American Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Development ISSN Online: 2771-8948 Website: www.ajird.journalspark.org Volume 17, June, 2023 64 | P a g e THE POLICY OF SOVIET GOVERNMENT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IN THE FIELD OF IRRIGATION, LAND RECLAMATION AND MASTERING OF VIRGIN LANDS IN UZBEKISTAN Oybek Kamilovich Komilov Doctor of Sciences in History (DSc), Professor at the Department “Theory of Civil Society” of Andizhan State University, Andizhan Region, Republic of Uzbekistan Email: oybek.komilov@bk.ru Alisher Mamajonov Candidate of Historical Sciences (PhD), Docent at the department “The World History” of Andizhan State University, Andizhan Region, Republic of Uzbekistan Abstract The article analyzes the policy of the centre of the further strengthening mono cultural clap in Uzbekistan that in undertaken measures on building of large irrigation canals and pumping stations in the Republic on the basis of archival sources and historical materials. Therefore, the process of reclamation and irrigation of lands in the country as well as, organization of districts and state farms in these areas specialized to cotton - growing on the principles of cotton monopoly policy of the Soviet government and increase of provision of cotton to the centre and its negative results are elucidated with the help of main historical sources. Besides, in the research the author studied the reclamation of virgin lands in Uzbekistan and the history of state farms organized in the new reclaimed lands. Keywords: Agriculture, cotton monopoly, irrigation system, land reclamation, soviet government, reconstruction, siphon, Uzbekistan, virgin lands, water reservoir. INTRODUCTION Beginning in 1955, the Soviet state began to struggle under the slogan “Subjugation of nature to the people” and the doctrine was formed that “as much water as possible can be used for irrigation, the amount of which is unlimited.” This situation was caused by the development of small and medium-sized areas for irrigation during the Soviet era, and the underdevelopment of factories and plants. At the same time, the development of industry and a sharp increase in population also required a large use of water resources. Due to the policy of cotton monopoly in the republic’s agriculture, the centuries-old system of crop rotation was broken. The problem of water shortages has arisen due to the continuous expansion of cotton fields and uncontrolled irrigation. In particular, As a result of the establishment of the cotton monopoly, the republic became dependent on the center American Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Development ISSN Online: 2771-8948 Website: www.ajird.journalspark.org Volume 17, June, 2023 65 | P a g e and other republics for grain and essential food raw materials, meat and milk for the supply of essential foodstuffs. As a result, there were serious difficulties in providing the population with food. Due to cotton monopoly, the scientifically based crop rotation system has been disrupted, land has lost its productivity, and water scarcity has increased. METHODS Methods such as Comparative analysis, Problem-chronological, objectivity, Structural- systematic analysis, Oral history were used in the article process. It should be noted that the Soviet directives made many decisions on the development of irrigation systems. In particular, on February 8, 1951, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a resolution “On the preparation of irrigation systems for the spring of 1951”, which noted the state of preparation of irrigation systems in the regions for the spring of this year. In particular, the cleaning of the irrigation and drainage network in the country was completed by 35%. In the USSR it was 21%, in Andizhan region 23%, in Camarkand region 25%. Over the last five days, an average of 136,000 people worked on a permanent basis across the country instead of 472,000 [1, 837: 79). At the same time, in Andijan region, in the five years after the war, 39 district and inter- district collectors were repaired to improve the reclamation of land due to the labor of the people. As a result, the protected lands of Zavraq and Niyazbotir massifs were developed. By 1951, the reclamation of 44,000 hectares of land in the region had been improved. By the end of 1951, the regions of the USSR were tasked with the transition to a new irrigation network in the amount of 368.0 thousand hectares, including 58.0 thousand hectares in Bukhara and 52.0 thousand hectares in Andizhan region. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS In 1951 in Ferghana region the cleaning of the irrigation network was carried out in the amount of 1043.4 thousand m, capital construction 1302.1 thousand m, inter-collective cleaning 2201.5 thousand m [2]. As of January 1, 1952, the expansion of irrigated lands in the region was planned at 73,000 hectares, in practice was carried out in the amount of 31,823 hectares, earthworks were carried out in the amount of 11,333 thousand m. Large-scale irrigation facilities have been built to irrigate large areas of cotton. In particular, during 1951-1955, irrigation facilities were built in the basins of the Syrdarya, Kashkadarya, Zarafshan rivers, in the lands of Central Ferghana, in the foothills of Surkhandarya and Amudarya. The construction of the 183 km long Old Angor canal, which carries water from the Zarafshan River to the Kashkadarya River, has been completed. In addition, the construction of the Uchqizil reservoir and a large river reservoir in Surkhandarya, and the Tuyaboguz reservoir on the Ahangaron River has been accelerated. In 1950-1952, the transition to a new irrigation system was completed on more than 650,000 hectares. However, the expected effect was not achieved, temporary irrigation systems often failed, water consumption increased, and soil salinity increased. Soviet officials introduced the use of many techniques to promote irrigation and land reclamation in Uzbekistan. It was American Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Development ISSN Online: 2771-8948 Website: www.ajird.journalspark.org Volume 17, June, 2023 66 | P a g e during this period that the services of zemlesos machines were used in the irrigation system. If in 1953 108 earth-moving machines were used, in 1960 the number of these vehicles increased to 435. In 1954, the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR entrusted the USSR Ministry of Agriculture with 2,390 tractors, 193 excavators, 295 scrapers, 130 bulldozers, 120 graders, 15 floating earthmoving machines, and 600 trucks for the MTS and water management organizations of the USSR 270 cars, 85 tank trucks, 250 mobile workshops, 180 refueling stations. On November 9 of this year, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a resolution “On increasing the plan of mechanized cleaning of the irrigation network in the USSR in 1954”. In 1955, it was decided to make full use of the existing excavation mechanisms to prepare irrigation systems in the USSR for irrigation, to increase the plan of mechanized cleaning of the irrigation network in the USSR to 4906000 m³. In the directives of the Soviet government for the fifth five-year period, he emphasized the need to accelerate irrigation in the republic, to protect irrigated lands from salinization. In particular, according to the Fifth Five-Year Plan for Economic Development of the USSR for 1951-1955, in order to prevent salinization of irrigated lands in the directives of the XIX Congress of the Party, Mirzachul, Central Ferghana, Bukhara, Khorezm, South Karakalpakstan and the Main Turkmen Canal 80 million rubles will be allocated for irrigation and development of 10,000 hectares of new land in Surkhandarya region. The tasks for the construction of the Uchqizil reservoir in the amount of m³ have been identified. Apparently, the center has imposed excessive measures on the republic’s leadership, forcing them to implement them in five years. On June 18, 1955 the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan adopted a resolution “On improving the work of water management bodies of the USSR”[3]. It was noted in the resolution that the reclamation of irrigated lands and the technical reconstruction of canals and structures, the introduction of the planned distribution of water, the construction of large-scale water facilities. The volume of irrigated land in Uzbekistan in 1955 increased by 227.8 thousand hectares compared to 1951, including a significant increase in the area under cotton. The highest growth rates were observed in Tashkent, Syrdarya, Kashkadarya regions and the Kara kalpak ASSR. This was inextricably linked with the agrarian policy of the Soviet government. In the fifth five-year period (1951-1955) 133.7 thousand hectares of irrigated lands were put into operation, while in 1959-1965 this figure was 381.8 thousand hectares. Further acceleration of irrigation works allowed to put into operation 160,000 hectares of protected lands in the republic during 1955-1959. In particular, “In 1965, the area under crops in Uzbekistan increased by 350,000 hectares, including irrigated land by 200,000 hectares. The introduction of large reserves and gray lands into agricultural circulation has expanded the area under cotton. As a result, the volume of cotton production from 1953 to 1964 amounted to 2525.5 thousand tons from 3671.4 thousand tons. However, productivity American Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Development ISSN Online: 2771-8948 Website: www.ajird.journalspark.org Volume 17, June, 2023 67 | P a g e declined: in 1956, the average yield per hectare in the republic was 22.0 ts. In 1962, it fell to 19.2 thousand tons” [4]. Also, according to the directives of the XX Congress of the CPSU on the sixth five-year plan for the development of the national economy of the USSR for 1956-1960, the construction of irrigation networks on 325 thousand hectares and 6 million 800 thousand hectares of desert and steppe pastures to be irrigated, Tuyaboguz, Chimkurgan and Surkhandarya reservoirs to be built. From this period, the construction of the collector also intensified. In particular, from 1957 to 1960 a total of 2.8 mln. Excavations were carried out in the amount of m³. Sardoba pump station was built. With its help, the Central Mirzachul (Golodnostepstroy) collector received 80 mln. m³ of water. As a result, the lake was completed and the overall reclamation condition of 24,000 hectares of land was significantly improve. Most of the irrigated land was occupied by cotton fields during the entire Soviet era. Irrigation works were mainly focused on the development of cotton growing. In 1957-1961, the increase in irrigated area in the republic by 104.7 thousand hectares was achieved through the development of new lands and the improvement of the reclamation of old arable lands. The volume of irrigated land has also increased dramatically. In 1965 the volume of irrigated lands was 3179.1 thousand hectares. On January 13, 1958 the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR “About the course of irrigation and amelioration works in Ferghana and Andizhan regions and in the republic” is accepted [5]. It mainly analyzes the state of work on the preparation of the irrigation network for vegetation (growth) irrigation in 1958, the work carried out on washing and reserve irrigation. As of January 5, 1958, the cleaning of the irrigation network in the country was completed by 58.5%. At the same time, 68.2% of the plan was implemented using mechanisms, and 44.3% by hand. The average annual rate of new irrigated land was 27.4 thousand hectares in 1951-1960, and over the next ten years this figure exceeded 77,000 hectares. The area of irrigated lands in Uzbekistan increased from 2474 thousand hectares in 1960 to 2907.8 thousand hectares in 1975 [6]. In Ferghana region in 1956-1960 18.76 thousand hectares, in 1961-1965 17.48 thousand hectares, in 1966-1970 15.13 thousand hectares, in 1956-1970 a total of 51.37 thousand hectares of irrigated land were used. It was in 1956-1970 that the reclamation of 62.05 thousand hectares of irrigated land in the region improved. In 1957, the source of additional water supply in Bukhara region was collector water. At the end of the growth period, 46 wells were drilled and 14 ditches were constructed. In 1958, the length of the collector-drainage network in Bukhara region was 1527 km. Land development and construction of an irrigation complex in the Aris-Turkestan massif (ancient irrigated area of Kashkadarya region) lasted for 10 years - from 1954 to 1964. The regular development of the array began in 1961. The supply of water to the canal and the development of the surrounding lands were carried out in stages by road construction. In the irrigated agricultural areas of the middle and lower reaches of the Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers, surface water resources are limited and almost depleted. American Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Development ISSN Online: 2771-8948 Website: www.ajird.journalspark.org Volume 17, June, 2023 68 | P a g e In the seven years (1959-1965) the consumption of irrigated land was 381.8 thousand hectares, and its distribution over the years was as follows: in 1959 - 27.0 thousand hectares, in 1960 - 42.0 thousand hectares, in 1961 - 40.0 thousand hectares. ha, 74.0 thousand ha in 1962, 80.0 thousand ha in 1963, 56.0 thousand ha in 1964, 62.8 thousand ha in 1965 [7]. Over the past seven years, more than 300,000 hectares of new lands have been put into economic use in the country, and the water supply of more than 800,000 hectares of irrigated lands has been improved. In accordance with the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan and the Council of Ministers of the USSR of December 21, 1964 “On measures to expand irrigated lands and improve irrigation systems, further increase water supply of irrigated lands”. On January 6, 1965, it issued an order. According it, the Ministries of Agricultural Production and Processing and Water Resources of Uzbekistan have accepted the proposals of the executive committees of Samarkand, Bukhara and Kashkadarya regions on the development of 94,000 hectares of reserves and new lands for 1965-1970, as well as 15,000 hectares - Amu-Karakul. It was agreed to allocate 24 thousand hectares for the construction of the Amu-Bukhara canal, 27 thousand hectares for the expansion of the Kattakurgan reservoir, 28 thousand hectares for the construction of the Chimkurgan, Pachkamar and Kalkamin reservoirs in the proposed regions. The Sredazgiprovodkhoz Institute was asked to draw up a project for the development of the middle Kashkadarya lands by December 1, 1965 and to complete the construction of canals with pumping stations on the left and right banks of the Chimkurgan Reservoir. On the basis of the above order, the Communist Party of Uzbekistan also accepted the proposal of the Kashkadarya regional committee and the regional executive committee. These suggestions included: - On the establishment of farms specializing in cotton growing in the base of lands of the state farm “Kokdala” and the subdivision of the state farm “Ulus” irrigated by the canal “Old Angor”; - Other proposals were made to ensure that the Sredazgiprovodkhoz Institute would develop a one-stage project (diversion and diversion of the canal) to irrigate 1,000 hectares of new land on the Kokdala farm from the Old Angor canal by December 30, 1964. On the basis of the above-mentioned decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan and the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the expansion of irrigated lands in Kashkadarya region, including the state farm named after Akhunboboev at the same time, 3,400 hectares of irrigated land, including 3,000 hectares of cotton fields [8, 6] . On February 9, 1965, in accordance with the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR “On measures to expand the water supply of irrigated lands of the USSR in 1965”, the Ministry of Agricultural Production and Procurement of the USSR issued an order on February 19, 1965. It noted that during the 1965 growing season, although all rivers consumed low levels of water, there was a shortage of water in irrigated areas. This was especially the case in the Amudarya main canal system. At the same time, water resources were misused to irrigate many regions of the country. American Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Development ISSN Online: 2771-8948 Website: www.ajird.journalspark.org Volume 17, June, 2023 69 | P a g e At the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU in May 1966, a program was developed to improve irrigation and land reclamation. Based on the objectives of the program, 500,000 hectares of protected lands have been developed and turned into arable lands and orchards. 6 billion for water management about the water supply and reclamation condition of irrigated lands has significantly improved. As a result, the republic spent 6 million rubles on cotton production ton exceeded the finish line. According to the data, the total capacity of 12 large reservoirs in Uzbekistan in these years is 1.8 billion cubic meters. m³ and increased to 4 bln. m³. The length of all irrigation networks has reached 142,000 km, and the collector- drainage network has reached 50,000 km. There were more than 800 irrigation networks in the country. It is important to note that water resources were overused for irrigation and development of cotton fields. According to the Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources of the USSR, 45 billion soums are spent annually on irrigation. m³ water was consumed. This situation is explained by the following. First, the area of irrigated land has expanded. If in 1965 2391.5 thousand hectares of land were used for irrigation, in 1979 this figure was 3300 thousand hectares. Second, the development of irrigated lands in the semi-desert and desert zone (Jizzakh and Karshi deserts) has increased. As a result, the amount of water consumed per hectare of arable land increased proportionally. Third, the structure of arable lands has changed, and the area of moist crops on irrigated lands has expanded. If in 1965 such areas were 1549.9 thousand, in 1979 this figure was 1.8 million increased from. During the eighth five-year period, 1966-1970, the area of irrigated lands in the republic increased by almost 2.7 million hectares. The water supply of irrigation networks has increased significantly, the reclamation of irrigated lands has improved, and the culture of using irrigation systems has increased. During the same period, more than 1,000 stationary floating and portable pumping stations pumped more than 900 m3 of water per second into the fields of the republic, irrigating about 500,000 hectares of land [9]. In the main tasks of the development of the national economy of the USSR in 1966-1970, the following tasks were assigned to the irrigation sector of Uzbekistan: “To launch 500,000 hectares of new irrigated lands. To continue irrigation and development of Mirzachul, Karshi steppe and Surkhan-Sherabad valley”. In 1967-1980 new irrigated lands have been put into agricultural use, and the volume of water used in agriculture is estimated at 10 billion cubic meters. m³. The amount of water supplied to 1 hectare of irrigated land in the country increased by an average of 3.6 thousand m³. During four years and nine months of the tenth five-year period (1976-1980), 207.6 thousand hectares of new irrigated lands were put into use in Uzbekistan and the reclamation of 454.7 thousand hectares was improved. At the same time, in 1960 the area of irrigated lands was 2.57 million hectares. By the end of the 1980s, the figure was 4.22 million formed [8, 2]. American Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Development ISSN Online: 2771-8948 Website: www.ajird.journalspark.org Volume 17, June, 2023 70 | P a g e It was during this period that excessive energy was consumed for the pumping stations used in the irrigation system. As a result, a number of problems arose. So, the increase in tension was particularly noticeable in the 1970s, in highly energy-intensive irrigated lands [9, 1]. The irrigated area of all categories of farms of the republic in 1970 was 2732.7 thousand hectares, in 1980 - 3517.7 thousand hectares, in 1985 - 3976.6 thousand hectares, in 1986 - 4067.5 thousand hectares, in 1987 - 4160.1 thousand hectares, in 1988 - 4205 hectares thousand ha. As of November 1, 1976, the total land fund of Andijan region amounted to 423.5 thousand hectares, of which 263526 hectares were irrigated lands, and 263492 hectares were agricultural lands. At the same time, in order to prepare irrigated lands for planting in the region in 1976, in the autumn-winter season of 1975-1976, 45.9 thousand hectares of saline lands were washed away. As a result of the Soviet government’s two-pronged policy, the second half of the 1970s saw an increase in the number of drainage facilities in the irrigation system, and water consumption also increased. In particular, in 1971-1975 the volume of water consumption from these water facilities amounted to 14-15 thousand m3, and in 1978-1981 it increased by 17-18 thousand m3. These processes, in turn, led to the deformation of irrigation works. In the Urgut district of Samarkand region over the past fifteen years, about 11 mln. rubles of capital was disbursed, 1279 ha of new irrigated lands were put into agricultural consumption, 2145 ha of land reclamation was improved. Most of the irrigated lands in Bukhara region are located in the Karakul oasis, and in 1976-1981, 26.3% of them were reclamated, and 10.2% were substantially leveled. Irrigation networks were reconstructed in 39.9% of lands. The first closed horizontal drainage in the oasis was built in the territory of the collective farm “Lenin’s Way” in Alat district. According to the Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources, “In 1978, 45 billion cubic meters of water were used for irrigation. This is 95% of the water consumed in agriculture, and 87.9% of the water used in the national economy. However, in 1980, the irrigation water supply decreased by almost 25%, resulting in a decline in productivity in all irrigated areas, and at the same time, the water supply for irrigation was also reduced. The construction of irrigation facilities and the introduction of irrigated lands into agricultural consumption were carried out on a regular basis throughout the Soviet period. However, since the second half of the 1970s, the amount of irrigated land has been declining from year to year. For example, “If in 1976-1980 482.1 thousand hectares of land were used for irrigation, in 1981-1985 this figure fell to 429.9 thousand hectares, and in 1986-1990 this figure totaled 159.4 thousand hectares”. However, despite the allocation of funds by the Soviet government to improve the reclamation of lands during this period, its condition was not satisfactory. In particular, “According to 1986 data, 500,000 hectares of land or 15% of irrigated land in our country do not meet any reclamation requirements.” This has led to a decline in yields from irrigated lands. But the Soviets, in their own interest, tried to improve the reclamation of lands in the republic and increase the amount of irrigated land. The resolution of the XXVI Congress of the CPSU on March 2, 1981 on the project of the Central American Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Development ISSN Online: 2771-8948 Website: www.ajird.journalspark.org Volume 17, June, 2023 71 | P a g e Committee of the CPSU “Main directions of economic and social development of the USSR for 1981-1985 and up to 1990” focused on irrigation and land reclamation. In particular, “further development of land reclamation should be ensured. At the expense of state capital 3.4-3.6 mln. hectares of irrigated land and 3.7-3.9 mln. In the desert, semi-desert and mountainous areas, 26-28 mln. to bring water to pastures”. CONCLUSION In conclusion, based on the content of the Soviet agrarian policy, the establishment of cotton monopoly in Uzbekistan, on the basis of which the development of the irrigation system has led to many negative aspects. In particular, the republic’s dependence on the center for providing the population with grain and food products has increased. As a result of the development of irrigation and land reclamation under the influence of cotton monopoly, the land gradually lost its productivity, and the shortage of water resources increased from year to year. Mistakes were also made in the processing of irrigated lands. As a result of the deep specialization of the republic in cotton growing, a number of problems have arisen. REFERENCES: 1. Komilov, O. K. (2022). From the history of irrigation and land reclamation in Uzbekistan (1950-1990). American Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Development, 10, 416- 421. 2. Komilov, O. K. (2022). Land reclamation and irrigation measures of virgin lands in Karshi Steppe. Frontline Social Sciences and History Journal, 2(01), 35-42. 3. Komilov, O. K., & Khamidova, R. F. (2022). TRAINING OF EXPERT PERSONNEL IN THE FIELD OF IRRIGATION IN UZBEKISTAN (1951-1990). EPRA International Journal of Research and Development (IJRD), 7(8), 148-152. 4. Komilov, O. K., & Yunusov, N. K. (2023). IRRIGATION SYSTEM IN UZBEKISTAN AND ITS MAIN MEASURES. American Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Development, 13, 69-79. 5. Komilov, O. K. (2019). The history of the development irrigation and land-reclamation in Uzbekistan and its effects (1950-1990).Theoretical & Applied Science, (7), 265-269. 6. Komilov, O. K. (2019). RECLAMATION OF VIRGIN LANDS IN UZBEKISTAN AND ITS EFFECTS (1950-1970). Spirit Time, (9), 9-11. 7. Komilov, O. K. (2019). IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW LANDS AND STRENGTHENING OF COTTON MONOPOLY IN UZBEKISTAN (1950-1970). Актуальные научные исследования в современном мире, (10-3), 40-43. 8. Komilov, O. (2021, June). THE HISTORY OF MASTERING VIRGIN LANDS OF CENTRAL FERGHANA (1953-1973). In Конференции. 9. Komilov, O. K. (2021). Modernization History of the Irrigation System in Uzbekistan (In the Example of the Period of Independence). Design Engineering, 6111-6120