PREVENTION & PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM CENTRAL ASIA
The Central Asian countries are highly prone to natural disasters. The prevention of future disasters and being prepared to them forms one of the bases for sustainable development of the whole region.
In 2002 the Swiss Government released 10 mln CHF for a long-term commitment to Natural Disaster Reduction in Central Asia. Based on that SDC starts up with a mid-term program on Natural Disaster Reduction in the region, with focus on Tajikistan. The objective is to strengthen capacity for integrated risk management at all levels with emphasis on prevention and preparedness (P+P) activities in Central Asia. Actually P+P program is additional initiative to already existing activity on the development implemented by the Swiss Government. SDC is therefore looking for partners to implement the program (local and international NGOs, GOs etc.
The P+P program budget constitutes 750 000 USD per year. Duration – 2003-2008 years. This program will cover Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
The P+P strategy will be finalized by Mid 2004. It comprises a network analysis of relevant organizations and institutions, to avoid overlapping and show potential synergies. The risk profile for three countries forms the second component of the strategy and gives answers to the following questions: What can happen where (hazard and vulnerability assessment)? What are the coping mechanisms? Out of the risk analysis necessary measures have to be defined.
Currently the following two projects were recently implemented within the framework of the P+P program:
Remote Hazard Assessment in Western Pamir, GBAO (TJ): Recognition of remote hazards and potential for large-scale rapid-onset disasters. The final mission results will be presented to a broader audience during a workshop in spring 2004.
Disaster Mitigation in Muhminabad (CARITAS): Basic investigations on flood and debris flow risk in the Muhminabad rayon, help to design preventive measures and to induce a risk dialogue with the local population.
The Swiss Government through SECO also supports the Lake Sarez Mitigation project and a regional hydro-meteorological project.
The P+P program is based on the integrated risk management approach, considering 4 key issues: Disaster reduction is seen as (1) a cycle, where prevention, response, and recovery contribute equally to the reduction of the risks and the effects of disasters. The Swiss P+P program focuses mainly on the prevention side. In addition, the integrated approach considers (2) multilevel stakeholders involving different levels of interaction, from international to national, down to local level in a vertical structure and (3) a strong horizontal multi-sector structure, involving politics, governmental services, communities or science. Lastly, disaster reduction is (4) an integrated part of sustainable development.
On the SDC Office report in Tajikistan
THE TECHWARE BOARD MEETING AND WORKSHOP
TECHWARE (TECHnology for WAter REsources) Board meeting and workshop on strategy and actions in issues of water technologies, research, and training took place on November 7-8 in Delft, the Netherlands.
The necessity of the workshop was caused by that fact that certain “depression” in TECHWARE activity can be observed in recent time, and specific actions are required to revive TECHWARE members network.
The workshop activity was organized in following way: 2 main presentations were submitted – on projects TWINBASINXN and GI-WAREness. Than 10 workshop participants from Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Bosnia, Bulgaria, and Uzbekistan presented the concepts of potential projects.
Leading expert I.F. Beglov representing SIC ICWC, TECHWARE member took part in the workshop and board meeting as well as presented concept of “Creation of the world water knowledge expertise”.
Finally after all presentations the participants undertook the «brain storm», which resulted in grouping all projects on three directions:
- Knowledge systems for educational process, virtual training, and public participation
- IWRM and transboundary risks
- Electronic tools for creating data bank on water issues (our idea is contained here).
After further discussion the issues 1 and 3 were integrated in a single one.
TECHWARE Operative Bureau on given directions is carrying out generalization, which results ill be published on TECHWARE web-site in the nearest future. It was decided to start development of these project concepts to submit them later to donors. Prof. Peter Holz (Cottbus University, Denmark) was nominated as Coordinator of works on the first issue, Katie Quartano (INWEB, Greece) – on the second issue.
On the Board meeting current budget for 2003 was approved, the draft budget for 2004 was considered, TECHWARE vice-president was elected (Gilles Neveu, International Water Office, France), also issues of membership fees payment and new members involvement in TECHWARE were discussed.
THE WORKSHOP «INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT – INTER-SECTOR AND INTERSTATE APPROACHES»
The workshop under the program “Integrated water management – inter-sector and interstate approaches” took place on 3-7 of November 2003 in ICWC Training Center. The experts from oblast, rayon, and basin water administrations, research institutions, and NGOs took part in the workshop.
The participants elaborated recommendations for IWRM implementation in the region.
They noted that currently regional organizations have no sufficient status, which can allow successful activity carrying out in the region. On their opinion, water organizations rights at national level and water users’ rights should be foreseen also. To provide integrated water management, legal base has to be prepared, which could give opportunity of IWRM implementation in CAR. IWRM introduction at regional level calls the parties to join international conventions – as, for example, “Conventions on protection and use of transboundary waterways and international lakes”. In some countries clear property type of agricultural organizations doesn’t exist yet that to some extent hampers effective WUA activity.
Specific measures recommended by the participants are following:
- Improvement of water legal base, investment and tax policy aimed on promotion of IWRM implementation principles;
- Development of clear grounding of water users’ concern of water saving;
- Clear definition of rights and obligations of agricultural organizations according to property types;
- Improvement of WUA legal base.
Public participation in providing effective water use plays an important role. In connection with that public access to the information promotes increase of water users’ awareness level and confidence regarding water management reforms. NGO involvement in process of public awareness promotes, in turn, development of public participation process. To form public opinion about careful water use many levers as following can be used:
- water companies and specific enterprises;
- specific radio programs, TV;
- free available information.
The participants focused on following specific measures in this field:
- Organization of regional conferences, workshops on different water management aspects and sectors related to IWRM concept implementation issue with NGO involvement;
- Data preparation and dissemination about IWRM concept basis for wider public awareness in the region with the help of NGO;
- Stimulation of public panel development process on water issues consisting of representatives of water users’ different levels;
- Creation of Basin Regulation Public Panel;
- Organizations of series of the workshops in oblasts for wider dissemination of IWRM concepts.
The participants noted that in CAR countries’ water management the tendency of introducing some IWRM principles, for example, transition to basin water management principle, exists. But economical state of the countries doesn’t allow providing sustainable water management development. Financial deficit causes many problems for water experts.
Orienting on sustainable water management development, the workshop participants brought in following practical proposals to improve economical and technical supply of sector:
- Definition of potential financing mechanisms and sources, basis creation for involving financing from these sources;
- Gradual completion of WUA service yard.
- The participants recommended following measures on providing water saving:
- Apply in practice revise acts on water use between rayons and oblasts;
- Develop water users’ encouragement mechanism for water saving as bonus in amount of governmental costs for water resources formation, exemption from tax or other additional material stimulus;
- Development of service centers for farmers on providing consulting services on field certification and water efficiency increase;
- Wide application of information technologies and programs in planning and control of agricultural lands’ water requirements;
- Strict observance of soil-conservation requirements;
- Organization of on-farm water account and irrigation regimes’ maintenance.
NEW PROJECTS
Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency (SDC) approved two projects:
- Creation of regional information base of Central Asian sector (CAREWIB). The project aim – regional internet-portal establishment for operative access to the data of water situation and problems in Central Asia. The project will be implemented by SIC ICWC in Tashkent under support of UNEP/GRID-Arendal Office in Geneva.
- Automation of Ferghana Valley canals. The project assumes introduction of automation control system (SCADA system) on South-Ferghana, Aravan-Akbura, and Gulya-Qandoz canals. The project executors – “Sigma” company (Kyrgyzstan), BWO “Syrdarya” and SIC ICWC.
Both projects’ duration is 01.12.2003 – 31.10.2006.
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