No. 2 (106) January 2006

SEMINAR “GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE NATIONAL GROUP FOR COORDINATION AND SUPPORT (NGCS) OF THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC IN IWRM-FERGANA PROJECT PHASE III

The seminar was held on 24 December 2005 in Osh city. In his welcoming speech to the participants of the seminar, Deputy Director General of the Water Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Processing Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic E.D. Djusumatov noted that following land reforms in the Kyrgyz Republic, state and collective farms broke up, as a result of which on-farm network became ownerless. After the adoption of the Law on WUAs (Water User Associations) in the Kyrgyz Republic, extensive creation of them started.

IWMI representative M. Yakubov told the audience about the concept for transition to IWRM.

In his speech, IWRM-Fergana Project Office Manager T.I. Palvanov noted the primary objectives of the IWRM-Fergana Project:

• to propose a concept for improving water resources management in the Fergana Valley based on IWRM principles;
• propose and test a new organizational structure for water resources management at irrigation system level with participation of all stakeholders;
• promote WUA as a form of water user self-organization at lower level of the water management hierarchy, and develop the principles for their relationship with new water organizations;
• contribute to capacity building for new water organizations and WUAs;
• give recommendations for necessary betterment of the legal framework to implement IWRM principles;
• introduce the system for monitoring water distribution and use (hydrometry, information system, system of indicators);
• demonstrate opportunities for water conservation and water and land productivity improvement;
• and give recommendations for dissemination of achieved results.

At the seminar, Director of SIC ICWC Kyrgyzstan office A.S. Djayloobayev delivered a paper on the “Integrated Water Resources Management Principles and Objectives of the National Support Group”.

The basin approach and prevention of conflicts between different water users requires complete participation and cooperation between all the stakeholders. To reach a common consent on made decisions, it is necessary to involve not only governmental, regional and municipal authorities, but also the private sector and community, and aspire to reach a consensus. It would be much easier to implement a strategy and legal, administrative and technical actions if consultation procedures would be organized well.

The creation of national groups was a follow-up to a large discussion among the project participants and sponsors, based on what each party saw as a role of national groups. Before national coordinators mainly served as national project facilitators, represented it at the level of water agency, completed a number of conciliation documents with the Ministries of (Agriculture and) Water Resources. Now the situation has significantly changed: over 4 years of work, all the project participants, especially at the local level, got a clear idea of the essence, methods and developed tools of IWRM, and, first of all, understanding of that IWRM is the main way and approach enabling the region to survive under the conditions of oncoming water deficiency owing to integrating all kinds of water resources, water uses, interests; owing to accessibility of its tools, approaches; owing to broader involvement of all stakeholders. Moreover, the organizational mechanism for management of hierarchy levels such as canals and WUAs really got viable and effective.

The present-day world of water is in a complicate sphere of proposals and different mutual interstate, national, zonal and local interests that are frequently contradictory and non-coordinated, in a complicate web of open and hidden bureaucracy. Frequently under these conditions, the main functions of water sector such as to meet water requirements of society and the environment turn for politicians and bureaucrats into an abstract concept, behind which, as behind a bush, one cannot see forest. Thus, the personality of man as a final water user with his vital needs for food, hygiene, work, and living environment gets lost. Such combination of NGCS will enable to organize an interstate exchange of information and opinions, and develop common approaches and a certain way out to the governmental level in part of explaining the importance and expediency of using IWRM principles, and developing relevant national approaches, regulations and legislative provisions.

Furthermore, such combination of NGCP membership is very important for fulfilling another objective preceding the last ones, i.e. to pass through itself the project results, methods, approaches, adjust them to national peculiarities, trends and priorities for eventual change of them into national tools and mechanisms.

On the ground of these objectives, the NGCP should:

• organize training of representatives from different influencing target groups and sectors according to a mutually agreed plan;
• draw up a country IWRM training plan;
• carry out a situation analysis, and generalize achieved results for dissemination among other countries;
• study factors and bottlenecks in implementing IWRM, and submit a proposal for eliminating them to the management;
• socio-economic effectiveness assessment of these approaches.

Leader of ‘Pilot Canals’ Component N.N. Mirzayev delivered a paper “Problems of water resources management improvement at the level of large water-management systems that are to be solved with the help of the NGCP”. The aim of he component is to introduce an IWRM system to reach a higher level of water resources management, based on principles of equity (right to water, right to sell right to water, principle of proportionality), stability, evenness and efficiency (technical and economic).

In his paper “Issues requiring support and assistance at national level for functioning of WUAs in the Kyrgyz Republic”, M.A. Pinkhasov elucidated the current situation and suggested to provide necessary support and assistance.

S.S. Mukhamedjanov delivered a paper "From field to water outlet: raising water productivity at farmer level, problems and prospects”. Following the observations, the main factors reducing the efficiency of agricultural production that are typical for the most of private farms were identified.

In his speech, Chief of the Aravan-Akbura Canal Administration (AACA) A. Toychuyev noted the bases for formation of institutional structures during the transition to IWRM. At the initial stage of the IWRM-Fergana Project, a number of activities were carried out in Osh province:

• determination of pilot Aravan-Akbura Canal;
• determination of pilot WUA (Water User Association);
• determination of demonstration plots in different water duty zones in terms of irrigation by the pilot canal.

After the establishment of AACA, the immediacy and stability of water supply raised, water resources accounting and control over their distribution improved, and conflict situations reduced to the minimum.

In his speech, Chairman of the Union of Water User Associations along Aravan-Akbura Canal N.Ergashev stated that under the IWRM-Fergana Project, public participation in water use management at pilot canal level was implemented through establishment of Canal Water Committees (CWCs), which together with the Canal Administrations should introduce IWRM principles. On 26 January 2005, the CWC was renamed as Union of Water User Associations along Aravan-Akbura Canal (UWUA AAC), and passed legal registration.

At present, partner relations are being established between the AACA and UWUA AAC. For example, one can note that one of the important objectives of the UWUA AAC is to increase collection rate for water bills of the canal administration, influencing water users.

At water user meetings in a number of WUAs, a decision has already been made on providing financial support to UWUA AAC and backing an idea of transforming CWC into legal entity.

In 2004, conflicts between the AACA and water users over water distribution at canal level practically stopped. The surveys of specialists show that it is mainly connected with reforms conducted under the project. However, one cannot leave out that conflicts arise in lower water availability during year.

Later, Director of the ICWC Training Center branch in Osh city A.K. Kidikeyev spoke: since 2002 the ICWC Training Center branch in Osh city has held 72 seminars, of which 13 at international level on various problem aspects and themes on dissemination of integrated water resources management in the Fergana Valley.

The establishment of this Training Center in Osh city facilitated continuation of activities under the IWRM-Fergana Project and accelerated introduction of advanced methods for scientific-practica research on rational water resources use in the Fergana Valley.

It is necessary to note an active participation of not only specialists in water projects, but also other specialists from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in activities of the branch.

The further operation of the Training Center branch in Osh city will contribute to solving many environmental problems related, first of all, to water studies, and spread of the IWRM-Fergana Project, which will play a positive role in solving global issues.

IWMI representative I. Saibjanov told that over the reporting period their field team worked in three directions:

• intensifying the operation of the UWUA AAC and AACA;
• strengthening WUAs located along Aravan-Akbura Canal;
• providing support to farmers below WUA level.

In particular, meetings of UWUA AAC members with the representatives of the direction and councils of “Zhapalak”, “Isai”, “Myrza-Azhy” and “Zhany-Aryk” WUAs were organized. During these meetings, the WUA councils raised some urgent issues facing UWUA AAC to be solved in further, for example:

• “Isai” WUA asked UWUA AAC to solve he problem of debt amounting to 430,000 soms (kindergarten).
• “Myrza-Azhy” WUA asked to help in getting permit for hydraulic engineers of canal KD, flowing via the military unit in Osh city and so on.

A number of measures were carried out for strengthening WUAs located along Aravan-Akbura Canal:

• “Isai” and “Myrza-Azhy” WUAs were provided assistance in office work and accounting;
• Training of hydraulic engineers from WUAs in water use planning per WUA and canal was organized.

Based on the experience of “Zhapalak” WUA, it was suggested to build water-metering facilities recommended by the IWRM-Fergana Project at on-farm irrigation canals.

A number of meetings were held for water users, who were explained time the water distribution method and “Avran” method. It has already been started to introduce these methods at Kairma-2 canal in “Myrza-Azhy” WUA.