Shavkat Rakhmatullaev - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Shavkat Rakhmatullaev
Water, Energy and Environment in Eurasia
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, May 1, 2014
Abstract: The political transformation of the Central Asian region has induced the implosion of t... more Abstract: The political transformation of the Central Asian region has induced the implosion of the interconnected physical hydraulic infrastructure and its institutional management systems. Land-locked Central Asian countries with their climatic conditions and transboundary water resources have been striving to meet their food security, to increase the agricultural production, to sustain the energy sectors and to protect the environment. The existing water reservoirs are strategic infrastructures for irrigation and hydropower generation. The upstream countries (Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan) favor the reservoirs operation for energy supply while the downstream countries (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan) push on the irrigation use. This paper overviews the current challenges and perspectives (technical, institutional and legal regulations) of man-made water reservoirs in Central Asia with special focus on Uzbekistan.
(100-400 words): For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets f... more (100-400 words): For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets for cotton production, the arid Central Asian region and in particular Uzbekistan has been extensively exploited. In fact, vast tracts of deserts have been converted into irrigated agricultural lands without proper consideration to environment and technical standards. As a result trends in natural resource degradation (soil salinity, desertification, water quality) as well as declining crop yields have dramatically increased. The agricultural sector is the backbone for employment, food security and export revenues of the Central Asian countries. Since the independence of the Central Asian countries (after the breakup of the former Soviet Union) the situation has changed dramatically in terms of institutional, political and technical systems. Political transition, which is defined as a shift from once planned centralized economy to a market-driven one, has introduced ‘new’ concepts like la...
The paper presents results of the application of a geostatistical approach to assess the water re... more The paper presents results of the application of a geostatistical approach to assess the water resources availability of the Akdarya reservoir in Uzbekistan. This geostatistical approach includes a (semi-) variogram analysis and interpolation (kriging and simulations-turning bands-). Techniques predicting values at unsampled locations for generating digital bathymetric surface models of reservoir bottom conditions for calculating the volume and surface area at a given water elevation are also considered. The simulation enables to have a range of reservoir volumes and surface areas with the same probability in comparison to the kriging and traditional methods. The geostatistical approach creates digital surfaces that represent relatively accurate reservoir bottom conditions and support automated reservoir volumes and surface areas calculations. This in turn significantly reduces time, work load and financial burdens for sedimentation survey projects.
Research Papers in Economics, 2007
The degradation of groundwater quality and quantity in Uzbekistan is a major problem for people i... more The degradation of groundwater quality and quantity in Uzbekistan is a major problem for people in charge of drinking water supply. In order to guaranty a safe and effective access to the resource, it is necessary to estimate the quality of the resource and to evaluate the recharge rate and the residence time of water within the aquifer systems. This study presents a few attempts carried out to draw a first portrait of the real situation in Central Asia.
The increased share of groundwater use for irrigation is observed in the Amu Darya River Basin du... more The increased share of groundwater use for irrigation is observed in the Amu Darya River Basin due to deteriorated and worn-out surface irrigation systems, recent droughts and high mineralization levels of surface water. This paper discusses the extent of groundwater resources, use and management in Amu Darya River Basin. As a consequence of increased surface irrigation and leaching, groundwater level has increased over great areas in lower reaches of the Basin and second salinization has been documented. Agriculture sector is the dominant sector of economy in the basin countries currently employing up to 40-50% of the total population, contributing to 28-50% of countries GDP. Because of that major role in the economy of Central Asian countries, it is for sure that in the futur more groundwater will be pumped out to meet the increasing demand.
For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets for cotton product... more For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets for cotton production, the arid Central Asian region and in particular Uzbekistan has been extensively exploited. In fact, vast tracts of deserts have been converted into irrigated agricultural lands without proper consideration to environment and technical standards. As a result trends in natural resource degradation (soil salinity, desertification, water quality) as well as declining crop yields have dramatically increased. The agricultural sector is the backbone for employment, food security and export revenues of the Central Asian countries. Since the independence of the Central Asian countries (after the breakup of the former Soviet Union) the situation has changed dramatically in terms of institutional, political and technical systems. Political transition, which is defined as a shift from once planned centralized economy to a market-driven one, has introduced 'new' concepts like land tenure...
Sedimentation processes in man-made water reservoirs reduce their main asset: the volume storage ... more Sedimentation processes in man-made water reservoirs reduce their main asset: the volume storage capacity. This raises engineering, environmental and economic issues for the communities around the world and in particular for the areas affected by strong water deficit. Because of Uzbekistan’s arid climatic conditions and uneven spatial and temporal water resources distribution, responsive and innovative water availability assessment surveys of all major water reservoirs are required. Bathymetric survey is a traditional method that is carried out for the estimation of reservoir volumes and surface areas for the corresponding reservoir stages in order to assess the water availability. Volume and surface area differences derived from multiple surveys of a reservoir provide storage loss estimates over time due to sedimentation. However, two main factors such as intensive field data measurement and post data-processing often limit the frequency of these surveys. Alternatively, innovative ...
The major rivers of Central Asia (Amu Darya, Syr Darya and Zerafshan) are turbid watercourses. Th... more The major rivers of Central Asia (Amu Darya, Syr Darya and Zerafshan) are turbid watercourses. Thus many man-made water reservoirs are affected by high sedimentation rates. It is of strategic importance to rationally quantify available water resources in existing reservoirs to ensure a guaranteed water supply to the different water users. Recent drought years and physical deterioration of hydraulic structures urged authorities to re-estimate the water availability in reservoirs of Uzbekistan for the sustainable use of the scarce water resources and safe operation of hydraulic infrastructure. This paper presents the results after the application of a geostatistical approach to assess the water resources availability in the Akdarya reservoir of Uzbekistan. The geostatistical approach creates digital surfaces that represent relatively accurate reservoir bottom conditions and support automated reservoir volumes and surface areas calculations. This in turn significantly reduces time, wor...
In Juuti, P. S.; Katko, T. S.; Vuorinen, H. S. (Eds.). Environmental history of water: Global vie... more In Juuti, P. S.; Katko, T. S.; Vuorinen, H. S. (Eds.). Environmental history of water: Global views on community water supply and sanitation. London, UK: IWA Publishing
The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Earth Sciences, 2016
Environmental Earth Sciences, 2013
This paper presents the analysis of historical transformation of water management in Central Asia... more This paper presents the analysis of historical transformation of water management in Central Asia with the specific focus on Uzbekistan. The time frame of the analysis is from the Middle Ages to contemporary times, with different political, social and economic settings in the framework of theory of transformative capacity of institutions. Empirical evidence suggests that the approach of the hydraulic mission has not changed dramatically over the years, but transformed into various forms of control on water management. In recent decades, integrated water resources management paradigms are gaining momentum, while the traditional, State-centric, hydraulic mission approach is losing its attractiveness in the arid Central Asian region. Nevertheless, the State-centric model of water management still persists in the region with clear signs that water management is still more under sociopolitical control.
Central European Journal of Geosciences, 2012
As a result of the massive irrigation development during the Soviet Union era and intensive chemi... more As a result of the massive irrigation development during the Soviet Union era and intensive chemization of agriculture, the surface runoff quality has been degraded in this arid and endorheic region. Moreover hydraulically related groundwater has also been affected. Excessive irrigation has lead to land salinization, which now threatens the soil quality of significant areas where crop yields would be at risk in the future. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, institutional changes have been undertaken for the management of natural resources and water infrastructure. At present, underdeveloped and inadequate systems have been practiced with respect to groundwater use and management. This paper analyzes the present extent of groundwater resources with consideration to their reserves, quality evolution, and to technical, institutional and transboundary management practices in Uzbekistan.
International Journal of Environmental Studies, 2012
Contemporary water management decisions use many sources and forms of data. The paper discusses t... more Contemporary water management decisions use many sources and forms of data. The paper discusses the implementation results of data management activities in the water sector carried out in five countries of the Central Asia region. Geoinformation systems, remote sensing tools and databases have been applied worldwide for improving water resources management with differing levels of success. Water management organisations, equipped with data management tools will have better capacities to adapt their decision-making in the changing availability and scarcity of water resources. Application of data management tools for improving collection, storage and processing of data and information are a first step towards improved water governance.
For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets for cotton product... more For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets for cotton production, the arid Central Asian region, particularly, Uzbekistan has been extensively exploited. In fact, vast tracts of deserts have been converted into irrigated agricultural lands without proper consideration of the environment and technical standards. As a result, trends in natural resource degradation (soil salinity, desertification, water quality) as well as declining crop yields have dramatically increased.
Environmental Earth Sciences, 2016
Water, Energy and Environment in Eurasia
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, May 1, 2014
Abstract: The political transformation of the Central Asian region has induced the implosion of t... more Abstract: The political transformation of the Central Asian region has induced the implosion of the interconnected physical hydraulic infrastructure and its institutional management systems. Land-locked Central Asian countries with their climatic conditions and transboundary water resources have been striving to meet their food security, to increase the agricultural production, to sustain the energy sectors and to protect the environment. The existing water reservoirs are strategic infrastructures for irrigation and hydropower generation. The upstream countries (Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan) favor the reservoirs operation for energy supply while the downstream countries (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan) push on the irrigation use. This paper overviews the current challenges and perspectives (technical, institutional and legal regulations) of man-made water reservoirs in Central Asia with special focus on Uzbekistan.
(100-400 words): For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets f... more (100-400 words): For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets for cotton production, the arid Central Asian region and in particular Uzbekistan has been extensively exploited. In fact, vast tracts of deserts have been converted into irrigated agricultural lands without proper consideration to environment and technical standards. As a result trends in natural resource degradation (soil salinity, desertification, water quality) as well as declining crop yields have dramatically increased. The agricultural sector is the backbone for employment, food security and export revenues of the Central Asian countries. Since the independence of the Central Asian countries (after the breakup of the former Soviet Union) the situation has changed dramatically in terms of institutional, political and technical systems. Political transition, which is defined as a shift from once planned centralized economy to a market-driven one, has introduced ‘new’ concepts like la...
The paper presents results of the application of a geostatistical approach to assess the water re... more The paper presents results of the application of a geostatistical approach to assess the water resources availability of the Akdarya reservoir in Uzbekistan. This geostatistical approach includes a (semi-) variogram analysis and interpolation (kriging and simulations-turning bands-). Techniques predicting values at unsampled locations for generating digital bathymetric surface models of reservoir bottom conditions for calculating the volume and surface area at a given water elevation are also considered. The simulation enables to have a range of reservoir volumes and surface areas with the same probability in comparison to the kriging and traditional methods. The geostatistical approach creates digital surfaces that represent relatively accurate reservoir bottom conditions and support automated reservoir volumes and surface areas calculations. This in turn significantly reduces time, work load and financial burdens for sedimentation survey projects.
Research Papers in Economics, 2007
The degradation of groundwater quality and quantity in Uzbekistan is a major problem for people i... more The degradation of groundwater quality and quantity in Uzbekistan is a major problem for people in charge of drinking water supply. In order to guaranty a safe and effective access to the resource, it is necessary to estimate the quality of the resource and to evaluate the recharge rate and the residence time of water within the aquifer systems. This study presents a few attempts carried out to draw a first portrait of the real situation in Central Asia.
The increased share of groundwater use for irrigation is observed in the Amu Darya River Basin du... more The increased share of groundwater use for irrigation is observed in the Amu Darya River Basin due to deteriorated and worn-out surface irrigation systems, recent droughts and high mineralization levels of surface water. This paper discusses the extent of groundwater resources, use and management in Amu Darya River Basin. As a consequence of increased surface irrigation and leaching, groundwater level has increased over great areas in lower reaches of the Basin and second salinization has been documented. Agriculture sector is the dominant sector of economy in the basin countries currently employing up to 40-50% of the total population, contributing to 28-50% of countries GDP. Because of that major role in the economy of Central Asian countries, it is for sure that in the futur more groundwater will be pumped out to meet the increasing demand.
For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets for cotton product... more For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets for cotton production, the arid Central Asian region and in particular Uzbekistan has been extensively exploited. In fact, vast tracts of deserts have been converted into irrigated agricultural lands without proper consideration to environment and technical standards. As a result trends in natural resource degradation (soil salinity, desertification, water quality) as well as declining crop yields have dramatically increased. The agricultural sector is the backbone for employment, food security and export revenues of the Central Asian countries. Since the independence of the Central Asian countries (after the breakup of the former Soviet Union) the situation has changed dramatically in terms of institutional, political and technical systems. Political transition, which is defined as a shift from once planned centralized economy to a market-driven one, has introduced 'new' concepts like land tenure...
Sedimentation processes in man-made water reservoirs reduce their main asset: the volume storage ... more Sedimentation processes in man-made water reservoirs reduce their main asset: the volume storage capacity. This raises engineering, environmental and economic issues for the communities around the world and in particular for the areas affected by strong water deficit. Because of Uzbekistan’s arid climatic conditions and uneven spatial and temporal water resources distribution, responsive and innovative water availability assessment surveys of all major water reservoirs are required. Bathymetric survey is a traditional method that is carried out for the estimation of reservoir volumes and surface areas for the corresponding reservoir stages in order to assess the water availability. Volume and surface area differences derived from multiple surveys of a reservoir provide storage loss estimates over time due to sedimentation. However, two main factors such as intensive field data measurement and post data-processing often limit the frequency of these surveys. Alternatively, innovative ...
The major rivers of Central Asia (Amu Darya, Syr Darya and Zerafshan) are turbid watercourses. Th... more The major rivers of Central Asia (Amu Darya, Syr Darya and Zerafshan) are turbid watercourses. Thus many man-made water reservoirs are affected by high sedimentation rates. It is of strategic importance to rationally quantify available water resources in existing reservoirs to ensure a guaranteed water supply to the different water users. Recent drought years and physical deterioration of hydraulic structures urged authorities to re-estimate the water availability in reservoirs of Uzbekistan for the sustainable use of the scarce water resources and safe operation of hydraulic infrastructure. This paper presents the results after the application of a geostatistical approach to assess the water resources availability in the Akdarya reservoir of Uzbekistan. The geostatistical approach creates digital surfaces that represent relatively accurate reservoir bottom conditions and support automated reservoir volumes and surface areas calculations. This in turn significantly reduces time, wor...
In Juuti, P. S.; Katko, T. S.; Vuorinen, H. S. (Eds.). Environmental history of water: Global vie... more In Juuti, P. S.; Katko, T. S.; Vuorinen, H. S. (Eds.). Environmental history of water: Global views on community water supply and sanitation. London, UK: IWA Publishing
The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Earth Sciences, 2016
Environmental Earth Sciences, 2013
This paper presents the analysis of historical transformation of water management in Central Asia... more This paper presents the analysis of historical transformation of water management in Central Asia with the specific focus on Uzbekistan. The time frame of the analysis is from the Middle Ages to contemporary times, with different political, social and economic settings in the framework of theory of transformative capacity of institutions. Empirical evidence suggests that the approach of the hydraulic mission has not changed dramatically over the years, but transformed into various forms of control on water management. In recent decades, integrated water resources management paradigms are gaining momentum, while the traditional, State-centric, hydraulic mission approach is losing its attractiveness in the arid Central Asian region. Nevertheless, the State-centric model of water management still persists in the region with clear signs that water management is still more under sociopolitical control.
Central European Journal of Geosciences, 2012
As a result of the massive irrigation development during the Soviet Union era and intensive chemi... more As a result of the massive irrigation development during the Soviet Union era and intensive chemization of agriculture, the surface runoff quality has been degraded in this arid and endorheic region. Moreover hydraulically related groundwater has also been affected. Excessive irrigation has lead to land salinization, which now threatens the soil quality of significant areas where crop yields would be at risk in the future. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, institutional changes have been undertaken for the management of natural resources and water infrastructure. At present, underdeveloped and inadequate systems have been practiced with respect to groundwater use and management. This paper analyzes the present extent of groundwater resources with consideration to their reserves, quality evolution, and to technical, institutional and transboundary management practices in Uzbekistan.
International Journal of Environmental Studies, 2012
Contemporary water management decisions use many sources and forms of data. The paper discusses t... more Contemporary water management decisions use many sources and forms of data. The paper discusses the implementation results of data management activities in the water sector carried out in five countries of the Central Asia region. Geoinformation systems, remote sensing tools and databases have been applied worldwide for improving water resources management with differing levels of success. Water management organisations, equipped with data management tools will have better capacities to adapt their decision-making in the changing availability and scarcity of water resources. Application of data management tools for improving collection, storage and processing of data and information are a first step towards improved water governance.
For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets for cotton product... more For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets for cotton production, the arid Central Asian region, particularly, Uzbekistan has been extensively exploited. In fact, vast tracts of deserts have been converted into irrigated agricultural lands without proper consideration of the environment and technical standards. As a result, trends in natural resource degradation (soil salinity, desertification, water quality) as well as declining crop yields have dramatically increased.
Environmental Earth Sciences, 2016