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No. 20 (31) July 2003



WATER CODEX OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

On July 9, 2003 Water Codex of the Republic of Kazakhstan came into power under Decree of the President of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev.

The work with new edition of Water Codex involved many experts. They have done great preparatory work, many articles have been reviewed. ICWC member, Chairman of Committee for Water Resources at Ministry of Agriculture of RK A.D. Ryabtsev and Director of SIC ICWC Kazakh Division Prof. N.K. Kipshakbayev have played big part in the Code preparation.

Complete text of Water Codex was published in republican newspapers, for example, in “Kazakhstanskaya Pravda” of July 17, 2003.

Water Codex of Kazakhstan also will be published in one of the coming issues of SIC ICWC Juridical collections.

DECISION OF CABINET OF MINISTERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN

On July 21, 2003 Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan adopted Decision No. 320 “About improvement of water management organization”. This Decision assumes creation of 10 basin divisions of irrigation systems (Naryn-Karadarya, Naryn-Syrdarya, Syrdarya-Sokh, Nizhnesyrdarya, Chirchik-Akhangaran, Amu-Surkhan, Amu-Kashkadarya, Amu-Bukhara, Nizhneamudarya, Zarafshan) as well as Main Canal System Administrationon Ferghana Valley with united dispatching center based on existing structures of water organizations and MAWR RUz services.

Main tasks of irrigation system basin administrations are defined as:

  • organization of target and rational water resources use on base of disseminating water use market principles and mechanisms;
  • implementation of single technical policy in water management based on disseminating advanced technologies;
  • organization of systematic and timely water supply to water users;
  • providing of technical reliability of irrigation systems and hydrostuctures;
  • providing of reliable account and water use reporting among water users.

Thus, one more step was made towards transition from administrative-territorial principle of irrigation systems management to basin one.

SEMINAR “WATER INTERACTIONS: SYSTEMS AT RISK AND SOCIAL CHALLENGES”

Seminar presenting 6th phase (for 2002-2007) of UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (IHP-6) to world scientific society was held in Delft, the Netherlands, on 15-18 July 2003.

This IHP-6 program is based on fundamental principle that fresh water – basis is as essential to sustainable development as it is to life; that water, beyond its geophysical, chemical and biological functions in the hydrological cycle, has critically important social, economic and environmental values that are interlinked and mutually supportive.

General strategic plan of IHP-6 program:

  • Meeting basic needs
  • Securing the food supply
  • Protecting the ecosystems
  • Sharing water resources
  • Managing risk
  • Valuing water
  • Governing water wisely

IHP-6 program is divided in 5 themes:

  1. Global changes and water resources
  2. Integrated watershed and aquifer dynamics
  3. land habitat hydrology
  4. Water and Society
  5. Water education and training

Moreover this program includes two sub-programs - FRIEND (Flow Regimes for International Experimental and Network Data) and HELP (Hydrology for Environment, Life and Policy).

From Central-Asian region ICWC Training Center Director Dr. P.D. Umarov took part in seminar and made a presentation.

ABOUT SUPPLYING WITH WATER METERING DEVICES AND ORGANIZATION OF WATER ALLOCATION ON PILOT WUA OF FERGHANA VALLEY

For July 1, 2003 in WUA “Akbarabad” 51 gauging stations from 66 planned were constructed and examined. The quality of gauging stations’ construction meets requirements of regulating documents. Data from these gauging stations already comes to WUA. Over rest gauging stations water account is carried out by means of portable weirs.

On 28 June 2003 thirty two platforms made on the plant “Suvasbobuskunamash” company were delivered to WUA “Zhapalak” objects, after that field study of constructed gauging stations was carried out, and work on water use plan implementation on demonstration canal Kok-dobo was done.

In total over WUA “Zhapalak” 23 gauging stations of 18 planned was constructed. The quality of gauging stations’ construction meets requirements of regulating documents.

Gauging stations’ construction was behind the schedule mainly because of big volume of building and assembly jobs and cement deficit.

Water discharge account over branches not equipped by water metering devices is carried out by portable weirs.

In farms integrated in pilot WUAs of Ferghana Valley water use plan up to 2003 was prepared at level of secondary canals, where minimal irrigated plot was adopted in size of 50 and more hectares.

In 2003 during “IWRM-Ferghana” project activity for the first time WUA water use plan was prepared with account for demand of every water user for every available irrigated plot.

Currently these pilot irrigated plots’ areas vary within 0,3-100 ha, moreover 70% of these plots has area less than 50 ha.
In given conditions it is practically impossible to organize water distribution among water users with constant discharge per decade in water use plan volume.

Therefore it was suggested to organize water distribution depending on areas. Secondary canal branches are divided into 2 groups: the first group includes irrigated plots with area above 50 ha, the second group – area less 50 ha.

The first group is supplied with water by constant average decade discharge according to water use plan, and the second group is supplied by concentrated flow during several days instead of decade foreseen by water use plan. Concentrated water discharge in the branch should be minimum 2-3 time bigger than average decade values of daily discharges. Otherwise the canal will operate on small discharges that reduces its efficiency and increase water losses.

Given water allocation on water users applications is brought in specially developed table of “Water allocation schedule on water users applications according to water use plan on secondary canal”, where specific dates and water discharge values in each water user’s branch are presented. This should play positive role in increasing water allocation control not only on part of canal hydrometer, but also water users themselves.

On above mentioned principles actual water allocation was organized on water users’ applications in connection with water use plan on secondary canals for water users from canals “Akbarabad-2” (WUA “Akbarabad”, Ferghana oblast, Uzbekistan) and “Kok-dobo” (WUA “Zhapalak”, Osh oblast, Kyrgyzstan).

ABOUT CREATION OF ARAVAN-AK-BURA CANAL ADMINISTRATION

In accordance with Decree of Director General of Water Management Department at MAWR and PP KR Mr. Zh.B. Bekbolotov #140 of 24 July 2003 within Osh BWO Aravan-Ak-Bura Canal Administration was formed.

Creation of AABC Administration aims on ordering operative management by water objects and improving water use in Osh BWO command zone.