Groundwater as a factor of food and environmental security: Restoring the productivity of water intake wells
Abstract
Environmental and food security are issues of global importance, and locally produced agricultural products deserve special attention because they are directly linked to water and land resources. Since more than 90 percent of agricultural production in Uzbekistan is grown under irrigation and the country is experiencing a shortage of water resources, groundwater can be considered an additional source for irrigation. Its use depends on the structures that pump this water, and improving these water intake facilities makes it possible to increase the yield of the existing lands. Calculations for the age structure of the population give an average daily energy requirement of 1766 kcal per person. In Uzbekistan 9.5 km 3 of groundwater is used, about 50 percent of the reserve potential; its quantity and quality by degree of mineralization are given. The research object was the existing water intake wells of the Syrdarya and Amudarya basins. A decrease in the water output of wells made of metal was revealed, and the wells were restored by mechanical means, which raised the water recovery to 78 percent, while the pulse method restored it to 96 percent. It is recommended to use more modern structures when designing water intake wells.