The Disappearance of Sigma’s Forgotten Sprinklers and Sprayers

Kateřina Zäch

The Soviet government attempted to demonstrate its resolute power by shaping the perceptions of the population in ways that evinced a feeling of hope. The resource security of the government and the growth of the steel industry fostered this feeling, creating an environment that masked the everyday doubts and resentments of the Soviet population with a veil of confidence. The acceleration of material and economic advancement provided justification for the utopian superiority and for the Soviet party-state to determine and control aspects of everyday life.[1] The Soviet political programme was intended to showcase the potential of communism to other socialist countries, emphasising workers’ vital roles in development and the state’s role in improving people’s lives.^[2] 

From the 1920s, Soviet citizens were often subjected to Soviet environmental engineering projects. Though the projects themselves were public knowledge, their political consequences were less visible.[3] To complete infrastructure projects, many citizens worked countless stress-filled hours in industrial factories to produce parts such as those used for farm irrigation.^[4] The Soviet Union used the projects to promote a sense of security and to demonstrate a path for the development of agricultural regions. According to Maya Peterson, many Soviet environmental engineering projects occurred since the late 1920s, and regions with arid lands became a target of schemes to promote agricultural expansion and colonisation.^[5] Peterson refers to colonial engineering projects around the globe that were based on a vision of transforming arid lands into productive agricultural regions for European settlement. American experts and irrigation engineers who participated in the projects saw themselves not as political actors but as purveyors of scientific knowledge and progress, assistants in the modernization of regions whose residents had long been denied freedom, equality, and a decent standard of living. Peterson argues that these Americans’ actions were inherently political and that these actions supported imperial development projects.

In several such project in the 1950s, the Soviet regime began installing irrigation infrastructure components in the At-Bashy district in Kyrgyzstan with the plan to transform local agriculture. Soviet experts and engineers came to At-Bashy and controlled the establishment of water infrastructure for agricultural purposes. Based on a review of primary sources, the local male residents carried out the instructions as directed; however, their contributions to the projects were not recognized. A resident from Kara-Suu, Kubat, shared his memories of the projects with me. As a young man, he already had valuable experiences and knowledge of local water resources, gained from his father and grandfather. He and other local residents felt misunderstood and disappointed that their knowledge was not included in the Soviet project plans. He believes today that using local knowledge would have led to more effective results in Soviet water installation projects in the area. To his disappointment, this type of knowledge was overlooked and left to be forgotten.[6]

The projects in At-Bashy included sprinklers and sprayers that helped to water fields and, together with water channels, played an important role in irrigation.^[7] They made the process more efficient by allowing the use of modified rainfall irrigation techniques to maximise crop growth, and in this vein, they have helped to produce the most suitable conditions for the irrigation of the agricultural fields. The production of the sprinklers and sprayers was a multi-level process involving elaborate plans. They were produced in industrial factories using particular Soviet measurements and their production entailed developmental research, effective product design, and the exchange of scientific knowledge.

The Soviet party-state supported collaborations with industrial factories in its satellite countries, like Czechoslovakia, to secure the production of various water-related devices or individual components.[8] VHJ Sigma Olomouc, established in 1948 as part of the emerging socialist economy, was one of many firms specialising in irrigation pumps, sprinklers, and sprayer pipes and valves, making a crucial contribution to Soviet water infrastructure. [9] The firm strengthened Soviet political power by securing the development and delivery of this type of infrastructure.  While Sigma designed tools according to Soviet schemes, including modernisation plans for people in regions of Central Asia, these regions already had a long tradition in agriculture. Indeed, in rural areas, the Soviet state considered irrigation technology a necessary advancement and, therefore, adapted its modes of production to prioritize irrigation in these rural development projects. The old agricultural traditions were ignored.

Figure 1: QVD: Water pump for large-scale irrigation in the 1970s. ISH PUMPS Olomouc archival records, accessed June 2023.

Among large-scale irrigation systems, the ‘Frigate’ and ‘Volženka’ systems were commonly used in fields in Soviet Central Asia, and likely also in the At-Bashy district. The Frigate system was comprised of pipes mounted on a chassis with sprinklers and operated continuously by hydraulic motors. The Volženka, on the other hand, was designed by Soviet irrigation engineers and agronomists, who specifically adapted it for the environmental conditions prevalent in Central Asia.^[10]  These irrigation apparatuses demonstrated Sigma’s capacity to address diverse water distribution needs across various environments.

The Rot Revolt irrigation system (see Figure 2) provided additional irrigation support for fields in Central Asia. This portable spray irrigation system featured a revolving seat with ball bearings, sprayers equipped with spray-balancing devices to prevent water whirls, and long-distance sprayers designed for uniform and efficient coverage. These sprayers were mounted on stable pedestals for optimal spraying practices.^[11] With its exceptional spray-distance capabilities, the Rot Revolt irrigation system utilised advanced equipment and field-installed pipelines to ensure precise water delivery.   

Despite the regime’s planning and the development of technology, archival records reveal that irrigation systems in the region had water delivery problems that went unaddressed due to some devices never being repaired, and some components never being delivered by the Soviet government.[12] For instance, a detailed discussion on repairs for the Kuju-Mazar irrigation canals' pumping stations took place during the technical session of the Scientific Council in 1979 at a regional institution of Tashkent. The operating conditions, pump design, improvements, and increased efficiency of cooperation were considered. Soviet experts had visited a pumping station and determined a different order of importance for the irrigation system around city of Tashkent . Specific suggestions were made for proposed measures; however, for unknown reasons, these were not adopted.

Another trip was made in 1985 in connection with the visit of the Namangan Irrigation Administration, which focused on the repair of irrigation devices. Documentation shows that the pump station had worked reliably for one year. The following year, irrigation work caused the intake level to drop by approximately four meters, and in the same period, the three main pumping units experienced a loss of power. As spare parts were not available from Sigma, alternative equipment was used instead. The alternatives, however, had previously been used to pump muddy water,which led to the destruction of the pumping units. After experts from Sigma visited and replaced the damaged pumping unit components, the situation was resolved. After the pumping units were repaired, they had to be switched on and off manually.[13]

Figure 2. Rot Revolt 2 P long-distance sprayer. Sigmund (n.d.). Long-distance sprayers [Brochure].

The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 created a new challenge for the agricultural industry: maintaining the irrigation systems and devices in local fields. Surprisingly, despite their proven effectiveness, sprinklers and sprayers ultimately disappeared from the fields. Based on interviews with locals, residents who used these systems believed they were effective, yet none of the informants were able to provide information about the devices’ ultimate fate. Although  several local farmers confirmed the usefulness of these tools for their work, none was able to confirm if they were trying to find new solutions to restore or replace them over time. Moreover, it was not possible to find information about eventual replacements for the original models of sprinklers and sprayers despite thorough research conducted in regional archives in Czechia.

The informants asserted that the systems were expensive to maintain, particularly due to the fact that the whole installation needed frequent repair or replacement. The residents simply could not afford to maintain the irrigation plants. It is likely that once the equipment broke down the devices became an obstacle and the residents took them away.   

Given that the equipment comprising these systems was primarily made of steel, it is possible that it could have been sold, destroyed, taken from the field for individual household use, or repurposed as construction materials. Nevertheless, residents did not buy equipment that was used in the fields, as its reinstallation would require financial resources that locals did not have. For these reasons, it seems probable that the small parts of the system were repurposed, while the larger ones were destroyed and lost from memory. The specificities around the disappearance of equipment in At-Bashy after the dissolution of the Soviet Union may never be known. One of the informants stated that once sprinklers and sprayers were no longer used for their intended purpose, they ‘perfectly disappeared’.^[14]  However, even though they disappeared from usage in everyday life, residents still remember those tools, which remind us of the region’s history. Though the tools may be gone, I wanted to write this essay because the impact of these Soviet projects continues to affect the region.

Kateřina Zäch is a PhD candidate in Human Geography at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Her interest is connected to water infrastructure and social practices of people who depend on water systems to secure water access and distribution. In her dissertation, she explores the decision-making, social, and material practices that play a role in local community water development and everyday life. In this way, she hopes to provide critical knowledge

[1] Gestwa, Klaus ‘Der Sowjetmensch Geschichte eines Kollektivsingulars.’ Osteuropa 68, no. 1/2 (2018): 55–82.

[2] Kalinovsky, Artemy M. ‘Exceptions to Socialism: Gender, Ethnicity, and the Transformation of Soviet Development in Comparative Perspective.’ Comparative Studies in Society and History 65, no.4 (2023): 1–26.

[3] Peterson, Maya. ‘US to USSR: American Experts, Irrigation, and Cotton in Soviet Central Asia, 1929-32.’ Environmental History 21, no. 3 (2016): 442-466.

[4] Gestwa, 67.

[5] Peterson, 443.

[6] Resident of Kara-Suu, in discussion with Kateřina Zäch, [April] 2023.

^[7] ZAO-Ol, SH, kart. 238, Cestovní zprávy ze zahraničí, II. pololetí 1975, 20.6.2023.

[8] ZAO-Ol, Sigma GŘ Olomouc, inv. č. 129/1, kart. 183, Zhodnocení vědeckotechnické spolupráce se socialistickými zeměmi z let 1965-1971, 21.06.2023; ZAO, Sigma, s.p. Dolní Benešov, inv. č. 335 a 336, Diagram. Pohled dodávek do SSSR v tunach, r. 1952-1954. Závod Dolní Benešov, závod Vítkovice, Závod Krnov, závod Frýdlant, 23.11.2021.

[9] ZAO, Sigma, s.p. Dolní Benešov, inv. č. 155, Moravskoslezská armaturka Dolní Benešov. Prospekty, katalog, cenik mimo jiné i Dango + Dienenthal, r. 1902-1960. 23.11.2021.

^[10] ZAO-Ol, Sigma Lutín, ukl. č. 165, kart. 177, Cestovní zprávy do SSSR za rok 1988, 19.6.2023.

^[11] ZAO-Ol, BSL, inv. č. 112, kart 32, prospekt Sigmund long distance sprayers. Sigmund Pumps, 15.08.2023.

[12] ZAO-Ol, Sigma, inv. č. 249, kart. 165, Cestovní zprávy Moskva SSSR, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 23.11.2021.

[13] ZAO-Ol, Sigma, inv. č. 249, kart. 165, Cestovní zprávy Moskva SSSR, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 23.11.2021.

[14] Interview conducted by Kateřina Zäch with a 65-year-old male from Kyzyl-Tuu, [September] 2021.