OREANDA-NEWS  The main land reclamation facility in northern Dagestan, the Kargalinsky hydroelectric power plant in the Kizlyar district, was officially put into operation after reconstruction, the project cost amounted to 1.3 billion rubles, the press service of the government of the republic reported.

"Maxim Borovoy, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Russia, and Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov, Chairman of the Government of Dagestan, solemnly commissioned the main land reclamation facility in northern Dagestan, the Kargalinsky hydroelectric complex in the Kizlyar district, after reconstruction.… All the work was completed within the time frame set by the project. The estimated cost of reconstruction amounted to 1.3 billion rubles," the report says.
The Kargaly hydroelectric complex was put into operation in 1956.

The suspended irrigated area is 114 thousand hectares of farmland in Dagestan and Chechnya. According to the Government of the republic, the reconstruction of the facility is a significant step in providing water to agricultural producers in the northern zone of Dagestan. The measures taken will prevent 114 thousand hectares from being eliminated from agricultural turnover, create conditions for guaranteed production of export-oriented agricultural products (rice, meat), and increase the reliability and safety of hydraulic structures.

As part of the reconstruction, a fish passage channel was built to bypass the dam on the Terek River with a capacity of 14 cubic meters per second, repairs were carried out on the dam and the lock regulator, water retention and fish protection facilities were built, the delta channel was cleared, and the hydromechanical equipment was replaced.
"The reconstruction of the Kargolinsky hydroelectric complex is a very significant event for our plant growers and agrarians, because 75% of the entire rice network of the republic is connected here, first of all, the Kizlyar and Tarumovsky districts. Plus, the reconstruction of the facility has additionally added another 14,000 hectares of our lands in the northern zone to the land reclamation network. This is a very significant facility, because without water and land reclamation, there is no need to talk about any development of agriculture. Moreover, 72% of all crop production in our republic is produced on reclaimed lands," Abdulmuslimov said during the ceremonial launch of the hydroelectric complex.

Borovoy, in turn, said that the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia is systematically working on the development of agriculture together with the government of Dagestan, in connection with which the reconstruction of two more irrigation systems in the region is envisaged – Staro-Terechnaya and Talovskaya. The total estimated cost of the work is more than 4.3 billion rubles.