USSR SCIENTIFC EXPEDITIONS IN MAIN TURKMEN CANAL ZONE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060162-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 30, 2011
• Sequence Number: 162
• Publication Date: April 26, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASS IFICATI( CONFTDEPTIA&
CYJR'LTY INF~IATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY USSR
Scientific - Miscellaneous, expeditions
SUBJECT
HOW
PUBLISHED
WHERE
PUBLISHED USSR
DATE
PUBLISHED 9 - 29 Jan 1952
LANGUAGE
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DATE OF
INFORMATION 1952
DATE DIST. U Apr 1952
NO. OF PAGES 4
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
USSR SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITIONS IN MAIN TlJR141EN CANAL ZONE
STUDY RODENT'S IN CANAL AREA -- Ashkhabad, Turkmenskaya Iskra, 9 Jan 52
The Zooparasitological Expedition of the Academy of Sciencea.Turkmen SSR
has collected data concerning the basic types of fauna found in the area through
which the southwestern portion of the Main Turkmen Canal is to run. It has cat-
nepests has studies harmful to the of astu a vegetation and bushy
ague heh main
growth of
The expedition identified 34 species of vertebrates (mrmals), about one
half of which are pests harmful to pasture vegetation and woody growth and which
would, therefore, also be a threat to livestock raising in the area. In areas
with sandy, clayey soils, the most numerous rodents are jerboas r0susoiks45, , and251,
gerbils. fccordinA to Ro1'ahaa Sovetskaya Enteiklopediya, 9i,
"almost all gerbils .. have an important epidemiological significance as
carriers of plague.5
The damage done to pasture vegetation and h bynthese ppests estssvaries
with the season of the year. The rodent population where pasture vegetation is found, and observations made by theneipediilation show
spring
that it injures about 30-35 percent of the pasture vegetati
p f
and e roots shoots plof the ants. vegetation,
thenadventho
season. The rodents
arthing thee bulbs succulent
still
os partially une
cot wnin these moisture In their natural habitat, theerodentsadrink
containing-food plants.
their moisture requirements from p
vi
ng
uo water, deri
The rodents are particularly harmful to pastures in summer, when no moisture
falls and the plants dry up above the surface of the ground. Then, they begin bushy to feed entirely on the tootsand oise_rysnume ous, it edamagg se60-75 percent
growth. Where the rodent population of the bushes.
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The rodents have completely adapted themselves to desert life and climate.
For example, the gerbils collect all food plants from around their village and
store them for the winter. It has been observed that at times they even cure
these plants by placing them in their bui:ows or by scattering them in the shade.
In this way, vitamins are preserved in the roots. In dry years, the rodents
often preserve their food stocks in specially prepared places.
Members of the expedition, under the leadership of M. M. Tikhomirovo;;,
Candidate of Medical Sciences, and Radchenko,?senior zoologist, are now ex-
terminating the rodents from the route of the canal and its vicinity.
The number of rodents and other pests varies widely in different areas of
the canal zone and a'so in the western foothills of the Kopet-Dag Mountains,
because of varying soil and vegetation conditions. In the valleys of the Atrek,
Sumbar, and Chandyr rivers are found some desert forms cf pests which are usually
found only in cultivated areas. These include, above all, lamellate-toothed rate
(Nesokia), meadow mice, and porcupines.
Of these, the most serious peat is the lamellate-toothed rat, which injures
grassy vegetation and woody growth by eating their roots. Because of its burrowing
habits, it is also a serious menace to irrigation systems and to planted crops,
especially alfalfa. In alfalfa fields, the rat eats the roots of the plants,
causing the growth above the ground to dry up. Frequ-ntly, 50-60 percent of a
field is affected by the activity of these rats.
The harmful activity of rodents is illustrated by a situation existing at
the Institute of Subtropical Plants at Kizyl-Atrek, where cacti have been planted
on the slopes of sand dunes. Gerbils construct enormous burrows under the cactus
plants; 3,000-4,000 burrows may be found per hectare. While the gerbils do not
eat the cacti, their undermining of the plants cuts the plants off from moisture
in the soil so that they die during a dry spell. The gerbils injure planted
trees in the same manner.
Field mice are agricultural crop pests in the valley of the Sumbar River.
Establishing themselves at the edges of fields, the mice injure barley, corn,
and, to some extent, cotton and other crop stands. The field mice are very
voracious; in years when they invade fields en maser they destroy enormous
areas by cutting the grain stems at the base and then dragging them to their
burrows. In favorable years, the mice multiply prolifically; beginning at an
age of 3-4 munths, they produce litters of 8-12 young throughout the year.
Porcupines are not numerous in the 'canal zone except in the Kopet-Dag
Mountains and their foothills.
Wolves are numerous in the canal zone. In Turkmenistan, wolves do more
damage to livestock than all other pests. Measures to exterminate them must
be undertaken.
Numerous insect pests harmful to bushy growth have been identified in the
canal zone. These include scale insects (Coccidae), fig moths, and elm-leaf
beetles.
The survey made by the expedition indicates that there is need for u_gan-
izing a number of stationary zoological expedi'.ions in the area south of the
canal zone. One of these could be stationed in the S?.mlbar River valley, another
at the Subtropical Station of the Plant Culture Institute in Kara-Kala.
On the basis of this preliminary investigation, the kolkhoz and aovkhoz
workers in the Sumbar River valley should be advised to carry out deep plowing
of virgin fields so as to destroy the rodent villages. Many rodents can be
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Rodent-extermination-work Bhoy c o cng, throughst~ly irrigation practices.
by plant-protection workers, so as to prevent migration to planted fields.
PREPARE F(I CO A5?RUCmION OF MAIN TURKMEN CANAL -- Ashkhabad, Turkmerskaya Iskra,
29 Jan 52
The Turkmen Expedition of Giprovodkhlopok (State Institute for Planning of
Cotton1951Itsarrigsation), Ministry of Cotton Growing USSR, was organized in October
. signed tasks were to prospect for nonmetallic minerals, survey and
plan road routes, and survey and plan auxiliary enterprises for Turkmeuvodstroy
(Turkmen Irrigation Construction Organization), which is to carry out construc??
tion of the Main Turkmen Canal's irrigation systems.
The expedition was composed of hydrogenlo?ical, hydrotec3.nical,?topograph-
ical-geodetic, construction-architectural, and transport groups.
In the short time since its organization, the expedition
work. The Dzhumurtau and Kubatau mountains have been pros ec has done q much ted for and quality of nonmetallic minerals to be obtained there. Large supplies y
tof lir in theoAk.Kileniregiona porphyry were found. Chalk and gypsum were discovered
Investigation has shown that the limestone deposits in the Dzhumurtau are
of very high quality and can be used for the production of lime. A lime plant
is to,be built there for that purpose. A quarry is to he opened for production
of rock and a crushing plant for production of crushed rock. A plant for pro-
ducing foam-silicate (penosilikatnyy) blocks is also to be built there. Ordin-
arily, a special grinder is needed in the production of these blocks, a cost-
increasing factor. Here, in the Dzhumurtau, there is an inexhaustible supply
of sand, so fine that it can be used in its natural form for production of foam-
silicate blocks.
In the Kubatau Mountains, vast deposits of granitic gravel were found.
This gravel is suitable for construction of concrete and reinforced-concrete
installations, since it requires little preliminary processing.
A plan was worked out for supplying the city of Tashauz with water. Prelimi-
nary studies proved that water supply by means of artesian wells was not possible
because water suitable for drinking lay too far below the surface. It was de-
cided to apply the open re5ern'oir method for supplying the city with water and
to use one of the old beds of the Amu-Dar'ya for this purpose.
The transport group surveyed road routes between Tashauz and Kalinin and
planned an approach route for the industrial zone of Turkmenvodstroy and sites
for housing projects for the construction organization to be located'in Kunya-
Urgench and Khodzheyli. Construction of the first dwellings for the builders of
the Turkmen Canal irrigation systems has already begun.
In 1$52, it is planned to survey an industrial zone for Turkmenvodstroy in
Tashauz? The zone is to be composed of a machine repair plant, wood-processing
combine, auto park for 300 trucks, auto repair plant, plant for making reinforced
concrete, refrigerator plant, and an oxygen station.
In addition to the housing, projects in Kunya-Urgench and Khodzheyli, a proj-
ect for Turkmenvodstroy workers is to be built in Nukus. There, it is planned
to build a wood-processing combine, plants for making concrete, machine repair
shops, laboratories, auto parks, compressor stetions, etc., for the construction
administration.
mm~
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:nose 1952 basic survey re ka are. to be completed during the first half of
the year. Then tie expedition will prepare for additional survey work in the
southwestern portion of the Main Turkmen Cenci zone.
SEEK WATER SOURCE FOR MAN TUR1(MEiq CANAL BUILDERS -- Yerevan, Kommuniet)
18 Jan 52
Returned from the route of the Main Turkmen Canal, L. N. Smirnov, chief
of the Turkmen SSR Geological Administration, told c Tass correspondent:
fresh
A particularly difficult task will be to supply the canal builders with , since the wells withrlimited supplies ofmdriesert nkiugiwater. :hichsaree expe. lucated Infrequent
the ewestern
and central portions of the desert, will not be able to meet the demand. To
meet this meed, the first will was drilled n'ar Kazandzhik in January. Results
were good. More wells are being drilled thcr New draw wells also will be
created in areas where fresh-water draw wells already exist; at the same time,
two deep wells will be drilled in these areas as an experiment. These deep,
d-filled wells are the first to be attempted in the desert.
SET UP WEATNER STATIONS IN MAIN TUR1301 CA11AL ZONE -. Ashkhabad, Turkmenskaya
Iskra, 20 Jan 52
B. Atemasov, chief of the Administration of the Hydrometeorological Service
Turkmen SSR, tates the following.
The Administration of the Hydrometeorological Service Turkmen SSR is ex-
panding its operations, so as to provide observations necessary for planning
and constructing the Main Turkmen Canal.
rometeorological
onweree
More s as organized are to on be the
the future.
established the
One of the two stations organized in 1951 is located in the center of the
Kara-Kum region, the other in the southern part of the canal zone along the
Uzboy River. Three more stations are planned for the canal zone in 1952.
In 1952, special weather forecasts and storm warnii.o,; for 1-3 days in ad-
vance are being broadcast for the benefit of expeditions ad working parties in
the canal zone. They are being transmitted by Ashkhabar. dio stations.
In 1952, special hyirometeorologi.cal bureaus will be organized in Takhia-
Tash and Taahauz to serve the canal zone.
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