Order No. 10-1/323 of the State Agency for Land Resources, Cadastre, Geodesy and Cartography under the Cabinet of Ministers validating the Regulation and Methodological Guidelines for conducting salt surveys on reclaimed lands.

This Order approves the Regulation and detailed Methodological Guidelines on conducting salt surveys on reclaimed lands of the country. The Regulation defines the legal and institutional framework, objectives, tasks, and scope of salt surveys, which aim at identifying, monitoring, and mapping saline and alkaline soils to support rational land use and planning of reclamation (drainage) measures. It specifies that salt surveys are mandatory on various categories of agricultural land (arable land, perennial plantations, fallow land, pastures) irrespective of ownership or tenure, and are organized by designated soil agrochemical stations, research and educational institutions, and specialized organizations, in coordination with the Water Resources Service where necessary. The text provides an extensive technical and scientific basis for classifying saline and alkaline soils, including definitions of key terms, types and chemistry of salinization, toxic and non toxic ions, threshold concentrations, and degrees of salinity and alkaline content. It sets out classification schemes by type of soil, geographic region, depth and degree of salinity, and chemical type of salts, drawing on national and referenced scientific criteria. The Methodological Guidelines detail the composition of works for salt surveys: use of previous survey data and monitoring of waterbodies and irrigation systems, periodicity (every 5 years on irrigated lands and every 10 years on non irrigated lands), optimal seasonal timing, cartographic bases, and categorization of terrain complexity. They prescribe field methods (systematic drilling and soil pits, sampling depths, groundwater sampling, field diagnostics of salinity), laboratory analyses (full and reduced water extract analyses, determination of cation exchange capacity and exchangeable sodium), and calculation methods for average and weighted salt contents and toxic ion equivalents. The document further regulates the preparation of salt and alkaline maps (cartograms), including minimum mapping units, representation of soil complexes, color scales for degrees of salinity, and standardized alphanumeric indices combining soil type, texture, salinity type, depth and degree of salinity, and degree of alkaline content. It requires preparation of explanatory notes with soil reclamation characteristics and recommendations for reclamation measures, and sets rules for the distribution and archiving of survey materials among land users, district agricultural development authorities, and the technical archive of the Kyrgyzgiprozem institute. The Regulation establishes the rights and obligations of executing organizations, land users, and competent state bodies, mandates compliance by all public authorities, local self government bodies, and legal and natural persons operating on reclaimed lands, and provides that disputes between the authorized body and landowners or land users are to be resolved under national legislation. Annexes include standard forms for acceptance of field work, sample registers and labels, and detailed methodologies for calculating toxic salts and diagnostic criteria for crop conditions on saline soils.