International Journal of Agriculture: Research and Review. Vol., 3 (4), 742-750, 2013 Available online at http://www.ecisi.com ISSN 2228-7973 ©2013 ECISI Journals CANAL LINING TO INCREASE WATER USE EFFICIENCY AND REMEDIATE GROUNDWATER LEVELS IN KHOREZM UZBEKISTAN,CENTRAL ASIA JABBAROV HOJYAZ 1 ,RUZIMBOY ESHCHANOV 2 ,JAMSHID NURMETOV 3 ,ALEXANDRA LUTZ 4 , MARGARET SHANAFIELD 5 ,JOHN P.A. LAMERS 6 1- Professor, PhD, Head of Engineering Chair, Urgench State University, Urgench 220100. 2- PhD, Professor, Doctor of Biology, Rector of Urgench State University, Urgench, 220100. 3- PhD Candidate, Geography Department, Urgench State University, Urgench 220100. 4- PhD, Assistant Research Professor, Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno NV 89512. 5- PhD, Post-Doctoral Fellow, National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training, Flinders University, Ring Road, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia. 6- Centre for Development Research, University of Bonn, Walter-Flex Strasse 3, D-53113 Bonn, Germany. *Corresponding author: ALEXANDRA LUTZ ABSTRACT: High water losses in the large-scale irrigation systems of Central Asia have contributed to the decline of the Aral Sea, once the fourth largest inland sea in the world. Only a small portion of the hundreds of kilometres of irrigation canals are lined, which has led to excessive withdrawal from major rivers, soil degradation, and lowered crop yields. The goal of this study was to evaluate the use of a plastic liner to decrease water loss in an irrigation canal in the Khorezm region of northwest Uzbekistan, Central Asia, and thereby lower groundwater levels that contribute to secondary soil salinization, which is a major burden in this region. The plastic lining was selected due to appropriateness for the soil type and climate, low cost, in-country availability of supplies, and low maintenance needs. Although this technique is not new, the cost-benefit analysis and evaluation of regional water savings and groundwater response based on soil type had not previously been examined. Comparisons of irrigation water flow through canal sections with and without the plastic liner showed up to 78% reduction of water loss and 0.14 m decrease of groundwater level by the plastic-lined canal. Water saved could be applied to additional hectares. Keywords: Aral Sea Basin, Amudarya River, Irrigation Water Management, Agriculture, Salinization, Development, Environment, Sustainability INTRODUCTION Nearly 40% of global food production originates from 280 million hectares (Mha) of irrigated croplands, which represent 18% of global croplands (UNESCO-WWAP, 2006). Although imperative for food production to our growing global population, irrigated croplands are also a source of environmental concern owing to high water losses, secondary soil salinization, lower crop yields, and nutrient leaching (UNESCO-WWAP, 2006.) These issues are acute in Central Asia, where 40 to 60% of the roughly 11 Mha of irrigated land is highly degraded, particularly due to secondary soil salinization (Lal, 2007). At present, as much as 12% of the irrigated areas in Kyrgyzstan, 50% in Uzbekistan, and up to 95% in Turkmenistan are considered saline (Dukhovny et al., 2002), which has caused yield losses with an accumulated, estimated loss of $2 billion annually (Mikhalev and Reimov, 2008). Furthermore, the size of the Aral Sea has diminished in response to the redirection of inflow waters diverted from the two main rivers – the Amu and Syrdarya Rivers, to irrigation canals (Micklin, 2007), leading to further environmental and human health issues in the region.