Complexity of water supply and allocation pattern in Fergana Valley can be traced back in its development to the ancient water use, which later took tendencies of tsarist and then soviet government to connect and ring the system of irrigation without adjustment to administrative division. This was done with an objective to increase irrigated areas and to raise their water supply.

On the other hand, water management on administrative base, which has dominated in the region over 70 years and made huge capital investments both in building and reconstruction and in maintenance of the whole system, could not, currently, keep good operation and maintenance of the systems. This is caused by the deficit of funds, decentralization of management, and presence of localistic tendencies.  

Basic reserves for the development of new fertile lands have been exhausted in the valley. Population growth raises social tension due to decrease of cultivated lands per capita. Under such conditions provision with food, in particular, and agricultural and social development, in general, can be solved only through rapid increase of land and water productivity.

This task perhaps can be solved by applying integrated water management, which links all hierarchical levels in water sector and is directed towards intersectoral coordination, control of unproductive water losses, achievement of potential water and land productivity and wide involvement of water users in the management process. This is supposed to be the most acceptable and feasible direction in the long-term reformation of agriculture and water sector in Fergana Valley.