22 MARCH — INTERNATIONAL WATER DAY
On 22 March the Scientific-Information Center of ICWC held in the ICWC Training Center a scientific conference dedicated to the World Water Day. The representatives of BWO “Syrdarya”, SPA SANIIRI named after V.D. Jurin, and SIC ICWC took part in the conference.
ICID Vice-President Prof. V.A. Dukhovny presented a paper titled “Present problems of water sector in Central Asia: tasks of science and practice” at the conference.
MEETING OF THE BOARD OF THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR SAVING THE ARAL SEA
The regular IFAS Board Meeting was held on 27 March 2004 in Dushanbe.
IFAS Board members and plenipotentiary members from separate IFAS founder-countries, EC IFAS members, heads of EC IFAS branch offices, heads of respective ministries and agencies of Tajikistan, representatives of a range of international organizations and mass media participated in the Board Meeting.
At the Board meeting, the following issues were considered:
- activities of the EC IFAS in 2003, and progress in executing the decisions of the Heads of the IFAS founder-states dated 6 October 2002;
- holding working conference on “Solving socio-ecological problems in Priaralie”;
- approving the plan of IFAS Board meetings from March 2004 to February 2005;
- holding an International Conference dedicated to the decade of actions titled “Water for Life” on 22-23 March 2005 in Dushanbe;
- approving the Provision on Regional Center for Hydrology of IFAS (RCH IFAS);
- including the Coordination Metrological Center of ICWC (CMC ICWC) in the structure of the IFAS organizations, determined by the “Agreement between the Governments of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, and Republic of Uzbekistan on the status of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea and its organizations” of 9 April 1999.
The meeting was presided over by K. Koimdodov, Deputy Prime-Minister of Tajikistan, IFAS Board Member.
Chair of EC IFAS and First Deputy Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Aslov presented a report on the activities of EC IFAS for 2003.
The Board members examined the above-mentioned issues on the agenda and made appropriate decisions.
The decisions and materials of the Board Meeting were sent to the Governments of the IFAS founder-states for charging the respective ministries and agencies with taking measures for realizing and executing them in the future.
(based on information from the EC IFAS web-site www.ec-ifas.org)
PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES OF APPLYING THE IWRM PRINCIPLES IN THE AMUDARYA RIVER BASIN
The next 8th workshop on the “Prospects and Opportunities of Applying the IWRM Principles in the Amudarya River Basin” was held on 23-26 March 2004 in the ICWC Training Center office in Urgench.
The main task of the workshop was to familiarize with the prospects and opportunities of introducing the IWRM principles.
The workshop was held with the financial support of CIDA. Head of BVO “Amudarya” Y. Khudayberganov spoke at the opening of the workshop. R. Decker, Manager of Yakima-Teiton Irrigation District, K. Farner, Oregon State WUA Council Member, and representatives of the USAID NRMP participated in the event as well.
During the workshop the following papers were listened:
- Integrated water resources management in Central Asian countries and tasks concerning its development
- Present problems of water resources management and use in Central Asia
- Specifics of water resources management in the Amudarya river basin
- Water use accounting on irrigation systems
- Selecting optimum versions of reclamation regimes and parameters of drainage for the conditions of Khorezm oblast and Karakalpakstan
- Improving on-farm irrigation systems management, based on setting up and functioning of water users associations
- Geographic information systems in reference to water resources management.
- Water accounting on transboundary Amudarya waterways in the present-day stage.
- Reclamation service: its present and future
- What lies ahead of the region? The results of the Aral Sea basin water development modeling
- Water partnership and realization of the integrated water resources management principles
- Assessing the existing structure of inter-state cooperation in water resources management in the Amudarya river basin
- Forming, using, and predicting return waters taking water deficit into account
- Experience of water resources management in the world
- Legal aspects of integrated water resources management
- Experience of Water User Association based on the example of Khorezm oblast
- Transition to hydrographic principle of water management in Uzbekistan based on the example of Lower Amudarya Basin Authority.
17. Qualitative leaching is a pledge of soil desalination
18. International water right
The speakers elucidated the problems of transition to hydrographic principle of water management, which was implemented in Central Asian states.
Rational water use during transition to IWRM is one of the key components of water use. The participants considered that it was very important to organize good water accounting for it. It was noted that the current technical condition of gauging stations on the structures was far from perfect, and water accounting on on-farm systems was absolutely in unsatisfactory state. The situation with adjusting water accounting gets more complicated due to the deficiency of measuring devices and the fact that most primary water users (farmers) are badly grounded in fundamental hydrometry or not grounded in it at all. There is an imminent exigency to ground WUAs, primary water users in fundamental hydrometry, provide their gauging stations, weirs and other facilities with measuring instruments and devices.
Information on setting up and functioning of WUA was listened with great attention. The papers of the representatives of WUA from the US Oregon State, and Yakima-Teiton Irrigation District, which have almost a century-old experience, caused special interest. The representatives from the USA noted that though in their country WUAs were created quite a long time ago and exclusively on a voluntary basis, every year they face different problems, related to diverse natural, economic, ecological causes.
The participants noted that the workshop had helped them to more really see the problems, faced by middle- and downstream water users in the region, related to quality and quantity of water, coming from upper catchment, as well as to tell about their problems.
INTERNATIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT COURSES
Annual International Water Management Courses (IWMC), organized by the Swiss Federal Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (EAWAG) and Swiss Re, will be carried on 28 September to 1 October 2004 in Ruschlikon, Switzerland.
In 2004, the emphasis will be on “River water economy”.
Applications for participation are accepted until 30 April 2004.
Details are given at: www.iwmc.ch
THE DECREE OF THE UZBEK CABINET OF MINISTERS
“ON THE FOUNDATION OF THE TASHKENT INSTITUTE OF IRRIGATION AND LAND RECLAMATION”
At the suggestion of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekistan, Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Land Reclamation will be founded on the basis of the Tashkent Institute of Engineers of Irrigation and Agriculture Mechanization.
By the Decree of the Uzbek Cabinet of Ministers dated 30 March 2004, a Special Commission has been charged with implementing a set of measures for transforming the Tashkent Institute of Engineers of Irrigation and Agriculture Mechanization into the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Land Reclamation up to 1 June 2004.
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