of water accounting, which directly contributes to fairer water distribution and increased agricultural productivity,” said Halim Khodzhiev, Deputy Head of the Sughd Regional Department of Irrigation and Land Reclamation.
At the conclusion of the training, participants successfully completed a final assessment, received certificates, and were provided with methodological materials to support the practical application of the knowledge and skills acquired during the training.
