Gauging stations at canals - 8 units.
The automation of these structures enables:
- to raise the precision of measurement of water levels, discharges and salinity, and opening of gates at hydraulic structures – by using state-of-the-art technologies for water measurement and accounting (reducing discharge measurement and calculation error from 5-10% to 2-3%);
- improve information provision – by continually collecting, storing and processing measured values of water levels and discharges in computers;
- raise water resources management immediacy and accuracy – by increasing the rate of information reception and processing on technological process and decision making;
- stabilize prescribed discharge supply on main canals in Fergana Valley under changes in water level of the Naryn river;
- continually measure and register water quality parameters (total salinity);
- raise immediacy of failure detection and removal in equipment of control system and hydraulic structures.
This example of international cooperation is an imitation sample for participation of donors and local executives. The total project cost is $364’000, including $306’000 as disinterested help from the SDC. We invite other donors to cooperate to complete the automation of structures of BWO Syrdarya and start automation of BWO Amudarya’s structures.
ABOUT THE IWRM-FERGANA PROJECT
Seminars on “Organization of water accounting and water use monitoring in WUA” were held under the IWRM-Fergana Project from 19 to 27 June 2006 in the Training Centers in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The seminars at local level were conducted by Leader of WUA Activity under the IWRM-Fergana Project M.A. Pinkhasov.
In his lecture “Issues of provision with water-accounting devices and settling of water disputes in WUAs”, M.A. Pinkhasov set out:
- the state of water-accounting devices on irrigation and collector-drainage networks in pilot WUAs in three countries in Fergana Valley;
- activities under the IWRM-Fergana Project aimed at providing on-farm network in pilot WUAs in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan with water-accounting devices;
- reasons for water disputes and conflicts;
- conditions for considering disputes and conflicts by Arbitration Boards of WUAs, Canal Water Committees (CWC), Courts of Elders, and Regulatory Bodies for WUAs at the Ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources;
- necessary measures for preventing disputes among water users, between water users and WUA, between WUA and water management organizations;
- recommended mechanisms for settling different disputes.
As for an item on the state of water-accounting devices before the beginning of the IWRM-Fergana Project activities, the lecturer noted that none of secondary irrigation canals and their branches met water accounting requirements.
Examining irrigation and reclamation systems in pilot WUAs, the project executors determined:
- need for repair-and-renewal work at the existing gauging stations;
- need for additional different water-accounting devices;
- need for inventory of technical certificates, repeated verification and attestation at the existing gauging stations.
The lecturer noted that the reasons for water conflicts and disputes are: poor governmental monitoring of water bodies; poor water consumption planning at the level “WMO–Association”; absence of transparency and awareness of activities carried out by WMOs and WUAs; poor provision of irrigation and reclamation network with water-accounting devices; violation of irrigation regimes and depths; lack of knowledge of WUA staff and water users about regulatory legal acts on water use; untimely payment for water services and so on.
In the concluding part of his lecture, M.A. Pinkhasov proposed a mechanism for settling different disputes (types of disputes and authorities considering them).
Consultant in hydrometry R.R. Masumov read the following lectures:
- “Selecting a site for installing and type of water-measuring devices on canals of WUAs”;
- “Preparation of technical certificates and needed documentation for attestation of water-measuring devices”.
In his first lecture, the consultant set out the tasks of a water accounting service in WUA, types of water-measuring devices designed for measuring water discharges of irrigation and collector-drainage networks.
The lecturer dwelled on these matters:
- selecting a site for constructing a gauging station;
- selecting a type of a water-measuring device depending on flow behavior, water discharge and quality;
- requirements for manufacturing and operating Thomson and Chipoletti weirs and SANIIRI flume;
- methodology for calibration of gauging stations of type “fixed channel”, including parabolic flumes;
- processing field measurements of water discharges, and constructing graphs and discharge coordinate table.
In his second lecture, R.R. Masumov dwelled on the matters related to:
- the list of necessary documentation to prepare a gauging station for attestation;
- filling of a technical certificate for gauging station, and calculating its error;
- verification and attestation of gauging stations (who when carries out attestation of water-measuring devices);
- periodicity of verifications for all kinds of water-accounting devices.
Regional Assistant for WUA Activity A.A. Alimjanov read a lecture on “Organization of monitoring over surface, ground and return water use in pilot WUAs”. He noted that the major tasks of WUAs in water resources use are:
- to ensure guaranteed and equitable water distribution among water users;
- reduce non-productive water losses in irrigation network of WUA;
- provide a free access to information on water distribution among water users of WUA.
Water use monitoring in WUAs should help to solve set tasks and improve the performance of WMOs and WUAs.
As the lecturer underlined, water use monitoring in WUAs is carried out in two stages: in the first stage, actual water supply to WUA and its major canals by water management organization is analyzed, and these are assessed:
- stability of wate supply to WUA;
- water availability for WUA as a whole and WUA canals;
- uniformity of water distribution among WUA canals;
- performance of WUA canals for certain period;
- what kinds of waters are used to cover needed water amount for WUA as a whole, separate WUA canal.
Analyzing derived coefficients of daily and ten-day water supply to WUA canals enables to assess how WMO stably supplied water to WUA. In the second stage, it is analyzed how WUA distributed water received from WMO among water users, the following tasks are accomplished:
- the execution of irrigation regime for each crop grown on water user farms being WUA members is tracked;
- water availability per WUA water user is assessed;
- uniformity of water supply per WUA water user and per WUA canal site is assessed;
- it is assessed what kinds of waters are used to meet needed water amount for water users or groups of water users.
The efficiency of water use monitoring is particularly improved under conditions of transfer to daily water use planning.
Under the guidance of A.A. Alimjanov, an exercise was done on water use monitoring in WUA, using materials given in a manual for organization of water use monitoring in WUA.
Database expert of the IWRM-Fergana Project A.V. Kats read a lecture “Order of providing water use monitoring in WUA database”. He noted that water use monitoring in WUA requires on-line analysis of water use and decision making on improving it. It is particularly important that DB keeps much input and output information on water use.
Pilot WUAs “Akbarabad” and “Zarafshan” find an application for the following elements of monitoring: accounting of surface water use, on-line analysis of water supply indicators, control over fulfilling plan and limit. Database operators in the pilot WUAs were trained to calculate a water use plan and make an online water use analysis.
The lecturer dwelled on output forms of water use monitoring analysis in WUA DB.
On the second day, under the guidance of R. Masumov the participants of the seminar were told about the practical side of site selection and construction (assembling) of a gauging station, and:
- examination of a site for construction of a gauging station, and grounded selection of a canal site;
- preparation of canal channel for construction of a gauging station;
- preparation of canal bed at a cross section where water-measuring devices are installed;
- assembling of water-measuring devices, following the sequence of construction of a gauging station at canal.