OSCE Centre in Ashgabad organizes workshop on distribution of irrigation water
ASHGABAD, 24 November 2008 - Fourteen officials involved in Turkmenistan's water distribution are attending an OSCE-organized course today on the use of modern technology to ensure effective distribution of irrigation water.
During the five-day workshop, the officials from the Ministry of Water Resources, the National Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna, the Institute for Water Resources and five regional water companies will discuss how the administration of irrigation water distribution can be improved using geographical information systems software(GIS).
The OSCE Centre in Ashgabad organized the event in co-operation with the Foreign and Water Resources Ministries.
During the course, participants will look into geographical factors, and what information is needed for effective water distribution. They will also practice using global positioning satellite (GPS) devices for data collection on a sample irrigation scheme and perform a technical analysis of irrigation infrastructure through GIS software.
"The use of advanced computer software such as GIS can significantly improve the organization, management and analysis of data by providing a comprehensive picture of a particular project area and its attributes," said Ambassador Ibrahim Djikic, the Head of the OSCE Centre. "We are confident that such technology will prove a useful tool to Turkmenistan's efforts in monitoring and managing the distribution of the country's irrigation water."
The project is part of the OSCE Centre's support for programmes aimed at enhancing security and capacity building in the water resources sector.