No. 27 (70) July 2004

FRESH DRINKING WATER FOR KHUJAND PEOPLE 2004-2007

The Government of Switzerland is contributing a grant in amount of USD 3 million to Tajikistan in the context of a new project in Sougd oblast. The representatives of Switzerland, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the authorities of the Sougd oblast will come together on July 13, 2004 in Khujand to launch the start of the new Khujand Water Supply Project, to be finished in 2007.

The Government of Switzerland represented by the Swiss Cooperation Office in Tajikistan contributes grants to the well being of Tajikistan since 1997. A further step in the cooperation between Switzerland and Tajikistan will be the donation of USD 3 million by the Government of Switzerland through seco (Swiss State Secretariate for Economic Affairs) or 60% of the total cost of the new Khujand Water Supply project in Sougd Oblast. A ceremony will be held on July 13^th, in Khujand.

The project was initiated by EBRD upon the request of the Hukumat of Tajikistan's Sougd oblast. In its turn EBRD has approached the Government of Switzerland and also the Government of Norway to co-finance the project with grant funds in order to make it more viable for Khujand Water Company. The engagement of the Swiss Government in the urban water sector in Tajikistan is taking place in accordance with Tajikistan “Country Strategy Note” of (seco) and “Swiss Water Strategy for Central Asia 2002-2006” (for more information please refer to the website: www.seco-cooperation.ch). Beside Switzerland, EBRD, and the Government of Norway, the Government of Tajikistan will also provide financial assistance to the project.

The Khujand Water Supply Project will have three components. The first one is the preparation, financing and implementation of an investment program to improve the quality and reliability of the water supply in Khujand. The second component provides training for the staff of Khujand Water Company in order to improve the regulatory framework and performance of the Khujand Water Company. The third part is increasing the public awareness of supply and water as a precious item that is limited and should not be spoilt.

First negotiations and assessments stared in 2003. Implementation of this project does start in July 2004 and by 2007 Khujand people will have an improved access to fresh drinking water. Moreover, it fits well with the forthcoming decade of “Fresh Water for Life” 2005-2015 that the United Nations will declare taking up a suggestion by Tajikistan.

Source: Media-release of
Swiss State Secretariate
for Economic Affairs (seco), 09.07.2004

VISIT OF THE SIC ICWC DIRECTOR TO CANADA ON 14-21 JUNE 2004

On the invitation of the CIDA and McGill University, Prof. V.A. Dukhovny made a visit to Canada (Montreal and Ottawa) to conduct negotiations and participate in two meetings of Political-Consultative Project “Water Policy Study Initiative” in Ottawa and the Executive Committee of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) in Montreal.

The meeting on the study of country water policy is remarkable by that in the country there are problems with nature priority in the development, which sharply harden the future situation with water resources. An open talk about the difficulties and realities of monitoring these processes in the present society as well as the necessity to very carefully predict and manage those processes, which are impending over society, was held at the meeting of politicians, scientists, experts, representatives of various sectors, delegates from Europe, Israel and the US. Canada is giving a good example in this regard. The detailed report will be published in the next issue of the “ICWC Bulletin”.

The meeting of the IWRA Executive Committee was presided by IWRA President Dr. A. Shady together with Executive Director B. Dziegielewski. Along with solving the current issues, most attention of the meeting was focused on involving youth in the activity of the Association and developing the network of regional commissions. The Association issues “Water International”, a magazine well-known in scientific communities, in 2000 copies, and has its own web-site.

EC IWRA strenuously prepare for holding the XII Congress in 2005 in India. Chairman of the Congress Working Committee Dr. G. Mathur (India) reported on the course of the preparation for the Congress.

According to the results of both the meetings, it is expedient SIC ICWC together with GWP CACENA:

• To discuss the experience of the collaboration of Canadian scientists with government organizations in regard to developing a prospective regional and national water policy based on the generalization of experience of the Canadian Consultation Council;
• To increase information on the IWRA activities and elaborate cooperation with it and GWP in respect to involving young scientists in its activities;
• To get the IWRA to hold regional conferences, keeping in mind its significance in scientific terms;
• To popularize involving the participants in the IWRA Congress in India, taking into account its role in world exchange of young scientists;

At the meeting in the CIDA, in which Director of the Department for Caucasus and Central Asia Mr. L. Fourche (Madramootoo, Baker, Dukhovny, Poulin) participated, a report on the Training Center activities in view of the CIDA requirements to the activities efficiency for 4 years was given. The Canadians expressed satisfaction with the detail report prepared by the McGill University and SIC ICWC. In the course of opinion exchange, the significance of the Training Center was especially accentuated as a round interstate table for discussing questions of vital importance, exchanging opinions, disseminating forward experience, and attracting new investments from donors. The matters related to the development of the activity in Tajikistan, cooperation with the SDC, extension of actions, including those in pilot sites taking into account the activities being carried out regarding climate change were discussed.

Mr. L. Fourche particularly emphasized the significance of activities under the agreements between the states on improving the cooperation in water resources.

In view of that the CIDA approved financing the participation of the ICWC members in the ICID International Conference in Moscow in September 2004, it is planned:

• to organize a meeting of the Aral Sea Basin Work Group in the form of an all-day session;
• to ask the ICWC members to think over what questions they would like to speak at this session;
• representatives of the CIDA and other donors to participate in this session;
• SIC ICWC to prepare publications of the ICWC members, brochures and desks on the activities in the Aral Sea basin for the demonstration.

WORLD WATER WEEK IN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA 7-14 JUNE 2004

The Malaysian Water Partnership organized a World Water Week in Kuala Lumpur, in which more than 380 people from 51 countries took part. TAC GWP CACENA Chairman Vadim Sokolov and its members Osnik Kirakosyan (Armenia) and Yarash Pulatov (Tajikistan) participated in the event for Central Asia and Caucasus. Within the framework of the Water Week, a scientific symposium and a whole series of measures of the Global Water Partnership, among which annual partner meeting was primary, were organized.

RESULTS OF THE BUDAPEST CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

The Fourth Conference of Ministers of the Environment and Health was held on 23-25 June 2004 in Budapest within the framework of All-European Process “Environment and Health”. The delegations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, represented as the heads of ministries of the environment and health took part in the conference as well.

The previous Third Conference took place in 1999 in London, the main result of which was the acceptance of the Protocol on Water and Health as a supplement to the Convention on Transboundary Waterways and International Lakes Protection and Use (Helsinki, 1992).

Three priority areas were entered on the agenda of the present Conference. The first one concerned the progress achieved in the field of environmental protection and public health care in Europe for the past period after the First All-European Conference on the Environment and Health (Frankfurt, 1989). The analysis of the state of the environment and population health in Europe with a particular attention to the countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, assessment of the impact of the “Environment and Health" procedure in Europe, and review of the implementation of the decisions made at the previous conference in London in 1999, including the assessment of progress by the Protocol on Water and Health, were presented at the conference.

The second field applied to the development of tools for making policies. The participants of the Conference reviewed the All-European reporting and assessment system (on the basis of sanitation and hygiene indicators of living environment), and methods for generalizing and exchanging information. The other task of the Conference was to consider issues that cause an ever-increasing concern among the community, namely dwelling and health; water and health; energy, health and sustainable development; impact of extreme weather phenomena on population health.

European action plan “Environment and children health” (ECH plan) and Ministerial Declaration were approved at the conference. In the ECH plan the emphasis was placed on four regional tasks, which were based on available actual data and the already assumed obligations such as the Convention on children rights. Actions on solving priority issues in cooperation with other international organizations and civil society were marked in the Declaration.

At the conference, it was noted that in spite of the efforts made by the WHO and UNECE, the Protocol on Water and Health has not still come into force due to the weakness of ratification procedures in the counties of the region. As before, one of the vexed questions at the conference was the question in regard to the integration of sectors and numerous action plans, especially at national level. Despite the integration and synergism principles declared by all organizations, various forums are initiating their own procedures and action plans. Most speakers at the conference pointed to that, and many international organizations such as GEF, World Bank, UNICEF, and others did not participated in the conference at all.

The other vexed question repeatedly submitted for discussion at the conference concerned quantitative and temporal obligations of the ECH plan. It seems that the organizers of the conference failed to reconcile qualitative aims during the preparation, and remained this question to the discretion of the countries themselves.

At the same time, a civil forum on “Health and the planet” was being carried out, at which round tables, workshops and exhibitions on “Chemical Substances and Children Health”, “Water and Health” and others were organized with the representatives of NGOs.

Further information and output material of the conference can be found in the web-site of the conference, and received in the CAREC library at: www.carec.kz.