45th MEETING OF THE INTERSTATE COMMISSION FOR WATER COORDINATION
The 45th ordinary meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination in Central Asia (ICWC) was held on 13-14 October 2006 in Bishkek under the chairmanship of B.T. Koshmatov, Director General of the Department for Water Resources at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Processing Industry (MAWRPI) of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The following items were put on the meting agenda:
1.1. Report on the implementation of water withdrawal limits in non-vegetation period 2005/2006, and specification of the operation modes for reservoir cascades and limits on water withdrawal in the Amudarya and Syrdarya river basins for the vegetation period 2006.
1.2. Progress in the implementation of water withdrawal limits and operation modes for reservoir cascades in the Amudarya and Syrdarya river basins in the vegetation period 2006, confirmation of water withdrawal limits, and approval of predicted operation modes for reservoir cascades for the non-vegetation period 2006/2007.
1.3. Water situation in the Syrdarya river basin in the vegetation period 2006.
2. Information on the progress in Phase 3 of the IWRM-Fergana Project (SIC ICWC responsible)
3. Principles and order of rotation of ICWC executive bodies
4. Results of the participation of ICWC representatives in the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico City
5. Venue and agenda of the 46th ordinary ICWC meeting.
Additional items:
1. Progress in the implementation of the ADB RETA 6163 “Improved Management of Shared Water Resources in Central Asia”
2. Progress in the preparation of measures dedicated to the 15th anniversary of ICWC.
The ICWC members took into account the information of BWO “Amudarya” and BWO “Syrdarya” on the implementation of water withdrawal limits and provision of the adopted operation mode for reservoir cascades for the non-vegetation period 2005/2006 . In addition, the information of M.Kh. Khamidov, Chief of BWO “Syrdarya”, on vegetation irrigations in 2006 was taken into consideration.
The lack of a quadripartite Agreement on water-energy resources use in the Syrdarya river basin for 2006 and the facts of failure to fulfill the provisions of bilateral agreements and protocols were noted.
Chief of BWO “Syrdarya” M.Kh. Khamidov was instructed to prepare a draft Protocol on water-energy resources use in the Syrdarya river basin in the vegetation period 2007, as well as a draft Protocol on Kayrakkum reservoir water resources use.
The participants of the meeting confirmed water withdrawal limits and predicted operation mode for reservoir cascades in the Amudarya and Syrdarya river basins in the vegetation period 2006, and limits on water withdrawal in the Amudarya and Syrdarya river basins for the non-vegetation period 2006-2007.
The participants approved the progress in the implementation of activities under Phase 3 of the IWRM-Fergana Project. It was noted that the developed IWRM approaches, methods and tools as a combination of organizational, managerial, technical, informative measures, and the gathered tools of water users enable to improve water efficiency and irrigated land productivity.
Thereupon, the ICWC members consider it is necessary:
- to broadly expand IWRM approaches, especially to the projects funded by IFI;
- using the experience of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, appeal with the initiative to the Governments and legislative authorities of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for recognizing the IWRM principles on a national scale, fortifying them in the legislation of the countries;
- strengthen broad propagation of IWRM principles in the countries of the region, including dissemination of the experience related to the tools for management and water pricing developed by the project.
The participants decided to appeal to international donor organizations to support and develop IWRM activities, including the Project “IWRM in the Amudarya and Syrdarya river lowlands”, drawing a special attention to the activities of the UCC-Water Project in the context of regional support to developing national IWRM plans.
The participants of the meeting took into account the information of the ICWC Secretariat about the accomplished work on preparing a project for rotation of ICWC bodies. The absence of proposals for rotation of ICWC executive bodies from Uzbekistan was noted. Based on the available proposals, the ICWC members will carry out additional work with the governments of their countries concerning the rotation of ICWC executive bodies. The ICWC Secretariat was instructed to carry out intensive work on converging the positions of the countries concerning the rotation of ICWC executive bodies. The issue of ICWC executive bodies rotation will be considered at the next ICWC meeting.
The ICWC members noted that the participation of a delegation from the region in the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico City had demonstrated unity and solidarity of the ICWC in solving water problems in the region, which correspond to the tendencies of development and achievement of Millennium Development Goals. Therefore the ICWC members consider it is necessary to focus the activities of water management organizations in the region on:
- further development of IWRM at all levels of the water hierarchy;
- strengthening the cooperation on transboundary water resources management and developing its main positions;
- building capacity in technical and organizational directions.
The participants of the meeting approved the program of activities dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the ICWC (Almaty, third ten days in April 2007). The ICWC members together with the SIC ICWC will carry out work with donor-organizations to provide sponsorship in preparing and holding of jubilee activities.
The participants approved the initiative of the UNECE on holding a special session dedicated to the 1992 UNECE Water Convention under the framework of the activities for celebrating the 15th anniversary of the ICWC of Central Asia.
It was decided to appeal to the Conference of the Parties to the Water Convention to include holding a workshop dedicated to national water policies in Central Asia in the work plan for 2007-2009 and consider the issue on organizing trainings for raising human capacity of water management organizations in Central Asia countries in regard to transboundary water resources use in one of Central Asian states.
The 46th ordinary ICWC meeting will be held in the first quarter of 2007 in Turkmenistan.
WORK MEETING TO DISCUSS THE REGIONAL WATER POLICY UNDER THE ADB RETA 6163 “IMPROVED MANAGEMENT OF SHARED WATER RESOURCES IN CENTRAL ASIA”
A meting to discuss the regional water policy was held on 13-14 October 2006 in Bishkek under the ADB RETA 6163 “Improved Management of Shared Water Resources in Central Asia”. The meeting was attended by ICWC members, representatives of the National Working Groups (NWGs) from the water and energy sectors in the countries, as well members of the Regional Working Group (except for United Control Center “Energy”).
The participants of the meeting discussed the progress in the implementation of the project activities and noted the current delay in implementing the schedule. The emphasis was focused on the failure to fulfill the positions stated in the minutes of the previous meeting in time. The NWGs agreed up to 1 November 2006:
- to submit the protocol on approval of the national reports on the analysis of the efficiency of the agreements in force by all NWG members;
- based on the remarks of the RWG, specify reports on inventory of work being carried out by each country for interstate cooperation, with detailed basing of contribution and share of expenditures;
- note that the NWGs of Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan give additional materials, the completeness degree of which will be assessed by the RWG and send to all the nWGs for consideration;
- submit remarks and supplements to the report of BWO “Amudarya” on the Amudarya river basin, on which remarks were received from the NWG of Turkmenistan;
- submit remarks or agree the developed and distributed terminology to article 1 in the draft Agreement on the Use Water and Energy Resources in the Syrdarya river basin.
Based on the results of the analysis of the submitted documents, a work meeting of the RWG members and one representative from each NWG will be held in the second half of November this year for ultimate approval.
On 19 June 2006, the Executive Committee of the International Fund for the Aral Sea Saving (IFAS) sent, through the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, a draft Agreement on the Formation and Functioning of National, Basin and Regional Databases on the Integrated Use and Protection of Water Resources in the Aral Sea Basin agreed by the ICWC. The approval with short remarks was received from the Government of Kazakhstan only.
Up to the end of 2006, it is planned to hold two training seminars “International and National Water Law” and “Mechanisms for Settling Disputes and Achieving a Consensus”. Professor Patricia Wouters, Director, UNESCO CENTER for Water Law, Policy and Science, University of Dundee, Scotland, was invited as a lecturer/moderator to the first seminar to be held on 13-17 November 2006 in Tashkent. ICWC members should be asked to invite representatives of the legislative authorities to the seminar as participants, apart from NWG representatives.
It is planned to hold the second workshop “Mechanisms for settling disputes and achieving a consensus” inviting moderators from the Israeli Center for Negotiations and Mediation in December 2006 – January 2007.
The participants discussed the draft Agreement on Water and Energy Resources Use in the Syrdarya River Basin and agreed on a version reflecting a certain consensus between NWG representatives.
It was noted that the NWG of Turkmenistan presented its remarks to the draft Agreement on Water and Energy Resources Use in the Amudarya River Basin. The remarks from the NWGs of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, as well as of BWO “Amudarya” should be submitted by 12 November 2006.
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