Overview of existing river basins in Uzbekistan and the selection of pilot basins. [Project Report of the Sustainable Management of Water Resources in Rural Areas in Uzbekistan. Component 1: National policy framework for water governance and integrated water resources management and supply part] (original) (raw)
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Integrated Water Resources Management issues in Uzbekistan
2009
The economy of Uzbekistan depends heavily on the availability of water resources because of its geographic location in an arid climatic zone. The current population growth in Uzbekistan’s rural areas has led to a present-day situation of increasing competition for water among backyard and farm field holders (respectively called dehqans and farmers), since modern irrigating networks do not take into account the population growth. Improved integration of water resources management on a local level can mitigate the conflicts and considerably decrease expenditures on water supply in the future. Thus, there is only one solution, which is the creation of the system of economical and rational water use, leading to the country’s survival of the in a situation of water shortage. These tasks require absolutely new approaches. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Office in Uzbekistan has conducted a study and, as a result, in consultation with the specialists from relevant state agencies, it has developed a programme for a step-by-step implementation, and generally, by mainstreaming the Integrated Water Resources Management Organization (IWRM) principles and approaches for Uzbekistan, which will be based on a pilot site. Based in the inputs of more than 20 Uzbekistan State agencies, the project will include components at national and basin levels. The potential to attract all sectors and beneficiaries into the process of decision-making, which can be done only with the IWRM, enables us to reflect on the all-inclusive “value” of water for society in general, and to solve the difficult issues of water distribution. Mainstreaming the IWRM will create an opportunity to integrate sustainable systems for cleaning territories, which will be directed the minimisation of waste during production.
The Socio-Technical Aspects of Water Management: Emerging Trends at Grass Roots Level in Uzbekistan
Water, 2010
Efforts aimed at improving regional water management are often frustrated due to the paucity of reliable and consistent information. This paper assesses the scope for remote sensing information, freely available on the Internet, to help water managers in obtaining reliable and consistent information at large (sub) system level. In the Ferghana province of Uzbekistan, belonging to the Syr-Darya river basin, water is managed across administrative units rather than along hydrological boundaries (the basin approach). Using recent developments in the field of remote sensing application in water management, this paper shows that remote sensing tools can help in improving water management in three ways: (a) by providing information on the existing patterns of water use; (b) by identifying the weaknesses in the approach to water management; and (c) by assisting in identifying the potential areas where there are opportunities for water savings or improving water use efficiency. (Y. Chemin), alexp@icwc-aral.uz (A. Platonov), mhassan@online.ru (M. Ul-Hassan), iskandar@online.ru (I. Abdullaev). 1
Revue Roumaine de Géographie / Romanian Journal of Geography, 2023
Gestion durable de l'eau et élimination de la pénurie d'eau : l'étude de cas dans un district éloigné de l'Ouzbékistan. La diminution significative du niveau d'eau de la mer d'Aral au cours des cinquante dernières années représente un défi environnemental majeur en Asie centrale. L'Ouzbékistan, autrefois riche en ressources hydriques, doit désormais faire face à la menace de pénurie d'eau dans des zones spécifiques. La mauvaise gestion de l'irrigation est devenue un contributeur important aux problèmes environnementaux mondiaux. Cette étude examine les problèmes liés à la mauvaise gestion de l'irrigation dans les zones rurales d'une province méridionale éloignée de l'Ouzbékistan. L'objectif principal de cette étude est de développer des solutions pratiques pour résoudre efficacement le problème urgent de pénurie d'eau dans la région ciblée. L'étude met en avant l'importance de la planification stratégique et de mesures proactives pour établir une base solide en vue d'une durabilité à long terme au niveau local. Cette étude n'examine pas l'effet de la variabilité climatique mondiale sur la diminution des réservoirs d'eau en Ouzbékistan. Les conclusions de l'étude s'alignent sur les efforts de recherche mondiaux, contribuant ainsi au discours plus large sur la gestion durable de l'eau. Cette recherche a le potentiel de transcender les frontières, de partager les bénéfices avec des études de cas similaires et de promouvoir l'alignement des stratégies liées à l'eau à l'échelle mondiale.
Facts and Perspectives of Water Reservoirs in Central Asia: A Special Focus on Uzbekistan
2010
The political transformation of the Central Asian region has induced the implosion of the interconnected physical hydraulic infrastructure and its institutional management system. Land-locked Central Asian countries, with their climatic conditions and transboundary water resources, have been striving to meet their food security, to increase agricultural production, to sustain energy sectors, and to protect the environment. The existing water reservoirs are strategic infrastructures for irrigation and hydropower generation. Upstream countries (Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan) favor the reservoirs' operation for energy supply, while downstream countries (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan) push for irrigation use. This paper provides an overview of the current challenges and perspectives (technical, institutional, and legal regulations) and presents recommendations for the sustainable management of man-made water reservoirs in Uzbekistan.
Water management and development assistance: focused on Uzbekistan
Agricultura tropica et subtropica, 2012
This article deals with the management of water, its pollution, and with the consequences for development assistance in Central Asia. We argue that water is most affected by human activity in Uzbekistan out of all the countries of Central Asia, and we provide an overview of water management projects in this country. Data from international organizations that are concerned with development (FAO, OECD, World Bank etc.) show that the two main Uzbekistan's environmental problems still are a lack of water resources and the strong anthropogenic impact on water. The values of ODA+OOF received by Uzbekistan fl uctuate around USD 200 million per year. A considerable proportion of this amount has been used for environmental development projects each year. The most signifi cant projects are funded by the World Bank and the water project of the World Bank in Uzbekistan with highest funding was "Water Supply, Sanitation and Health Project" (1997-2008). Many other ODA donors work in Uzbekistan. Their project budgets are lower, however, the results of their activities are often of more importance for the affected localities.
Environmental Earth Sciences, 2012
Water reservoirs play an important role in areas with limited and erratic precipitation where water is stored and re-distributed later for different purposes. Irrigation is primarily a major water consumer in arid countries of Central Asia for the economic development, employment and food security of the region. The major rivers of Central Asia (e.g., Amu Darya, Syr Darya, and Zerafshan) are turbid watercourses. Sedimentation reduces the main reservoir asset i.e., its volume capacity. In addition, vast territories of the region's countries have been transformed for agriculture to grow water intensive crops such as cotton, rice and wheat during the Soviet Union that dramatically accelerated soil erosion by water and wind. Thus, many man-made water reservoirs are affected by high sedimentation rates. Moreover, uneven spatial and temporal water resources and a Soviet-inherited unified hydraulic infrastructure have raised transboundary reservoir management issues over water resources allocation among the countries in the region such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The rivers such as Syr Darya and Amu Darya are already regulated by more than 78 and 94 %, respectively and attempts for new reservoir projects upstream raises increased concerns of the downstream countries (e.g., the Rogun hydropower station in Tajikistan and the Toktogul reservoir in Kyrgyzstan). For instance, the uncoordinated use of reservoirs has caused the Arnasai lake problem in Uzbekistan with environmental, material damage and social unrest. The aim of this paper is first to review the present conditions and the role of man-made water reservoirs for irrigation in Central Asia with special focus on Uzbekistan, second to document past and current reservoir sedimentation conditions in Uzbekistan and third to discuss research carried out by Soviet and present-time local research community in the domain of erosion and sedimentation in the region.
Water Resources Management VIII, 2015
ABSTRACT Many Central Asian river basins are transboundary and are characterized by a combination of extensive irrigation farming and an arid climate in the lower catchments. Both aspects – the transboundary character with different goals and demands of the national water management and the overexploitation of the limited water resources lead to environmental, socio-economic and political problems which require – in the light of growing economies and the climate change – immediate solutions. Based on field work (water and soil samples, vegetation mapping and macrozoobenthos assessment) and extensive database evaluation (meteorological, hydrological and statistical data – e.g. RWSA, NEESPI, GRDD, GHCN) from two case studies – the Zarafshan River (Tajikistan/Uzbekistan) and the Tarim River (Kyrgyzstan/China), the status quo of the water resources is assessed and scenarios for the impacts of the climate change on the water availability and the water use are outlined. The results show that the extensive withdrawal of water for the irrigation farming (with cotton being the most important crop) and the discharge of drainage water from the fields lead to severe water stress in the downstream parts of both catchments. The water deficit is so high that both rivers do not reach their tributaries (Amu-Darya and Lop Nor/Taitema Lake) any more. In the lower Zarafshan River (inter-)national thresholds for several pollutants are exceeded permanently, while in the lower Tarim River the falling groundwater level is leading to the deterioration of the valuable Tugai forests. And while short-term measures, like the water transfer from the Boston Lake to the lower Tarim, can improve the situation in the lower reaches, the climate change and the ongoing socio-economic growth in both catchments require a more integrated, sustainable management approach. The rapidly shrinking glaciers in the headwater regions (-50% until 2050) and the drastic increase of the air temperature (and thus the evapotranspiration) will increase the annual water deficit (e.g. in the Zarafshan River catchment from currently 1.6 km³ to up to 5.8 km³), making a more efficient (re-)use of water a necessity.
2010a) Facts and perspectives of water reservoirs in Central Asia: a special focus on Uzbekistan
2014
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.
Regional Water Crisis: A Case Study of Uzbekistan and its Neighboring Countries
This study explores the geopolitical dynamics of water conflicts in Central Asia, focusing on Uzbekistan and its neighboring countries. Using a mixed methods approach within the framework of political geography, the research analyzes interactions among regional countries and the implications of population growth, agricultural industrialization, and economic competition, which heavily rely on shared irrigation systems and watersheds. It establishes research objectives, evaluates the water crisis, addresses challenges in water management, and examines contentious issues like hydropower, resource hegemony, and ethnic conflict. Also, the study uncovers historical and contemporary factors influencing water conflicts, regional power dynamics, and the complexities of water governance. The findings highlight the potential for conflict, regional instability, and disruptions to peace resulting from population growth and economic competition within shared watersheds. The study concludes with r...