No. 17 (60) April 2004

EXTRAORDINARY ICWC MEETING

An Extraordinary Meeting of the Inter-state Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC) of Central Asia was held on 20 April 2004 in Tashkent.

At the meeting, the draft protocol between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan on Naryn-Syrdarya reservoir cascade water and energy resources use for vegetation period 2004 and autumn-winter period 2004/2005 was reviewed.

At the suggestion of ICWC member A.A. Jalalov, SIC ICWC Director Prof. V.A. Dukhovny was awarded a title of “ICWC Honorary Member” and given a memorial breastplate, taking into account services in establishing and organizing ICWC, and contribution of SIC to ICWC development and formation as an organ of interstate relations of Central Asian countries,.

WATER RESOURCES OF KAZAKHSTAN IN THE NEW MILLENIUM: QUALITY, QUANTITY AND MANAGEMENT

Review “Water Resources of Kazakhstan in the new millenium“ prepared by request of the UNDP was published on 21 April.

Presentation of the new publication was held in the UNDP Information Center in Almaty. Fikret Akcura, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP resident representative for Kazakhstan, A. Kenshimov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Water Resources, Zh. Takenov, UNDP Regional Adviser on sustainable development, and the authors of the review took part in the presentation. The representatives of state structures, non-governmental and international organizations were invited to the presentation. The participants discussed the current water problems, ways to solve them, and a concept of integrated water resources management.

This report continues a series of UNDP publications that consider the progress of Kazakhstan towards the achievement of Millenium development Goals. Goal 7 - to provide ecological sustainability — includes task 10 "Halving the portion of people, not having a permanent access to clean drinking water", a particularly important task for Kazakhstan in view of low water availability in the country.

The new publication contains a lot of data on water supply in the country and their analysis, and views water quality state, reserves, water use practices and more urgent water problems. Giving examples of irrational water use consequences in Kazakhstan, the authors of the review tell about the necessity of water resources management reform. Resource economic approach to natural resources underlies ecological and social problems of Central Asia. Thus, an ecological role of water resources, and the need of landscapes and ecosystems for water are often ignored, the consequences of their destruction are not considered at all.

The lack of water, territorial and seasonal unevenness of its distribution, compounded by increasing competition for water create conditions for potential conflict in the region. Rational use of transboundary river water resources is complicated by the absence of clear contractual relationships between the states on water apportioning, as well as a mechanism for enforcing the previously reached agreements. To settle the present disagreements, a political dialogue based on the standards of international law and experience of bi- and multilateral cooperation is needed.

ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF “IWRM-FERGHANA” PROJECT

On 17 April 2004 in SIC ICWC a technical conference of the project executors was held. The conference participants reviewed the progress of the plan execution in accordance with the overall work schedule of the “IWRM-Ferghana” Project for 2004-2005. The managers of activities gave brief information on the completed operations, set tasks to be solved immediately, specified the ways to solve them, executors and performance time.

As a result of opinion exchange, the participants of the technical conference came to the following conclusions:

Publication and dissemination of the “IWRM Concept” are expected to take place in June 2004. Prof. V.A. Dukhovny charged Т. Palvanov with preparing a new circular entitled “IWRM in Ferghana Valley”, which should show everybody the outcomes of each activity, including negative and unfinished ones, our vision of IWRM implementation in practice within the territory of Ferghana Valley through the prism of accumulated experience for two years, and prospect of further actions on putting IWRM into practice in Central Asia region.

A broadened meeting was held on 15 April in WUA “Akbarabad” with the participation of national coordinator for Uzbekistan U.A. Azimov, oblast-level coordinator P.K. Rasulov, oblast-level executor O. Khalikov and WUA staff. The issues on the conclusion of contracts with water users, WUA financial state, construction of new additional gauging stations on irrigation network in WUAs, and provision of e-mail working were considered at the meeting. The meeting conclusions: WUA Council should consist of 3 heads of shirkat farms, 1 representative from Sokh-Shakhimardan Basin Irrigation Systems Authority, 3 — from farmers, and 1 — from kishlak (village) council.

In WUA “Akbarabad” there are 55 subjects of water use, of which 45 private farms, 3 shirkat farms, 1 auxiliary farm of Rayselkhozkhimiya, as well as 6 makhalla (residential area) water user groups were organized for water supply to small holdings. In makhalla groups, mirabs are appointed, the task of whom is to organize equitable water allocation among small holdings. Water use plan, made up by the IWRM-Ferghana” Project staff, was carried by the WUA into effect and transferred to Water Authority; based on this plan, contracts for water delivery to water users in vegetation period 2004 are concluded. At the local level, the water users have taken an interest in WUA activity that is expressed in independent submission of requests for water for the forthcoming period. This indicates positive changes in notions of simple water users of WUA role.

Project hydrometrist-consultant R. Masumov reported that over the period from 6 to 16 April the following measures were carried out:

• On pilot canals — HBC — full-scale investigation of technical status of balance gauging stations and farm inlets;
• Collection of expenditure characteristics for analysis of empirical data precision, inventory of available formal technical certificates for gauging stations, which shows that it is necessary to complete technical certificates of separate balance gauging stations up to the beginning of vegetation 2004.
• On pilot WUAs — “Akbarabad” — construction of gauging stations has been accomplished, technical certificates have been officially registered for 38 ones, the rest will be completed by the beginning of vegetation 2004;
• “Zaravshan” — construction of gauging stations has been finished, technical certificates are being officially registered.
• “Zhapalak” — a schedule for the construction of gauging stations has been made up, 8 to the existing 25 ones have been constructed, it is planned to construct other 30 units by the end of the month.
• “Kermeto-Akburasy” — the investigation in collaboration with I. Abdullayev shows that out of 14 water inlets only 7 ones are in a satisfactory condition, the rest need to be repaired or constructed anew.

IWMI representative I. Abdullayev informed that IWMI allocates funds for manufacturing weirs and sheet steel form for moulding VLS at the local level, metering sticks in amount of 30 would be bought by IWMI. The construction and repair of head gauging stations will be carried out by canal authorities in collaboration with WUAs. The construction of gauging stations on demonstration canals will be carried out with the forces of WUAs after receiving hydromet equipment. It is planned to complete the operations by 1 May the given year.

The manager of activity “Land and Water Productivity” Sh.Sh. Mukhamedzhanov reported that at present operations, aimed at preparing and sowing cotton, were carried out. Cotton sowing is planned to complete by 20 April. Activities for laser leveling have been accomplished, deep soil loosening has been conducted. Irrigation water measuring points have been determined, water measuring devices will be installed in a week. Winter irrigation will not be carried out after leveling. Organic fertilizers are applied to sections on the basis of 50 t/ha. Soil samples have been taken to define missing nutrients, which will be applied during the first irrigation. For wheat, some delay in growth and development is observed that is explained with late sowing due to a large amount of precipitation, fallen in autumn. At present, the recommendations for applying fertilizers and carrying out irrigations have been given.

Summarizing the technical conference, Prof. V.A. Dukhovny emphasized the attention of the participants on that canal management, WUAs and Irrigation Systems Authority remained the most stressed fields of work, where at present a large lag in implementing activities exists that result in delay of the automation project. The indicated situation is inadmissible, and the managers of the mentioned activities have to take adequate measures.