At the edge of the Ferghana Basin in Central Asia, water is not only food, but also the lifeline. Recently, the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of Kyrgyzstan officially announced that CRBC has successfully won the bid for the reconstruction project of the main canal in Bazar Korgon District, Jalalabad Region. The total contract value of the project is up to 85347.6 million som, which is another important achievement of China and Kyrgyzstan under the framework of the the Belt and Road, marking the in-depth expansion of bilateral cooperation from traditional transportation infrastructure to key areas of agriculture and people's livelihood.

The signing and launch ceremony of the project was of high standard, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of Kyrgyzstan personally attended the scene, witnessing it together with local politicians, community members and Chinese teams. As part of the agricultural lifeline of the Fergana Basin, this project will undergo a thorough modernization of key water conservancy facilities that support eight communities in the Bazar Korgon district.

The core content of the project includes one reconstruction and one new construction:

Thoroughly rebuild 15 kilometers of the left bank main canal and construct an upstream branch canal with a total length of 13.5 kilometers to extend irrigation coverage.

Technically, the project will focus on introducing modern technologies such as anti-seepage lining, aiming to minimize the leakage of water resources during transportation and significantly improve the capacity and reliability of the water supply system.

The social and economic benefits of this project are extremely significant. After the system is put into operation, it is expected to directly improve the irrigation water quality and efficiency of 8225 hectares of farmland, completely solving the long-standing problem of spring drought and water shortage in the local area. This will not only significantly increase crop yields and ensure food security in Kyrgyzstan, but also directly benefit the production and livelihood of over 114000 residents in rural areas such as Bazar Korgon District, Sadikum, and Akman. Keywords: the Belt and Road, Kazakhstan, water conservancy projects

It is reported that the project has been fully launched and is expected to be fully completed by the end of December 2028.Editor/Cheng Liting