CAPACITY INCREASE FOR POLICY IN DRAINAGE
IN THE ARAL SEA BASIN
Workshop under such name was held on June 26-28, 2033 in ICWC Training Center.
It was dedicated to assessment of current situation in drainage development.
The workshop agenda and thematic of presentations were oriented on creation of
conditions for experience exchange related advanced approaches to solution of
drainage systems operation problems between high and middle level experts and
scientists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Following persons participated in the workshop opening ceremony and appealed
to participants - reclamation services workers of water and agricultural organizations
of Central Asia: SIC ICWC Director Prof. V.A. Dukhovny, Head of Land Reclamation
Improvement and Monitoring Division at MAWR of Uzbekistan M.M. Mirkhojiyev; IPTRID-FAO
Program Manager H. Denecke; HR Wallingford Senior Scientist; Director of "ITAD
Water", Great Britain - D. Brown.
Participant noted that under present attitude to drainage systems, constructed
some decades ago, critical problem of their failure will emerge in the nearest
future. In result of funds shortfall clearing works have been carried out no
more on drainage systems and irrigation structures. Even experimental-production
plots have been abandoned. Practically all fleet of irrigation and drainage machines
and mechanisms including drain flushers and pumps wore out. To carry out complete
drainage systems' reconstruction CAR states have no sufficient funds. Therefore
to provide sustainable irrigated agriculture with really feasible investments
it is necessary to select prior reconstruction directions. For this purpose careful
assessment of existing situation should be carried out.
The workshop participants unanimously supported idea to organize international
scientific-practical conference "Policy of sustainable irrigated agriculture
with minimal investments in drainage measures". Thirteen reports over region
zones were presented to the participants:
- Kazakhstan – South-Kazakhstan oblast, Kyzylorda oblast
- Kyrgyzstan – Chu and Batkent oblasts
- Tajikistan – Sogd, Kulyab è and Kurganteba oblasts
- Uzbekistan – Hunger and Karshi steppes, Bukhara, Fergana, Khorezm oblasts,
and Karakalpakstan.
After presentations on zones the participants prepared combined report on their
republics.
During workshop the program of current situation assessment in Central Asia was
discussed. This program consists of following measures:
- current situation assessment and trends analysis;
- assessment of additional drainage requirement;
- assessment of drainage improvement requirement;
- assessment of operational measures effectiveness;
- option of priorities.
This program should also include following issues:
- sustainability of drainage of different types;
- low-cost operation and maintenance methods;
- organizational forms of irrigation and drainage systems' management;
- intensification of collector-drainage flow use.
The workshop participants also discussed order of implementing program on
assessment and modeling of drainage systems:
1st stage:
- define good reclamation state criteria;
- define drainage operation criteria
2nd stage:
- carry out assessment of available data and collection
of appropriate data for analysis and modeling;
- select planning zones;
- design possible scenarios of situation development
and work composition on potential management;
- carry out modeling; impact assessment
in planning zone and in the river;
- select priorities;
- prepare plan of actions on 3 scenarios.
On opinion of the participants conducted
training promoted better understanding
of existing problems,
allowed
students to systematize
own knowledge
as well as liberalize. Also utility
of information presented by reporters
to develop
specific
measures on drainage systems operation improvement was
noted.
ABOUT «IWRM-FERGHANA» PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
SIC ICWC working meeting was held on 1 of June 2003. Works fulfillment course,
which in general coincides with general schedule, was considered.
Presently in the beginning of growing period, when dekhkans started irrigation,
the main issue - water allocation, however executors pay insufficient attention
to it.
Main task of this year, as it was noted many times, is analysis and comparison
of actual water allocation data with planned indicators and limits at canal
and WUA level. Information from pilot objects should be operatively passed
through special filter "what is good/what is bad", and situation
assessment should be submitted to oblast executors. In turn, they should carry
out independent analysis too.
In current high water availability conditions there is ungrounded over-water
intake in pilot canals, secondary canals. Where is this water supplied to?
Nobody could answer.
According to results of demonstration fields visit a conclusion can be made
about normal fulfillment of agricultural works and irrigation dates on all
fields, in correspondence with project recommendations, except private farm "Nozima",
where farmer didn't fulfill in time many agrotechnical measures recommended.
Appeal to farmer and rayon deputy khokim didn't give proper results.
High extent of coincidence of designed irrigation dates (model calculation)
and actual those over all plots, where ground water table is low as well as
discrepancy for plots with high water table was noted.
Having exchanged with opinions on considered questions, working meeting participants
mad following conclusions:
1. Closer interaction on data exchange, which is demanded to carry out operative
analysis of water allocation situation on pilot canals, should be established
between components of the projects "Pilot canal" and "IUS".
It is required to carry out analysis in form fitted for practical use to help
oblast leaders to improve water management and transit to careful water use
regime. Regularly (every decade) to carry out analysis, prepare brief reference
for decade, where over-diversion and were under-diversion of water occurs,
and inform oblast executors and managers for their better understanding of
existing operative situation of water allocation from the canal among water
users as well as carrying out timely measures in-situ. In 2003 the project
should develop mechanism of operative management by water allocation process.
2. Components "IUS" and "WUA" should achieve automatism
and synchronism in water allocation analysis in pilot WUA. It is necessary
to fulfill work analogically to that on pilot canals to obtain actual water
allocation data and compare it with foreseen water use plan. For this purpose
simple form fitted for operative production control in pilot WUA.
3. Direct executors of works in-situ - engineers - have exact idea of own activity
goal and tasks. Managers of components "Pilot canal" and "WUA" should
achieve the same result. Executors should understand clearly, for what purpose
they work in "IWRM-Ferghana" project.
4. Activity managers should carry out analysis of June data and develop proposals
for oblast managers on water management improvement and transition to careful
water use regime by July 7. If necessary conduction of meeting with involving
oblast executors and managers, where obtained results of analysis and assessment
should be presented to develop recommendations together to improve water use
on pilot objects as well as opportunities of their practical implementation
starting this year can be considered.
5. Recommend decade operative working meetings for activity managers and project
executors to analyze obtained data from pilot canals, WUA, and demonstration
fields and compare it with designed scientifically grounded data as well as
develop proposals for oblast executors on operative correction of existing
water allocation in rational regime.
6. Oblast executors should provide on-line data including applications for
water and refusals to use water
7. It is necessary to select working model to calculate crop irrigation dates
on demonstration plots with shallow water table and test it on actual data
of appropriate plots.
WORKSHOP “PUBLIC MOBILIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT”
The workshop was held on July 7-11, 2003 in Garm (Rasht Valley) located in
180 km from Dushanbe, 2000 m above sea level.
Workshop participants (27) represented 15 different organizations: Representations
of SDC in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Aga Khan Fund (AKF), MSDSP (Mountain Sector
Development Support Program), CARITAS (Muminabad Development Program), ACTED,
Swiss Red Cross, Helvetas (Consulting-training center), CA Alliance for Water,
RDD (project "Regional Dialogue and Development"),
Workshop agenda consisted of 4 basic blocks:
- Presentations of participants (reports on various directions were submitted
- from medical thematic to animal husbandry).
- Visit to Jirgitala city, where workshop participants met with representatives
of rayon administration (khukumat), leaders of local communities, chairman
of makhallya committee (jamoat), household owners.
- Presentation of groups' work results (participants were separated in 4 groups
and oriented in their work on questionnaires prepared for each group).
- Summarization.
On this workshop SIC ICWC was represented by D. Nagibin, who made a presentation "Water
Council as public control instrument in water management".
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