unlike in many other countries the gross quantity of available water appears to be ample and watersaving is not an overriding priority for most users and use sectors though shortages recur in some eastern regions of the country there is also a sizeable nonconsumptive abstraction of water for hydropower at a number of plants on the kura river and its tributaries and for cooling in the thermal power station at gardabani although largely nonconsumptive these operations in the power sector do have an impact on river flow hydro morphology and the transport of sediments which affect water use elsewhere irrigation demand has also fallen due to the collapse of some largescale operations the total area of irrigated land fell from ha in to in and has fallen further since then