No. 6 (130) April 2007

WORK MEETING FOR DISCUSSION OF THE REGIONAL WATER POLICY

A work meeting for discussion of the regional water policy was held on 3-4 April 2007 in Tashkent within the framework of ADB RETA 6163 “Improved Management of Shared Water Resources in Central Asia”. The meeting was attended by representatives from water and energy agencies (except energy specialist from the Kyrgyz Republic) of the countries in the Syrdarya river basin, representatives of BWO “Syrdarya”, UDC “Energy” and “UZGIP” Co Ltd (successor of “Sredazgiprovodkhlopok”).

The meeting was organized for additional agreeing of items in articles 6 and 8 of the draft Agreement on the Use of Water and Energy Resources in the Syrdarya River Basin” according to remarks of Tajik NWG.

At the meeting of working groups in Ashkhabad on 8-10 March 2007, it was decided under item 6.2 to include “water resources allocation according to the Corrective Note to the revised Scheme for integrated use and protection of water resources in the Syrdarya river basin” in the text of the draft Agreement, and give an extract from the Scheme for water allocation among the states in Annex. For more accurate definition of these data, M.P. Gulyayev, developer of the Scheme, representative of “UZGIP” Co Ltd, was invited to the meeting in Tashkent.

During the discussion, article 6 “Allocation of Water Resources” in the draft Agreement was revised and supplemented with Annex “Allocation of Water Resources from the Syrdarya River Channel”, with detailed components on environmental protection in the Syrdarya lowlands, sanitation flows and supply to the Aral Sea.

At the end of the discussion, article 8 “Mechanism for Ensuring Water-Energy Regimes of the Naryn-Syrdarya Reservoir Cascade”, items 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 were revised and item 8.12 was included.

At the meeting, Tajik NWG submitted amendments to other articles in the draft Agreement, which were distributed to the participants but were not considered due to the decision made by ICWC on 8-10 March 2007 (item 3.1 of the Protocol).

The participants decided:

1. to agree amendments made to articles 6 and 8 in the draft Agreement.
2. ask Tajik NWG to send proposed amendments to other agreed items of the draft Agreement on the Use of Water and Energy Resources in the Syrdarya River Basin to ICWC members for consideration by 12 April 2007 after signature of NWG Leader to discuss at the next 47th Meeting under item 4 of the agenda.

ABOUT IWRM-FERGANA PROJECT ACTIVITIES

From 11 to 19 April, seminars on “Improved Management of Water Resources at WUA Level” were held by the “IWRM-Fergana” Project.

The seminars took place:

• from 11 to 12 April in Proletarsk town, Sogd province, attended by 42 local representatives from Water Users Associations (WUA) and Water Management Organizations (WMO);
• from 13 to 14 April in Training Center in Fergana town, attended by 77 local representatives from WUAs and WMOs;
• from 16 to 17 April in Training Center in Andizhan town, attended by 53 local representatives from WUAs and WMOs
• from 18 to 19 April in Training Center in Osh town, attended by 40 local representatives from WUAs and WMOs.

At the seminars, Leader of WUA Activity under the IWRM-Fergana Project M.A. Pinkhasov delivered a paper “Methods for settlement of water disputes in WUA”. In his paper, he dwelled on nature of and reasons for water conflicts and disputes. In particular, he noted that conflicts and disputes between water users inside WUA, between WUA and water users, between WUA and WMO can be caused by: non-compliance with conditions of a contact between water users and WUA for water delivery under terms and volumes and providing other services, including land reclamation services provided by WUA; non-compliance with conditions of a contract between WMO and WUA, violation of established water receipt order by WUA member (unauthorized water withdrawal, unauthorized increase of water withdrawal points, adjustment of hydraulic structures, installment of temporary check dams, pumping plants on canals, drilling water wells, etc.), deterioration of reclamation condition of lands due to inactivity or inadequate measures related to operation of hydro reclamation systems, violation of WUA Constitution and so on.

Disputes and conflicts can be considered according to the current regulatory legal acts in Arbitration Commission of WUA or Canal Water Committee, in courts of elders (organized at local authorities) and in Regulating Body for WUA at the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources (such a body has been established only in the Kyrgyz Republic).

Later, the speaker dwelled on measures for preventing water conflicts and disputes.

Consultant in operation R.R. Masumov presented a paper “Need for organizing metering of all kinds of waters in WUA”. He noted that it is necessary under integrated water resources management to foresee using all kinds of waters including:

• supplied from irrigation canals;
• natural sources on WUA territory: springs, sais;
• artesian wells and drainage wells;
• return water coming as discharges from upper lands;
• collector-drainage water.

The speaker gave examples for using collector-drainage waters as a “reserve” for crop irrigation with compulsory account of their salinity.

The speaker drew a special attention to the construction, operation and attestation of water-metering facilities. In particular, he cited examples for practical manufacture of SANIIRI flumes under field conditions and moulding of them on sites using dismountable metallic casing with simplest improvised means (of “construction level”, a hose with water) while assembling and installing level-measuring rods, bulkheads of weirs and flumes.

Assistant of WUA Activity A. Alimjanov delivered two papers: “Practiced methodology for water use planning at WUA level” and “Need for transition from ten-day to daily water use planning in WUA”.

In his first paper, A. Alimdjanov noted that at present specialists of WUA are assigned a task to ensure:

• rational and thrifty water resources use by users in WUA;
• guaranteed and equitable water allocation among water users according to established regulatory documents (irrigation regimes);
• free access to information on water allocation among water users;
• reduced non-productive water losses in irrigation network of WUA.

The speaker told about the fundamental principles of the practiced methodology for water use planning at WUA level, and indicated to the list of necessary information, for water use planning.

In practical training, A. Alimjanov and technician in water allocation E. Muradov offered seminar participants to make up a WUA canal water use plan according to the practiced method for ten-day water use planning in WUA.

In practice, the seminar participants made sure that water use plan made up according to the practiced water use planning method has the following defects:

• water supply with daily discharge of 0.25-1.5 l/sec to water user inlet from irrigated area equal to 1 ha is not real;
• water supply to water user inlets of direct current with small average ten-day discharges (1 l/sec per ha, 3 l/sec per 5 ha) is ineffective that does not make it possible to effectively organize irrigation and application of mineral fertilizers before irrigation and post-irrigation tillage of lands;
• load on water meter of WUA grows, as all canal water users should simultaneously receive water;
• due to permanent operation of WUA irrigation network, non-productive water losses grow.

The use of the existing methodology for water use planning in WUA led to a chaos in water allocation. Personnel of WUA who have made up a water use plan do not know to whom, when and with what discharge water should be supplied. Under new conditions, a ten-day water use plan has lost its water allocating function, leaving only quantitative water requirements of users.

The reduction of a size of irrigated plots of new water users substantially influenced the organization of water use in WUA. A. Alimjanov offered to make up a daily water use plan. In water use plans made up by seminar listeners, summary water requirement for WUA canals is equal. However, all requirements of water users are only taken into account in daily water use plan.

Province executor under the Activity in Fergana and Andizhan provinces of Uzbekistan A. Khalikov presented a paper “Dissemination of “Akbarabad” WUA experience in newly organized WUAs along SFC”. The speaker dwelled on a mechanism for dissemination of the pilot WUA’s experience in different activity areas among newly organized WUAs along SFC. While disseminating experience, “dominoes” principle is used: personnel of the regional group train mobilizers, who in turn train personnel of WUA in their district.

With the help of consultants in land reclamation of the project, 5 technicians specialized in land reclamation in districts take part in work on settlement of land reclamation problems in WUA.

Province executor under WUA Activity in Sogd province of Tajikistan Kh.E. Mukhitdinov delivered a paper on “Dissemination of “Zarafshan” WUA experience among WUAs established along Khojabakirgan Canal”, in which he dwelled on a mechanism for dissemination of pilot “Zarafshan” WUA”s experience in different areas among newly organized WUAs along Khjabakirgan Canal.