Baku - IOM Azerbaijan has started training of kankanks (kahriz technicians) and testing the Horizontal Directional Drilling Rig in Gozlu kahriz located in Ahmadaghali village of Aghdam district.

The new Horizontal Directional Drilling Rig which reduces environmental damage, costs, makes it possible to perform a significant amount of work in a short time.

This innovative approach and the use of new technologies, which include Vertical and Horizontal Directional Drilling Rigs, will speed up the works carried out in the framework of “Integrated Rural Development for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Communities in Azerbaijan through Revitalization of the Kahriz Water Supply System” project, financed by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

The four-year project aims to provide safe and consistent water supplies for over 8,000 families in rural areas of Aghdam, Aghjabedi, Barda, Fuzuli, Ganja, Gazakh, Goranboy, and Goygol districts through the renovation of over 40 kahrizes – a man-made, centuries-old, traditional water-supply system that does not need electricity or fossil fuel to function. In addition to renovating the kahrizes, the project has components that involve capacity building, business development, and a strong engagement with academia.