water management – GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF TAJIKISTAN

GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF TAJIKISTAN

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22

Sep

Water & Rivers

GeoSociety

Irrigation Heritage: Qanats and Old Systems

Beneath the sun-baked fields of Tajikistan lie the traces of another geography—one built not of asphalt and canals, but of tunnels, shafts, and whispers of flowing water. These are the qanats, or karez, ancient irrigation systems that once sustained oases and villages long before Soviet concrete channels drew straight lines across the land. In places
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24

Aug

Land & Ecosystems

GeoSociety

Salinization of Irrigated Soils

In the irrigated lowlands of Tajikistan, soil is not just ground—it is the country’s quiet infrastructure. It holds the water that feeds cotton, wheat, and vegetables; it anchors the livelihoods of millions who depend on the river-fed plains of Khatlon, Vakhsh, and Sughd. Yet these same fertile fields are turning saline. White crusts appear on
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4

Feb

Land & Ecosystems

GeoSociety

Cotton Landscapes: Water, Monoculture, and Soil

In the lowland plains of Tajikistan, cotton fields stretch in orderly rows toward the horizon, green leaves shimmering against pale loess soils under an unforgiving sun. These landscapes are both entirely human-made and deeply geographical. Cotton here depends on a massive redirection of water, the reshaping of soils, and a social-ecological system built around monoculture.
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