Purpose: assessment of the geoecological state of water bodies, large irrigation and feeding systems, Sarpinsky lakes, reservoirs, main and distribution canals, river network. The total area of irrigation and feeding systems totals about 122 thousand hectares, while half of the 54 thousand hectares of irrigated land is watered with high salinity water. For 48 years, the morphometric characteristics of large lakes have changed for the worse, the water in the lakes is gradually becoming saline, the coastal zone is overgrown with aquatic vegetation and is significantly silted up, many irrigation canals experience slope deformations, their dams are being destroyed, and the throughput capacity is decreasing. About 135 reservoirs have been built on the territory of Kalmykia, the largest of which are Chograyskoe, Gorodovikovskoe and Proletarskoye. Condition of irrigated lands for the period 2010–2018 is assessed as good in 2–4 % of cases, as satisfactory in 24–29 %, as unsatisfactory in 68–72 % of cases.
Discussion. The cause of secondary salinization, waterlogging, depletion of irrigated lands and desertification was the imperfection of irrigation and collector-drainage systems, as well as irrigation techniques. The inclusion of a large amount of fallow lands in agriculture will lead to socio-economic and climatic changes, as well as humid warming in the Republic of Kalmykia. In the future, it is recommended to reconstruct canals in an earthen channel with the installation of lining on them using geosynthetic and geocomposite materials, which will increase the canals’ performance of the Chernozemelskaya and partially Sarpinskaya watering and feeding systems, bringing their efficiency to 0.85–0.90.
Conclusions. Desertification processes are developing in the Republic of Kalmykia, the main causes of which are degradation, wind and water soil erosion, dehumification and secondary salinization. The total desertification index is 76 points.
doi: 10.31774/2712-9357-2022-12-3-291-304
irrigated lands, watering and feeding systems, main and distribution canals, water bodies, lakes, reservoirs, river network
Kosichenko Yu. M., Kolganov A. V. Geoecological state of water bodies in the Republic of Kalmykia. Land Reclamation and Hydraulic Engineering. 2022;12(3):291–304. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.31774/2712-9357-2022-12-3-291-304.
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