Irrigation
Three quarters of the water for irrigation were provided by water supply channels and one quarter by local water sources. The local irrigation system is composed of two systems. The first consists of several hundred kilometres of water supply channels pumping water from the Volga River or its tributaries. These end in the artificial ponds and fields which had been abandoned after usually less than 10 years due to yields dropping below those on dry land area. The second system is presented by local water harvesting from melted snow and soil water conservation techniques. To accomplish this task hundreds of artificial ponds and hundred km of small dams equipped by weir and surrounding agricultural areas were constructed in XVIII-XIX centuries. During recent years the soil is not frozen during winter time and melt-water infiltrates and reaches the ground water without any significant water harvesting in soil and water storage in the reservoirs.
