Author(s)

T. Yamamoto, A. Jalaldin, A. Maimaidi & T. Nagasawa

Abstract

Irrigation is indispensable in guaranteeing agricultural production in arid regions, such as the Tarim Basin. In this region, administrations and farmers have reclaimed wild land, and have attempted agricultural development by securing the water resources. However, this area faces problems with an extremely irrational plan between land reclamation and water resource development, which has resulted in an acute shortage of water in this region. The situation has also caused ecological damage. This paper discusses this region’s problems with agricultural water use and farmer’s activities. It is shown that water supply volume per unit of farmland is tending to decrease. It is also clear that the water supply from the river has decreased greatly in the region where water-saving irrigation by groundwater pumping was introduced earlier. Water-saving irrigation is being introduced to resolve the water shortage and create new water resources. Although it seems to be effective for saving water resources, improper management hinders effective irrigation in this region. In particular, considering that water management is different among landowners and farmers, it has become clear that there are several problems – lack of an adequate management system and training system for facilities maintenance, etc. – that need to be resolved for water-saving irrigation in the region. Keywords: Tarim River, water-saving irrigation, land and water management.

Keywords

Tarim River, water-saving irrigation, land and water management