JOINT WORKSHOPS ON PROJECTS “INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN FERGANA VALLEY” AND “CENTRAL ASIAN REGIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND WATER INFORMATION BASE”
On 22 February 2007, upon agreement between the Department for Water Resources at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Processing Industry, the Kyrgyz Republic (DWR MAWR&PI) under support of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) a workshop was held on the projects such as Integrated Water Resources Management in Fergana Valley (IWRM-Fergana) and Central Asian Regional Water Information Base (CAREWIB). The aim was to inform members of DWR Board and Basin Water Management Organizations on the results of IWRM implementation in Fergana Valley, information portal CAWater-Info and information system CAREWIB.
Members of DWR Board and Basin Water Management Organizations took part in the workshop.
Director General of DWR MAWR&PI B.T.Koshmatov and Deputy Head of Osh Provincial Government B.B. Burgoyev opened the workshop and welcomed the participants.
Based on the presented reports and the discussions held the following decisions were made:
- approve activities under the projects Integrated Water Resources Management in Fergana Valley (IWRM-Fergana) and Central Asian Regional Water Information Base (CAREWIB).
- dissemination of IWRM principles to Pravoberezhniy canal is advisable.
- pay attention to improvement of water delivery stability in the main canals Aravan-Akbura and Pravoberezhniy by solving problems of water intake to Osh water-supply system.
- draw attention of provincial water management organizations to a need for assisting in solving problems related to water-protection zone of AAC.
- consider as of critical importance the stability of local staff under IWRM-FERGANA project. Turnover of staff hampers the process of IWRM implementation.
- extension services for water users as implemented through RAS should be developed in federations and unions of WUAs with support of DWR MAWR&PI.
- assist in disseminating methods of effective irrigation water use, which was approbated at Sokolok canal, among tertiary canals and other WUAs (on water distribution among farmers and water payments according volume of water used rather than acreage).
- assist in arranging water accounting at a level of intakes at tertiary canals and farms.
- it is necessary to use widely the branch of ICWC Training Center in the city of Osh for engineering and technical staff, water users and WUAs in order to train them in various aspects of WUA activities (advanced methods of on-farm irrigation and drainage system operation, monitoring of WUA’s activities, preparation of business-plans in WUA, ways of solving land reclamation issues in WUA, safe use of collector and drainage waters, etc.).
- government support is needed in providing WUA with special equipment and machines required for operation and maintenance of on-farm irrigation and drainage system and in allocating to WUA beneficial long-term loans.
- it is necessary to elaborate a procedure for giving incentives to WUA’s staff. The indicator of WUA’s performance should be main crop yields on irrigated areas operated by WUA.
- during re-registration of old and registration of new established WUAs, all associations transferred to such management structure, where management body (WUA’s Board) and executive body are separate. This practices should be carried through.
- it is necessary to develop a mechanism for legalization and functioning of saved water market and approve it in legislation.
- an undoubted need for further development of information exchange in the region and implementation of information systems both in the Ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources and Provincial water organizations and at lower level, i.e. rayon water organizations and WUAs. To this end, at the first stage, continuous financial, institutional and political support from the governments and donors is needed.
- initiate establishing a national information system at DWR MAWR&PI and its branches by using methods as applied in CAREWIB IS and fully integrate it with the latter. The National information system will allow the improvement of water use plan preparation and the fulfillment of water use planning and monitoring at modern level.
The similar for the officials of the Ministry for Land Reclamation and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan (MLR&WR) and provincial water management organizations was held on 24 February 2007 in Khodjent.
Deputy Minister for Land Reclamation and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan Kh.U. Khasanov opened the workshop and greeted the participants.
As a result of acquaintance with reports and discussion between the participants the following decisions were made:
- To approve activities on «Integrated Water Resources Management in Fergana Valley» Project (IWRM-Fergana) and «Central Asian Regional Environment and Water Information Base» Project (CAREWIB).
- It is reasonable to pay attention to the problem on KhBC water availability improvement as a result of planned water withdrawal 2 m3/s for drinking needs.
- To pay attention of provincial water management organizations to the necessity for assisting in resolving problems related to KhBC water protection zones.
- The support of the Ministry for Land Reclamation and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan is required for developing activities on Provincial Departments for Water Resources in close cooperation with Extension Service “Agency Support Development Process NAU” in Tajikistan.
- To assist in water account organization for farms.
- To strengthen training for WUA staff in advanced methods for IDN (Irrigation and Drainage Network) operation and using water conserving technologies at ICWC Training Center and its branches with participation of Provincial Departments for Water Resources and the Ministry for Land reclamation and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan. In this context, financing should be found.
- State support is required in providing WUA with special equipment and machines needed for onfarm IDN operation and maintenance and allocating lax long-term credits for WUA.
- The issues on rendering reclamation services to farms-water users were reflected poorly in legislative and normative acts. The criteria on providing reclamation services to water users by WUA should be stipulated when forming normative-methodical documentation.
- WUA right on water and the opportunity to legalize water market with certain rights on water resources transfer and sale should be consolidated in legislation.
- It is rational to add the article providing for the responsibility of water management organizations for violation of limited water use in Water Code of the Republic of Tajikistan and to amend the agreement between District Department for Water Resources and WUA.
- The necessity for further development of information exchange in the region and introduction of information systems into activity of not only MAWR and Provincial Departments for Water Resources but at lower level -WUA- does not raise doubts. In this context, continuous financial, institutional and political support from the governments and donors is required at the first stage.
- To start to create a national information system in the Ministry for Land Reclamation and Water Resources and its units according to the methodology of CAREWIB Information System and fully integrate it with the latter. The national information system use will allow improving qualitatively water use plan preparation process and implementing water resources use planning and control processes at modern level.
At the end, all the participants expressed their thanks to workshop organizers – SIC ICWC and ICWC TC – and to workshop sponsor - SDC.
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