ABOUT THE PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IWRM-FERGANA PROJECT
Workshop on “International and National Water Law in the Context of
Transboundary Water Resources Use”
The Workshop on “Public Participation as an Important Element of Water Resources Management” was organized by IWMI-Tashkent and SIC ICWC on 8 September 2007 in Osh city within the framework of the Exhibition on “Integrated Water Resources Management in Central Asia”. The workshop brought together the key executors of “Pilot Canals” (“PC”) and “Transboundary Small Rivers” (“TSR”) Components of the IWRM-Fergana Project for IWMI-Tashkent and SIC ICWC as well as other stakeholders, in particular representatives from water management organizations in border districts and provinces of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan: Osh and Batken Basin Water Administrations (BWA); Sogd Water Administration; Fergana Valley Main Canal System Administration with Unified Control Center (FVMCSA UCC); Sought Fergana (SFC), Aravan-Ak-Bura (AABC), Khojabakirgan (KBC) Canal Administrations; Aravan-Ak-Bura, Khojabakirgan and south Fergana Canal Water Users Unions (CWUU); Uzgen, Lyaylyak, Kadamzhai, Chon-Alay District Water Administrations; “Kuva khayoti” newspaper (editor); Research Development Center of the Bonn University (ZEF, Germany) and others, altogether 30 participants.
The current situation with public participation in water resources management (WRM) within the framework of the IWRM-Fergana Project was described by “PC” Component Leader N. Mirzayev. He dwelled on the main issues related to activities of the public bodies for pilot AABC, KBC and SFC WRM established thanks to the IWRM-Fergana Project and possible ways to solve them.
The burden of speeches on “PC” component, establishment of public bodies on WRM for pilot AABC, KBC and SFC, is an institutional innovation in organizational advancement of WRM at canal level. In order that CWUUs become sustainable water management structures, it is important to give support for that in oncoming 2-3 years, which can be provided by SDC and the government. In particular, in her speech, Chairman of South Fergana CWUU M. Sayfutdinova emphasized that decisions on water allocation from SFC are made on a collective basis, and farmers thank CWUU for equitable treatment of this issue. It was noted that hydro power specialists had appealed to the South Fergana CWUU to include them in its membership, seeing the concrete work of the CWUU in practice; in other words, other sectors of economy, which receive water from SFC but are not directly involved in the IWRM-Fergana Project, are seeking to become members to the CWUU.
A somewhat different approach prevailed in discussion of “TSR” Component of the IWRM-Fergana Project. The speakers noted the timely implementation of the component and dwelled on transboundary aspects of the public participation in TSR WRM to reduce conflict potential in TSR water use in Fergana Valley.
The opinion on involving CWUUs of pilot canals (AABC, KBC, SFC) in WRM on pilot transboundary small Shakhimardan and Khojabakirgan rivers was shared, which will meet successful implementation of “TSR” Component of the IWRM-Fergana Project and give an opportunity for the following:
- Support the implementation of one of the key IWRM principles (public participation) at interstate (transboundary) WRM level;
- Minimize conflicts at canal level through ensuring joint water resources management on transboundary small Shakhimardan and Khojabakirgan rivers, from which pilot KBC and SFC take water;
- Answer the task to strengthen transboundary cooperation in Fergana Valley and keep stability in border areas of the adjacent countries as a whole;
- Live and work, feeling duties done in front of local communities in border areas of the adjacent countries (Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan), sharing TSRs, through creating a conflict-free dialogue space regarding management of such a vital resource as water.
A common approach to the implementation of IWRM principles in the IWRM-Fergana Project area cannot be ensured without consideration of its transboundary aspects, in particular the implementation of basin principle for WRM – another key IWRM principle.
Transboundary River Commissions (TRC) for small rivers in Fergana Valley can be organized on analogy of Aravan-Ak-Bura, Khojabakirgan and South Fegana CWUUs, and it is necessary to include public bodies on WRM established within the IWRM-Fergana Project framework in the TRC structure.
Workshop on Component “Transboundary Small Rivers”
The workshop was held by the National Group on Coordination and Support (NGCS) of the Kyrgyz Republic, IWMI-Tashkent and SIC ICWC on 9 September 2007 in the ICWC Training Center Osh Branch. The participants of the workshop were: the direction (Prof. V. Dukhovny) and other executors of the IWRM-Fergana Project for IWMI-Tashkent and SIC ICWC, representatives of the Tajik (Sogd Water Administration, Khojabakirgan Canal Water Users Union), Uzbek (FVMCSA UCC) and Kyrgyz (Osh and Batken BWAs and their district branches) parties and other stakeholders, altogether 29 participants.
The idea and strategic objectives of “TSR” component and major directions of the further activities were presented by Director of SIC ICWC Prof. V. Dukhovny. It was emphasized that the remaining time before the completion of Phase 3 of the IWRM-Fergana Project should be spent most effectively for solving the primary tasks of “TSR” Component at this stage, in particular for organizing a dialogue between key stakeholders at transboundary level. This process should be irreversible and have a final goal to internationally formalize TSR water resources sharing, because not only social stability in border areas, but also interstate and international relations depend on sustainable TSR WRM in Fergana Valley. It was also noted that the successful implementation of “TSR” Component would enable to ensure the integrity of the IWRM-Fergana Project in regard to the implementation of a basin approach through including of interstate (higher) WRM level.
In his speech, Leader of “TSR” Component of the IWRM-Fergana Project Dr. Y. Rysbekov put emphasis on revising the old or developing a new international legal framework for TSR WRM in Fergana Valley. The participants of the workshop were familiarized with the principal provisions of the Agreements concluded between Central Asian countries in the field of transboundary water resources sharing in the region as well as with European approaches to transboundary river water resources management by example of the provisions in the 1992 UNECE Helsinki Convention.
River basin (catchment) as a unit for coordination of actions of diverse agencies involved in water management, consultation at the instance of any party, joint research and development activities in part of environmental restrictions, development of joint programs for monitoring and assessment, support to information exchange on different aspects of transboundary water resources management, including planned measures, public awareness and other provisions in the Helsinki Convention were recognized by the participants most acceptable to take as a basis in the development of draft Agreements on transboundary small Shakhimardan and Khojabakirgan rivers, in further – on TSR in Fergana Valley.
The principal importance of development of international legal framework for joint WRM on TSRs from the position of WRM improvement not only at transboundary, but also at national level, in particular at canal level, was pointed out in the speech delivered by Director of SIC ICWC Kyrgyz Office N. Mamataliyev. The speaker noted that this workshop is training, and such workshops should be held with major stakeholders, which will be involved in negotiation process on WRM on pilot TSRs.
Assistant Leader of “TSR” Component of the IWRM-Fergana Project B. Tillayev underlined the particular significance and usefulness of holding of special trainings for major stakeholders, in particular on international legal aspects of WRM on transboundary rivers, including small ones. It was noted that when negotiation participants have subject knowledge, it is easier to reach a consensus, but when they don’t have knowledge, as a rule, emotions prevail to the prejudice of constructive discussion of urgent issues.
The speech of Zh. Kazbekov (IWMI-Tashkent) was dedicated to reaching a dialogue between local communities in border areas through organizing joint measures such as trainings, experience exchange, informal meetings to providing friendly communication atmosphere (for example, locally widespread popular “gaps” – meetings).
A. Yuldashev (Batken BWA) dwelled on issues of water accounting and hydrologic information exchange on transboundary small Khojabakirgan river between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan; at present, these issues are not coordinated jointly.
The following participants covered different aspects of TSR WRM in Fergana Valley in their presentations:
- O. Anarbekov: social mobilization on informal basis;
- K. Mosin: importance of information distribution on the Component through the mass-media as an element of public participation in TSR WRM;
- Zh. Bekboyev: need for jointly financing the construction of transboundary hydraulic structures.
The participants of the workshop recognized that it is necessary to extend “TSR” Component throughout Fergana Valley in further that influenced the presentations of T. Akmatov (Osh BWA), N. Mamataliyev (SIC ICWC Kyrgyz Office) and others. Many participants of the Exhibition on “IWRM in Central Asia” supported the strategic importance of the idea on extension of “TSR” Component throughout Fergana Valley for peace and security.
The workshops and work meetings held in Osh city showed the significance of the joint actions on planned measures under the Components of the IWRM-Fergana Project, which have “cross-cutting” positions. Phase 3 of the IWRM-Fergana Project is completed in six months, and the implementation of joint actions vertically (Project Components) and horizontally (Main Water Agencies of the ountries in Fergana Valley, IWMI-Tashkent and SIC ICWC) seems very expedient to achieve the overall objective - IWRM for sustainable development.
The participants of the workshop emphasized that the integration of the IWRM-Fergana Project components (joint actions and efforts) in part of the overall project objectives will also conduce to eliminating parallelism in similar positions of the General Work Plan as well as understanding the integrity of the project.
Y.Kh. Rysbekov
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