40th ORDINARY ICWC MEETING
The 40th ordinary meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC) of Central Asia was held on 18-20 August 2004 in Bishkek under the chairmanship of Z.B. Bekbolotov, Director General of the Water Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Processing Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The following matters were included in the meeting agenda:
- Progress of carrying out vegetation 2004 and additional measures for completing it.
- Considering water intake limits and recommended predicted operation mode time-table for reservoir cascades on the Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers for non-vegetation period 2004-2005.
- Preliminary results of the “IWRM Strategic Planning” Project.
- Plan of workgroups for the preparation of an Agreement on the Syrdarya river basin.
- Agenda and venue of the 41st ordinary ICWC meeting.
The ICWC members approved the activities of BVO “Amudarya” and BVO “Syrdarya” aimed at implementing water intake limits and providing the approved reservoir cascade operation mode for vegetation 2004. The directions of BVO “Amudarya” and BVO “Syrdarya” were commissioned to take measures for providing water intakes of the countries in the region according to the confirmed limits.
The participants of the meeting took into account the activities of BVO “Amudarya” and BVO “Syrdarya” for implementing water intake limits and operation mode of reservoir cascades for non-vegetation period 2004-2005.
After information of SIC ICWC Director Prof. V.A. Dukhovny on the “Preliminary results of the IWRM Strategic Planning Project, the participants took it into consideration and decided to apply to the ESCAP for undertaking a leading role in initiating donors to implement measures for IWRM Strategic Planning in Central Asian countries.
The ICWC members approved the plan of activities of national workgroups and common work schedule for the “Perfection of legal and technical bases of the 1998 Agreement on Syrdarya River Basin Water and Power Resources Use” submitted by BVO “Syrdarya” and SIC ICWC. The staffs of the national workgroups of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were confirmed. The Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekistan will soon fill up the staff of its national workgroup in accordance with the confirmed work program, and the Ministry of Reclamation and Water Resources of Tajikistan will submit its national workgroup staff.
The next 41st ICWC meeting will be held in Tajikistan in November-December 2004. It is planned to consider at the meeting the results of vegetation period 2004 and draft operation modes of reservoir cascade and limits of water intakes from the Amudraya and Syrdarya river channels for hydrological period 2004-2005 as well as a program for providing ICWC financial-economic activity and its executive bodies for 2005.
14th WORLD WATER WEEK IN STOCKHOLM
16-20 August 2004
One of the largest international forums on discussing water problems was held for the fourteenth time in Stockholm. Each August beginning from 1991 leading water specialists from all the world come to the capital of Sweden to participate in the World Water Week. A scientific symposium and a number of events combined with it are held within the framework of this week. By the efforts of the Stockholm International Water Institute, the annual Forum turns into a well-organized, colorful water festival, in which residents and visitors of picturesque Stockholm take part during the week and the main theme is a careful attitude to water. The main theme of the Symposium within the framework of Water Week in 2004 was formulated in the following way: “Drainage Basin Management: regional approaches for food and urban security”.
The official activity of the Symposium began on 16 August 2003 from the Plenary Session. Ms. Carin Jamtin, Minister of International Development and Cooperation of Sweden opened the Water Week. In her speech she pointed to that the current problems of water stress and deficit are related to rapid growth in urbanization. Investments in water sector are globally increasing, that is why there is a possibility to solve growing problems. The new Swedish strategy in regard to water says: everybody should have a virtue to manage his/her life, using water carefully. Today the international development organizations are not able to solve problems without contribution of everyone. Line of conduct and priorities in the countries that are given international assistance for water sector should be defined with broader participation of population but not by politicians. There is no place for alternatives “business as usual”.
The main issues of the Symposium were discussed within the framework of eight program workshops.
Workshop 1 - “Systems for Sustainable Urban Water Services ” presided by Steve Hall, UNDP. 14 spoken and 11 poster presentations were made at the workshop. The main theme of the workshop was a long-term strategy of water management for ensuring urban water supply and sewerage. The issue was discussed in regard to what investments are needed in order to improve the current situation, and within what limits it is necessary to introduce payment for services of water organizations.
Workshop 2 - “Principles for Management of Urban Water Services ” presided by Michael Rouse, President, International Water Association. 12 spoken and 9 poster presentations were made at the workshop, among which there were those ones dedicated to the role of the government and regulating urban water supply agencies, forms of contracts between service organizations and population. The attention was focused on the matters in regard to water supply and sanitation services improvement.
Workshop 3 – “Recycling of Water and Nutrients in Urban and Rural Context” presided by Prof. Ausaf Rahman from the University of California, USA. 16 spoken and 9 poster presentations were made at the workshop. The presentations set out the problems related to sustainable development of sewage treatment systems – technological, economic and organizational aspects and matters of health and environmental risk evaluation.
Workshop 4 – “Green/Blue Water Management Options for Crop Production in Semi-arid Tropics” presided by Johan Rockstrom, WaterNet. 13 spoken and 10 poster presentations were made at the workshop. The presentations set out specific problems of water policy in sub-Sahara Africa and South Asia – how to provide quality of life in view of sustainable ecosystems.
Workshop 5 – “Cascading and Effective Water Use in Catchment Systems” presided by Prof. Frank Rijsberman, IWMI Director General. 10 spoken and 5 poster presentations were made at the workshop. During the workshop the problems of cascade water use (reuse) in a number of inland basins of the world were discussed. Murrey-Darling (Australia) and Syrdarya (V. Sokolov “Water balance – as an analytic tool for efficient basin management in Central Asia”) were presented as examples of such basins.
Workshop 6 – “Water for Efficient, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture” presided by Prof. Torkil Jonch-Clausen, DHI Director, Denmark. 11 spoken and 6 poster presentations were made at the workshop. Urgent aspects of water use efficiency improvement for fishery development in the world were touched upon. The presentation of Prof. Bakhtiyar Karimov from Uzbekistan on “Fish productivity sustainability in South Priaralie under the influence of anthropogenic factors” should be noted.
Workshop 7à – “Sustainable Groundwater Management in Urban and Rural Areas” presided by Ali Shady, President of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA). At the workshop 8 spoken and 12 poster presentations were made. Within the framework of this workshop the issues of groundwater abstraction system sustainability improvement were touched upon.
Workshop 7b – “Sustainable Groundwater Management in Urban and Rural Areas” presided by Tushaar Shah, IWMI, Sri Lanka. 11 spoken presentations were made at the workshop. Within the framework of this section of the workshop mainly the aspects of human factor in groundwater management and use were considered.
Workshop 8 – “Water Governance – key driving forces for food security and urban water supply” presided by Roberto Lenton, Institute of Land at the University of Columbia, USA. At the workshop 10 spoken and 14 poster presentations were made. The main theme was how to provide achieving the UN Millenium Development Goals by 2015.
It should be noted that among the poster presentations made at the workshops of the Symposium a contest for the most vivid and interesting material presentation was held. This year poster from Kenya “Poverty reduction and social development through IWRM realization” won. The winner was given an invitation to the next Symposium with full payment of all expenses.
One of the most outstanding activities of the Symposium was the ceremony of awarding the Annual Water Prize from the Stockholm Water Fund for a significant contribution to science, technology, education or public activity related to world water resources protection. The prize was founded by the members of the Stockholm Water Fund (today it is supported by 21 states) in 1991, and is estimated at $150,000. Every year the prize is presented by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at the ceremony in the Stockholm city administration. In 2004, this prestigious water prize was given to Prof. Sven Erik Jorgensen from the Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Prof. William J. Mitsch from Olentangy River Wetland Research Park at the Ohio State University in Columbus, US for their remarkable contribution to the development of knowledge about lake systems and wetlands functioning, and understanding the problems of sustainable use of them by mankind.
Within the framework of the Symposium an exhibition of survey works of students from 25 countries was held. This exhibition is attractive by that based on its results the best poster would be awarded a special prize of the Symposium of $5,000. The prize is given at special ceremony of HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. This year the prize was awarded to students from Japan Tsutomi Kavahira, Daisuki Sunakava and Kaori Yamaguchi for developing an environmentally safe organic fertilizer and applying it on Miyako island.
The special two-day dialogue of the European Water Initiative on water partnership caused interest of the forum participants. The dialogue was initiated by the Danish Government and supported by the SIDA and the Government of the Netherlands. The first day of the dialogue one of its sessions (by the component for EECCA countries) was presided by Executive Director of Central Asia Regional Energy Center Bulat Yesekin. At the session the matters like how to expand practical works within the framework of the European Water Initiative in the region were discussed. The second day a meeting of experts from the CIS and Eastern Europe was organized, during which the provisional work program of workgroups was approved together with the representatives of donor organizations in regard to IWRM and water supply and sanitation in 2005 within the framework of the European Water Initiative.
More detailed information on Water Week in Stockholm in August 2004 is available at: www.siwi.org
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