Three Central Asian canals were recognized as World Heritage Irrigation Structures

The Khalifa Hasan Irrigation System in Tajikistan and the Dargom and Shokhrud Canals in Uzbekistan have been selected for World Heritage Irrigation Structures (WHIS) Award 2026 of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID). This designation is granted to historic irrigation and drainage structures of outstanding engineering, economic and cultural significance. All three canals remain operational and continue to form an important part of the water management systems in their respective countries.

The Khalifa Hasan Irrigation System has been in operation for more than 400 years and retains both its economic and cultural significance. Its uniqueness lies in the way it combines irrigation heritage with historical memory: the name of Khalifa Hasan refers to the canal, the jamoat and local settlements in the Panjakent Valley. The 48-km-long canal irrigates more than 3,500 hectares in Panjakent district, Sughd province in Tajikistan.

The Dargom Canal is one of the oldest irrigation systems in Central Asia still in operation. Its construction dates to the 5th-4th centuries BCE. For more than two millennia, the canal has supplied water to the Samarkand oasis and supported irrigated agriculture, cities and settlements in the Zeravshan Valley. Approximately 102 km long, the canal serves about 178,000 hectares in Samarkand and Kashkadarya provinces. Its system comprises 146 hydraulic facilities and 12 gauging stations. Having preserved its historic route and gravity-flow operation, the Dargom Canal remains a key element of Uzbekistan's water distribution system.

The Shokhrud Canal, believed to have been constructed in the 3rd-4th centuries CE, played a key role in the formation of the Bukhara oasis and the development of the city of Bukhara. For centuries, it supplied water to irrigated lands, orchards and vineyards, craft and residential quarters, as well as the city's hauzes/ponds. The Shokhrud Canal is closely associated with the Historic Cente of Bukhara, which is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The nominations were submitted by the National Committees on Irrigation and Drainage of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with assistance provided by SIC ICWC through the Expert Platform on Water Security, Sustainable Development and Future Studies and the "Regional Mechanisms for a Low-Carbon, Climate-Resilient Transformation of the Energy-Water-Land Nexus in Central Asia".

The WHIS 2026 Award will be presented during the 26th ICID International Congress and 77th International Executive Council Meeting, to be held in Marseille, France, from 12 to 17 October 2026.