Baku: The construction of the Karabakh irrigation canal will be carried out with joint financing by the Azerbaijani government and the Islamic Development Bank, said the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency (ASWRA) in response to APA-Economics’ inquiry.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, a five-year loan agreement with the Islamic Development Bank is planned to be signed at the Bank’s 51st meeting regarding the canal’s construction. Currently, the questions sent by the Islamic Development Bank concerning the Karabakh Canal and its impact on agriculture, the environment, and social sectors are being addressed.

ASWRA’s information indicates that water from the Mingachevir reservoir, through the Main Water Intake structure of the Karabakh Canal located on the reservoir’s shore, passes through a tunnel 1,072 meters long and 4.9 meters in diameter before reaching the canal. The Karabakh Canal itself is 172.4 km long, with a normal water flow of 113 m³/s, and includes a total of 119 hydraulic structures installed for various purposes.

The newly constructed canal will be 168 km long with a concrete lining, planned to be built mainly parallel to the existing canal. The discharge capacity of the new canal is set to increase to 135 m³/s. Additionally, the new canal will allow for the irrigation of an additional 51,034 hectares of new farmland, and the pumping stations on the canal will be modernized. The new canal will also be equipped with a SCADA system.

For reference, the reconstruction project of the Karabakh irrigation canal is being implemented based on the Presidential Order on measures for the reconstruction of the Karabakh irrigation canal, signed by the President of Azerbaijan last year.