CONCLUDING PROJECT MEETING “SOLVING THE PROBLEMS OF WATER SHORTAGE AND DROUGHT IN CENTRAL ASIA INDUCED BY CLIMATE CHANGE”
The concluding project meeting took place on 14 March 2005 in Tashkent city.
The participants of the meeting were shown a film “Experience in growing legumes as double crops after winter wheat” shot in Fergana province, in which the experience in growing green gram, haricot and Canadian soybeans as double crops after harvesting wheat is shown in detail.
Project Director Prof. V.A. Dukhovny opened the meeting. He welcomed the participants and guests and summarized the two-year activity under the project. Prof. V.A. Dukhovny noted that insufficient attention is given to the issues of climate change in Central Asia as against the USA and Canada. In the region, there is enough of urgent problems to be solved. One cannot say such attitude right. Even little changes in air temperature only by 1 0Ñ are followed by abrupt change in frequency of extreme cases. Therefore, it would be shortsightedness not to notice climate change and not to take appropriate measures for adapting to this occurrence. It is necessary to make agriculture ready so as to avoid unexpected consequences.
Rise in temperature facilitates quicker gaining of an amount of effective temperatures by plant, thus reducing a period of vegetation, and that gives an opportunity to grow double crops. At that it is necessary to control over irrigation and bar deviations from irrigation terms. Decrease of vegetation period gives an opportunity to take aftercrop. In Uzbekistan, double crops are not included in established plan. Income of farmer from free selling of produce is higher than that from government contractual work, and reaches $150 per ha. Spreading the experience in growing double crops is of great importance, and should be introduced everywhere. For that, extension services should be set up. Here it is necessary to keep saving water for irrigation of double crops in mind. Grown legumes (green gram, haricot) are natural suppliers of nitrogen fertilizers: tubercles forming on the roots synthesize nitrogen from air. Activities carried out under the project on climate change prove the effectiveness of growing legumes as double crops after harvesting wheat.
INTAS-0511 PROJECT MEETING “RESTORATION OF THE ARAL SEA ECOSYSTEM AND BIOPRODUCTIVITY IN THE CONTEXT OF WATER SCARCITY
The meeting took place on 23-25 March 2005 at SIC ICWC. H. Nahtenebel, V. Dukhovny, O. Vasilyev, A. Tuchin, A. Sorokin, I. Atabekov, B. Tashmukhamedov, I. Mirabdullayev, V. Tyugai participated in the meeting.
The main objective of the project is to recommend more acceptable and realistic version for subsistence of future Aral Sea water bodies from the perspective of forming new bioproductivity and saving biodiversity.
Hydrological modeling of catchment as a whole and water balance models for the northern part of the Aral Sea were presented. Time resolution was for 3 months, modeling included periods of 25 and 50 years. Three scenarios for water resources management (current situation, optimistic and in accordance with national plans) were considered.
For the western and eastern parts of the Aral Sea (the eastern part is large and small with little volume, the western one is smaller and deeper with a great volume), a model “0-D” (tank model) was developed. The model calculates water balance and salt contents in water, and considers three processes regulating the concentration of salts: blending with inflows, salt deposition induced by freezing and deposition in coastal zone as a result of evaporation while desiccation and flooding. Three scenarios of water distribution were considered, in which water from the Amudarya is partially diverted to the Western Lake, all water is directed to the western part of the sea. The modeled processes will be verified by using data from literature and experiment.
For hydrodynamic and hydrochemical modeling of the Aral Sea parts, the 0-D model, two-dimensional longitudinal vertical model and complete three-dimensional model were used. The results of modeling were presented.
The project team carried out several field inspections for gathering data on biology (phyto- and zooplankton, fish, data on water salinity). It was noted that the number of species as well as the population had rapidly reduced. Nearly all of fish species are subject to disappearance. The team assessed the proposed alternatives taking environmental impact into account, and concluded that it is necessary to promptly form systems for passage of fish along the downstream Amudarya to support its migration.
Fish hatcheries, especially at Tuyamuyun reservoir, will help save some species and some activity in fishery. All of the three scenarios for water distribution are only considered as a tool for a long-term operation. The main volume of fresh water should come into the western part of the sea, then into the eastern one. Endemic species of fish can be saved only in a fully controlled water body, and their genetic posterity may be saved in low-temperature genetic banks.
SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL WORKSHOP “REGIONAL WATER RESOURCES AND PEACE BUILDING”
A workshop “Regional Water Resources and Peace Building” was held on the initiative of the UN University of Peace in Almaty, Kazakhstan from 23 to 27 April 2005. Representatives from all Central Asian Republics and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan took part in the workshop. Among the participants, there were deputy ministers of water resources, energy, foreign affairs, representatives from ICWC, CSD, EC IFAS, BVO Amudarya, BVO Syrdarya, SIC ICWC, SIC CSD, representatives of the international organizations, experts, teachers and scientists.
Within the framework of the workshop, the issues related to improving water resources efficiency in Central Asia, international experience in transboundary basin water resources management in a number of regions world-wide, especially in view of its applicability for the conditions of Central Asian region, as well as the issues related to developing a modular training course on water resources in Central Asia with a view to teaching it within and beyond the region were discussed.
The participants of the workshop noted the importance of implementing the provisions in the UN General Assembly’s Resolution A/C.2/58/L.8 “International Decade for Action «Water for Life”, 2005-2015 and inadequate progress in implementing the provisions of the Dushanbe Declaration dated 6 October 2002 in part of achieving the goal of establishing a special UN commission for coordinating activities of international organizations and donor states to contribute to solving the Aral Sea problems, approved by the heads of all the five Central Asian states.
It was regarded expedient:
- the University of Peace as a member of the UN family to study capabilities to establish a high-level Advisory Group to conduct an unofficial and informal dialogue by principle “Trek 2” between all the stakeholders for more completely studying conditions necessary for achieving the goal set by the Dushanbe Declaration, having made up a detailed description of such a group, its membership, functions and character of activities.
It was considered necessary to give particular attention to the following suggestions made at the workshop concerning the establishment of an Advisory Group, which could implement such a dialogue:
1) provide support by the UN in founding such an Advisory Group, implement its chairmanship, and involve one representative from the interested international organizations and international financial agencies of the UN system in its operation;
2) any option of the “UN Commission” (named in the context of the Dushanbe Declaration) is to be considered in the light of the current regional UN structures, the mandate of which includes Central Asia, especially the UNECE, ESCAP and UNDP Regional Office;
3) include representatives from the government of each country, in particular, national water, energy and environmental agencies, present regional organizations, including IFAS, ICWC, RES, REC CA, and CSD in the membership of the Advisory Group;
4) include representatives from Afghanistan, taking into account its location by the Amudarya river and interest expressed by the workshop participants to studying possibilities of Afghanistan to participate in regional cooperation and water management organizations, in the membership of the Advisory Group after respective appeal of the government of this country.
5) the UN, regional and international organizations and national governments to provide necessary technical and expert support to the Advisory Group in its operation.
The developed report will be directed to the UN Secretary General, governments of Central Asian Republics, President of the International Fund for the Aral Sea Saving, and heads of all interested international organizations and donor states.
The participants came to an agreement that strengthening of international assistance from the UN and other international organizations to the process of regional cooperation in management of water, energy and other resources in Central Asia could make significant contribution to development of regional cooperation and intensification of peace building between the counties of the region. In conclusion, the participants expressed gratitude to the University of Peace for organization of this workshop.
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