Baku - On 25 June 2021, IOM Azerbaijan with project stakeholders, experts, guests from different Ministries, State bodies (President Administration, Cabinet of Ministers, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Ecology, State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and IDPs, Azerbaijan Amelioration and Water farm OJSC, AZERSU OJSC) and Academia held online the workshop on National Master Plan for kahriz renovation to discuss kahriz concept, its socio-economic and legal aspect, and necessity of including it into national water management policies within the frameworks of the general discussions on efficient use of water resources in the country.

Welcoming all participants, Chief of Mission of IOM Azerbaijan Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev highlighted the importance of the “Integrated Rural Development for Internally Displaced Communities in Azerbaijan through Revitalization of Kahriz Water Supply System” project implemented by IOM Azerbaijan with financial support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). He noted that prior to this kahriz project, IOM has been implementing kahriz renovation for over 20 years, and based on the existing experience and expertise, IOM is ready to present the draft of the National Master Plan for kahriz renovation for the open discussion. “The main challenges related to kahriz renovation, socio-economic and environmental significance of kahriz system in Azerbaijan, legislative issues of kahriz ownership, as well as the relevant recommendations will be shared with the relevant Government institutions and Academia during the workshop,” said Vladimir Gjorgjiev.

The National Master Plan for kahriz renovation in Azerbaijan developed by the independent experts in close cooperation with the project team aims to mainstream kahriz tradition into the local policies on water supply system and water resource management.

The online workshop was followed by the presentations of Kahriz renovation Project, the introduction of new technologies in the kahriz renovation process, the introduction of the National Master Plan for kahriz renovation in Azerbaijan.

Following the presentations, participants used the opportunity to ask detailed questions about the project and National Master Plan.

The “Integrated Rural Development for Internally Displaced Communities in Azerbaijan through Revitalization of Kahriz Water Supply System” project aims to provide safe and consistent water supplies for thousands of families in region through the renovation kahrizes – a traditional, sustainable water supply system.

The project’s overall objective is to contribute to the prevention of forced economic migration by enhancing access of rural communities in Azerbaijan to energy-free water resources as a means to increase agriculture productivity and livelihoods through provision of water infrastructure, by providing opportunities for income-generating activities in link with Kahriz renovation. The project continues to implement a community-driven approach, paying specific attention to cross-cutting issues such as gender, governance, and environmental sustainability.

The Project has 6 main components, which are developing NMP, kahriz rehabilitation, capacity building for kahriz engineering and kankans, supporting small business among IDPs in target regions, and increasing community awareness on Kahriz Maintenance and Efficient Use of Water.

Media Coverage

UNAZERBAIJAN