Sustainable Water Supply for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Azerbaijan Through Kahriz Rehabilitation

Project Donor is the Bureau of Population, Refugees & Migration

The Project main partner agencies are local executive committees, municipalities, AZERSU  and Water User Committees (WUC)

The project’s overall objective is to “contribute to the prevention of forced economic migration by enhancing access of vulnerable communities in western regions of Azerbaijan to energy free water resources as a mean to increase agricultural productivity and livelihood”.

Specific objectives include:

• Increase community access to water for consumption and agriculture, through the renovation of kahrizes in rural areas of Azerbaijan; 
• Build capacity of community members, including women, to manage water resources through the establishment of and participation in Water User Committees (WUC);
• Increase income-generation opportunities linked to kahriz renovation by creating at least 10 to 15 groups of kankans, and providing increased access to irrigation for agriculture; and
• Support scale-up of kahriz renovation in other regions, through awareness raising, information sharing and technical assistance targeting relevant government agencies, civil society organizations, academics and entrepreneurs at the regional and national levels