Baku - IOM Azerbaijan officially handed over renovated Lezgi kahriz to the community of the Sefikurd village of the Goranboy district within the current IOM Project “Integrated Rural Development for IDP communities in Azerbaijan through Revitalization of Kahriz Water Supply System” financed by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The kahriz will provide irrigation water to 1400 families of the village.

It should be noted that the IOM Azerbaijan has also completed the rehabilitation of the Shafibeyli kahriz located in the Shafibeyli village of the district and it will soon be handed over to the local community.

The project aims to provide safe and consistent water supplies for people in the region through the renovation of 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.