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The Aral Sea basin has been classified as an Operational HELP basin.
 Basin Properties Geographical properties: The Aral Sea basin comprises the drainage areas of the two largest rivers of Central Asia, the Amudarya and the Syrdarya. The Amudarya River: Longitude at the downstream outlet: 59°55' E Latitude at the downstream outlet: 44°02' S The Syrdarya River: Longitude at the downstream outlet: 60°52' E Latitude at the downstream outlet: 46°10' S
Total area of the Aral Sea Basin: 1.549 million km2 Length of the Amudarya River: 2540 km Length of the Syrdarya River: 3019 km Altitude range: 55 – 7000 m
The major geological units: Turan Plain to the west, and Tian-Shan and Pamir Mountain Ranges to the East Average annual rainfall: 100-800 mm
Main Rivers:
Major droughts: 1930, 1974-1975, 1982, 1986, 2000-2002 Major floods: 1958, 1969, 1999
Demographic properties: Total population in the basin: 42.5 million Population in major cities (Source: http://www.citypopulation.de/):
Average per capita income (US$/year): 751.75 (The World Bank Group Data, 2002) Water Poverty Index parameters (www.nwl.ac.uk/research/WPI/):
Land uses: The main land uses include irrigation farming, urban, horticulture, grazing, forestry, viticulture. Water resources and uses in the basin: Average annual available surface water resources (km3): 116, of which
Average annual available groundwater resources (km3): 31.17, of which
Net usable capacity of major surface reservoirs (km3): 60 Average annual surface water abstractions (km3): 100
Average annual groundwater abstractions km3): 13.1 Total length of irrigation networks (km): 316.35, of which
Total amount of drainage wells: 865 Total length of collector-drainage network (km): 191.9 Annual surface water allocations between countries (%), out of the total 100 km km3/yr:
Surface water salinity (g/l): 0.25 – 1.45
Policy and legislative properties: Post-Soviet period cooperative management and development of the Aral Sea basin transboundary water resources are reflected in a series of inter-governmental agreements and initiatives. The key binding regional instruments related to water management include:
The 1992 Agreement was the first effort to create a water sharing framework between the five newly emerged sovereign states. Pursuant to this Agreement, the five basin states agreed to maintain and adhere to divisions set by the water establishment existed prior to independence. Important provisions of the 1992 Agreement included such clauses as equality of rights for the use of basin water resources, obligations to maintain their rationale use and not to cause harm or infringe the interests of the other Parties, joint efforts to address the problems of the Aral Sea, strict maintenance of minimum in-stream flow requirements, particularly during droughts, facilitation of open information exchange and joint scientific-technical research. The Agreement also established the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC), with the mandates, inter alia, to act as a basin-wide water policy-maker and to develop a long-term program of water supply in the region. During the first half of the 1990s, the basin states made several changes to the structure of the ICWC. At present the ICWC operates through a Ministerial-level Commission, Secretariat, Scientific Information Centre and two River Basin Organizations (BWOs) for each river. The 1993 Agreement was signed by the heads of States to promote cooperation in solving the environmental problems related to the Aral Sea and surrounding region. The Agreement established the Interstate Council on the Problems of the Aral Sea Basin (ICAS) and its Executive Committee. One of the important functions of this organization included facilitation of aid programs from the international donors. The existing ICWC was made a subordinate body of the ICAS. Later, the basin states also established the Interstate Fund for saving the Aral Sea (IFAS). Initially, the IFAS was charged to collect funds from each state for financing ecological rehabilitation efforts in the basin. In order to reduce duplication of efforts and to simplify the administrative structure, the states agreed in 1997 to abolish ICAS and merge its functions into newly restructured IFAS. The 1996 Amudarya Agreement addresses issues of common concern between the two lower riparians of the Amudarya River, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It establishes certain rules of compensational practice for the water and land infrastructure located along the river. The Amudarya Agreement also provides a framework for joint activities against flooding, construction of new infrastructures and issues of water quality. The 1998 Syrdarya Agreement was designed to meet different riparian interests through integration respective state claims to the waters of the Syrdarya River and balancing the competing uses of water into one comprehensive document. It addresses inter-state trade-offs between the competing uses of water for energy and agricultural production in the basin and creates the principles of compensation of fuel for water between downstream and upstream countries. Compensation is associated with a water release schedule from a cascade of reservoirs located in upstream Kyrgyzstan that takes into account both upstream needs for hydropower generation and downstream summer irrigation demand. Baseline information availability: Existing data Regional Information System Information System for water and land resources management in the Aral Sea basin that is designed for the collection, storage, processing and analysis of various data about the historical and actual situation on land and water resources and their use. The system includes:
The Water Use and Farm Management Survey (WUFMAS) and “Best Practices” It is a unique system of observations and analyses of irrigated agriculture, which has been started since 1996. Initially, WUFMAS covered 36 selected farms in all five countries. All observations were carried out by national groups of specialists, who collected associated technical, biological, agricultural, hydrological, managerial, economic and social data related to agricultural production at the farm level. In addition, there were observations of water and land uses, efficiencies, expenses and contents of work. The regional team prepared analytical reports on the basis of data obtained from national groups for comparative study purposes. The final reports then were disseminated annually among all five states. In 1999, observations were changed to focus on indicators for improvement of water and land productivity in 9 demonstration farms. Access to data A recently established Regional Environmental Centre (CAREC) is responsible, inter alia, for the increased participation of general public in the Aral Sea Basin Programs. Broader integration of the three principle pillars of the Aarhus Convention into the current water and environmental management and development practice in the region, i.e., access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters, are the main reasons for the establishment and objectives of the CAREC. Creation of the network of electronic libraries, web portals, increased involvement of mass media, development of water and environmental educational tools and curricula, strengthening the civil society potentials and capacity building, establishment of the regional public fund are among the key objectives of the CAREC.
Existing models There are four types of models for different hierarchical levels: (i) Regional Model for the Aral Sea basin as a whole; (ii) National Models for each of the five basin States; (iii) River Basin Models for the Syrdarya and Amudarya; (iv) Planning Zone Model - for the territory on which the economic activities, linked with water resources use, and within the boundaries of which the used water are being originated in the common hydrological conditions. The choice of models depends on the tasks that the modeling has to fulfill. The modeling types of (i), (ii) and (iv) are optimization models of future planning (20-25 years). “Optimization” can have a range of different interpretations and depends on what is being targeted. This is defined in the objective function. Optimization is usually related to economic objectives, such as maximization of benefits, but can be based on other factors, for instance, prevention of environmental harm, reduction of water losses, or salinity level. These models also work in simulation regimes. The model type (iii) addresses the two main tasks:
The various applications for the modeling include:
Thus, it is the Planning Zone Model that performs a key role within the modeling tools. Outputs of this modeling serve as inputs for other three models. The Planning Zone Model allows to solve following tasks at the certain level:
Organisations and institutions responsible for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Basin: Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC). Established by an agreement between the five states of the Aral Sea Basin, the ICWC has a jurisdictional competence over the management and development of transboundary waters of the Aral Sea Basin. The ICWC operates through a Ministerial-level Commission, Secretariat, Scientific Information Centre and the two River Basin Organizations. The ICWC has an overall responsibility to act as a basin-wide water policy-maker and to develop a long-term water supply program for the region. The ICWC accepted the IWRM as a valuable tool to address complex problems related to the transboundary water management in the region. The Scientific Information Centre of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (SIC ICWC). Acting as one of the executive agencies of the ICWC, the SIC serves as “an intellectual” body to the Commission and advices the member-States on all aspects of water management in the basin. It coordinates joint activities of involved national institutions and facilitates cooperation between parties for the implementation of the IWRM principles on a basin-wide scale. River Basin Organizations (BWOs) “Amudarya” and “Syrdarya”. The BWOs are directly responsible for execution of ICWC agreed polices related to water allocation, quality control and operation of structures in the Amudarya and Syrdarya river basins.
Statement of Issues, Purpose and Outputs Hydrological and Water Management issues: Regional water management issues concern four core areas: Water Quantity and Quality Management of water quantity and quality embodies several potential conflict areas. Water sharing at the national level between regions of a centrally-managed and rigorously-policed States may constitute merely a technical and administrative problem. But water sharing between independent states in arid areas such as Central Asia may be a potential source of conflict. Therefore, transparent and accepted dispute settlement mechanisms are indispensable for eventual conflict resolution. Water quantity needs to be agreed between national users such as irrigated agriculture, hydro-power and industry on the one hand and the regional environmental users such as the rivers, the wetlands, and the Aral Sea on the other. Seasonal water quantities are also a major issue, because the upstream States would like to use water resources for their own hydropower generation needs, which is in conflict with the downstream States summer irrigation demands. Any uncertainty over water quantity increases the risk to investments in the water sector and undermines national initiatives to improve water management. Therefore, supply and allocation of water must be established on a reliable long-term basis. For the upstream States, long-term issues of watershed protection also have to be addressed. Similar issues arise on the subject of water quality. There is a need for regional water quality stipulations covering all pollutants with the priority to the key pollutant of salt. While salt mobilization can be achieved through localized means, salt storage needs a broader and strategic view. Water quantity and quality problems must be dealt together as they are physically linked and manageably intertwined. Water Storage and Control Facilities Problems in the management of the water storage and control infrastructure have appeared since independence. In the pre-independence period, infrastructure was built to serve the needs of the entire Aral Sea basin. In many cases, infrastructure located in one State was planned for the benefits of other States. The largest dams and reservoirs are located in the mountainous upstream States, while stored water mainly benefits the downstream States. The operational responsibility and provision of maintenance for transboundary water infrastructure requires clearer definition. There are also issues regarding the sustainability of dams and reservoirs. Although the dams in the basin aгe considered structurally safe, maintenance is also a problem and early warning instrumentations do not exist, out of operation, or outdated. Furthermore, situation threatens the sustainability and the capacity of the reservoirs for interstate water management, as they grow older. There is no existing mechanism for independent assessment of dam safety. Water Use Ineffective and excessive use of water in irrigation and other sectors is a core problem. Resolution of this problem appears crucial for the competitiveness of Central Asia's agriculture in which irrigation constitutes the bulk of production costs. Approximately 35 percent of the water delivered to the farms is not used by the crops. In comparison, for well-managed irrigation systems, the comparable figure is only 10-15 percent. Water use in the basin is about 12,000 m3/ha which is comparably considered a very high rate. Because water is being supplied at no cost to the useг, there are no incentives to conserve water. Private production structures, non-distorted pricing systems for water and drainage inputs and a means for penalizing pollution are absent or only in initial stages of development. Their development would stimulate the creativeness and responsibility of the owner/operators and encourage more effective water use. Thus, limited understanding needs to be addressed on a broad front yet with specifically targeted initiatives. Irrigation and Drainage Infrastructure Maintenance and improvement of irrigation and drainage infrastructure are also major problem areas. As a consequence of the general cut in maintenance budgets, most of the irrigation and drainage infrastructure has been poorly maintained. An increasing percentage of farm drainage is out of operation and difficult to rehabilitate. This has contributed massively to soil salinization and low productivity due to waterlogging of fields. A major maintenance backlog has built up and continuing to defer maintenance could have disastrous affects on the economy and environment.
Environmental issues: Environmental problems of the Aral Sea Basin are well documented. In brief, the Aral Sea, which began shrinking in the 1960s, has lost 70% of its volume, 60% of surface and the sea salinity level rose from 8 to 40%. The sea is now divided into two independent reservoirs, the large Aral to the south and the small Aral to the north, and rivers of Amudarya and Syrdarya have been converted into two separate and distinct watersheds. The desiccation of the sea had resulted in ecologically and socio-economically critical condition, and has been steadily degrading in terms of water supply and population health, climate change, loss of biological productivity, deterioration of deltaic ecosystems and huge economic losses. Some 3.5 million people live in the region and suffer from consequences of the crisis. Livelihoods issues: Complete loss of the economic importance of the Aral Sea has affected an estimated 60% of the basin’s population, or about 21 million people. Regional fisheries have basically collapsed with the desiccation of the Aral Sea and this had affected some 60,000 people who were directly or indirectly dependent on fishing for employment and income. The recent study reveals that a rough estimate of direct and indirect socio-economic losses as a result of environmental crisis in the region amount USD 145 million a year (Assessment of the Socio-economic damage under the influence of the Aral Sea Desiccation, INTAS-RFBR 1733 and NATO SFP 974357, August 2001). Policy and legislation issues: Since its creation in 1992, the ICWC played major roles in formulations and adoption of inter-state multilateral agreements. These included several binding regional water management instruments which are mentioned in Part I. Moreover, since 1995, the ICWC has been actively participating in developing a series of draft agreements pertaining to transboundary water resources management. These include:
The first draft agreement concerns institutional structure in the management of transboundary water resources. The objective of this proposed draft agreement is to mandate the ICWC with powers regarding all aspects of the Aral Sea Basin transboundary water resources. It is also aimed to ensure that decisions of the political body (the Commission) of the ICWC have the backing of all affected sectors of the governments (water, agriculture, energy, and environmental sectors). The second draft agreement relates to development of a single regional water strategy for the Aral Sea Basin for the short (current), medium (5 year) and long (15…25 years) terms. The agreement specifies that the strategy would be heading, inter alia, for re-assessment of water resources of the region (transboundary and internal-national) and their possible dynamics in terms of both quantity and quality, and national and regional demands for water including demands of ecosystems. The third draft agreement puts forward principles of cooperation in managing transboundary water resources such as obligation not to cause significant harm, pollution prevention, and also proposes to recognize the Aral Sea as the six legitimate-user in the basin with its own entitlement for water. The last draft agreement concerns exchange of information. It proposes to establish the principle that there will be an exchange of information among the Aral Sea Basin States. The agreement states that information exchange will be through the creation of a regional database into which data will be fed and from which the basin states as well as partner organizations will be able to draw information.
How do the issues fit with the Five HELP Policy Issues? The IWRM issues in the Aral Sea basin fit into the following categories as described below: Water and food: irrigated agriculture is a major source for food security and at the same time the largest consumer of the basin’s water resources (85% of the total available water in the basin is used for irrigation). Increasing pressure to recognize environmental flows, rising demands for water in industry and municipalities put additional pressures on water resources. There exists a high competition for water both within and between States in the basin. Water and the environment: desiccation of the Aral Sea has accompanied with severe and wide-ranging impacts on the environment, economy, and human population. A region of 400,000 km2 around the sea has been officially declared as an Ecologically Disaster Zone. The deltas of the Amudarya and Syrdarya have been severely degraded by desertification (about 1.6 million ha), accompanied by extinction of native plant and animal communities. Lakes and wetlands in the delta have been reduced by 85%. Irrigated agriculture in the deltas has suffered from a limited water supply due to greatly reduced river flow, the increased salinity of available water and waterlogging (about 5 million ha of land require artificial drainage). Unsuitability and failure of inert lakes (Arnasay, Aidar, Sarykamysh, Sudochey, Salt Lake, etc.) formed by the return flows from the agricultural fields are the major source of environmental threats. Water and climate: One of the direct consequences of the desiccation of the sea is the loss of the sea’s ability to moderate the local climate. The Sea once acted as a buffer to the region’s fierce Siberian winter winds and harsh summer temperatures that exceed 40oC. The climate in the region has become even more continental, with shorter, hotter and rainless summers and longer, colder and snowless winters. For the past 35 years, the average temperature in the region has risen to 1oC. According to the rough estimates, the impact of climate change has decreased the capacity of the Pamiro-Alay glaciers by 22%. One of the possible scenarios predict that by 2020, the regional water deficit will decrease from 6 to 20 km3/year (or 5…15% of the total available water resources in the basin) as a result of impact of climate change. Water quality and human health: pollution of surface and ground-water resources is one of the major concerns in the region. Water pollution is a result of activities of the agricultural and industrial sectors of the basin countries. The river salinization exceeds permissible levels reaching 1.5 g/l in downstream portions of the rivers. This has a direct impact on the quality of groundwater which in turn threatens the safety of drinking water in the region. There is a high rate of increase of various diseases and degree of mortality in downstream reaches of the Syrdarya and Amudarya rivers. Water and conflict: there exist a few potential conflicts in the basin which may be classified as follows:
Institutional change and capacity building issues: The proposed institutional structure for the implementation of the Aral Sea basin HELP project is attached. The proposal calls for the creation of a Partnership among already existing organizations and a newly established ad-hoc Council. In the first stage, it is proposed to create so called “The Aral Sea Basin Water Council”. This Council needs to receive equal participation and input from scientists and professionals from all five states and should adopt a multidisciplinary scientific approach (hydrological, social, environmental, legal and management). Moreover, it should create a bridge between its “think-tank” group and mass media on the one hand, and with decision-makers both at the regional and national levels on the other. At the second stage, the Council needs to be transformed into “the Aral Sea Basin Water Partnership” (a prototype to the regional GWP) where the above objectives needs to become as a principal functional responsibilities of the institution. It is important to create an appropriate political climate within this initiative which must take a role of a driver for integration and provision of necessary coordination among various levels of water hierarchy in the basin. A proposed structure must also operate through environmental and public NGOs who would provide closer linkages with broader general public, and hence, involve them in decision-making processes. This, in turn, helps to assess social and ecological consequences of the planned activities and full consideration of the “needs” of the environment from the standpoint of sustainability of ecosystems. It should be noted that currently four of the five basin-States are the Parties to the Aarhus Convention which provides necessary mechanisms of public involvement in the decision-making.
Principal Purposes: At minimum, it is envisaged to achieve the following main objectives:
Principal Outputs: This Partnership will assist the region to promote principles of the IWRM. It is expected the following outcomes from the project:
In addition, the following specific outputs are foreseen but at the same time they need to be adopted as a working method(s):
Regional and national authorities, responsible for water and environmental management and protection, will be the principal beneficiaries of the HELP Project. Soul of Partnership and products, prepared by the “Basin Water Council”, will assist in creation of an atmosphere of mutual understanding and in definition of rights and obligations of all players for the achievement of sustainable water management, use and protection of water for the interests of national development and Nature. IWRM approach, which the project will promote, will assist to:
HELP should create a consequence system for promotion of decision-making process from top-down and bottom-up approaches: Scientific interdisciplinary and interstate framework for assistance in preparation and implementation of new water strategy of states and region, including proper institutional, legal and financial regulation. Public awareness system based on the partnership between professionals and scientists involved into preparation, and mass media for society information about these proposals. Public participation leading by “think-tank” groups on the all levels of water management for preparation and negotiation around the principal positions. Development of understanding of advanced methods and integrated approach by the society in large and necessity of stakeholders to develop partnership in water management.
It is predicted that Help will assist to create following added values:
Innovative techniques that will be anticipated and considered to be prerequisites for the improvement of water management include:
Statement of Proposed Activities Outline of the HELP programme design and plan: The objectives of the HELP for the Aral Sea Basin are as following:
From this standpoint, directions of certain activities and the content of planned works and expected outcomes are given in attached document. Measurement and reporting of baseline conditions in the basin: The Aral Sea Basin Program has been evolving under the conditions of a unique cooperation between water authorities of the five basin States. This cooperation is not only seen in joint planning and design, but also in a timely executions of agreed policies with a participation of all concerned organizations. Preconditions for the successful implementation of activities, which are listed under key HELP areas, are as following:
Stakeholder analysis, participation and consultation: Stakeholders as it was explained above, needs to be carried on with an overall plan to create “the Aral Sea Basin Water Partnership”, network of NGOs and later to involve them into some of the ASBP projects. A proposed draft schedule of works (Attached) provide regular meetings with stakeholders, as a sequences of works in six types of activities, which then needs to be transformed into scientific and professional Workshops, that would be organized in the same lines of activities of the Aral Sea Basin Water Council (ABWC). The Training Centre activities will be integrated into these plans of works which is well experienced in organizations of workshops/meetings and possess all necessary facilities to arrange the events at appropriate level (Document Attached).
Activity No: 2 Subject of Discussion: Activities of the working groups
Same for Activities 2.3 and 2.4
Capacity building, training and education: Capacity building in the Aral Sea basin as a process involves a balanced development of legal, institutional and human resources potentials which ultimately should create an environment in which the knowledge and skills can actually contribute to sustainable management and development of water resources. This concept was incorporated as one of the principal functions of the ICWC Training Centre. The idea to create such a centre had been “in mind” since the basin-States acquired independence in 1991 but was possible only almost a decade later in 2000. Since its establishment, the Training Centre delivers not only training courses on IWRM, International and Comparative Water Law and Policy, Advanced Irrigated Agriculture and others but also provides forums for negotiations between States and stakeholders. Participants of these courses come from governmental and non-governmental organizations from all five basin-States. It is proposed that the Training Centre should play one of the key roles within the framework of the Aral Sea Basin HELP Project through development of appropriate curricula and training materials and engagement in its courses all the stakeholders. Schedule of proposed activities: See Document attached. Monitoring and evaluation: The monitoring and evaluation of the project will be carried out though the involved organizations (sponsoring organizations: Ministries or departments of water resources of the five basin-States; regional organizations, etc) in the form of phased reports. The SIC ICWC will make available these reports and related documents to other basins through either its website or via electronic mailing system. The Aral Sea Basin Partnership Committees will be responsible for monitoring and evaluation of ongoing HELP activities in the basin.
Statement of Commitment Programme or project team members: During the initial phase of the project the following people will be involved in the HELP reference related activities:
The above personnel are already involved in various projects of the ASBP and will therefore be able to contribute to the HELP imitative.
Supporting partners and stakehollders:
Provision of resources: Five types of activities outlined in tables 1, 2 and 3 have already received some funding from the IFAS, ICWC and ministries of the five basin-States. However, this funding is limited and cannot provide enough financial resources for HELP imitative in the Aral Sea basin. Therefore, implementing agencies of the HELP Project in the Aral Sea Basin are in search of other sources mainly for:
It is proposed to involve the Global Water Partnership in the process of HELP project implementation for development of a broader collaboration among HELP executors and stakeholders. Preliminary negotiations have already taken place to create GWP TAC for the Central Asian Region. Moreover, formal contacts have been established and continuing with the potential sponsoring organizations listed at page 2 and commitments are expected later.
Contribution to promoting HELP values The project will provide necessary conditions for further implementation of the regional water resources management strategy. The most important impacts could be the followings:
Thus, the key objective is water saving. For the Aral Sea Basin, the relevance of the HELP values must develop around this objective. It is the only way to address a number of problems. Water saving will address the issues of climate change and its impact on the basin water resources, ensure more water for the environment and contribute to the conflict free cooperative management of transboundary water resources in the region. What inputs from other HELP basins are required through technology-transfer and training to achieve the desired project objectives? What inputs could you provide to other HELP basins through technology-transfer and training? Regional and national authorities have a decade experience of cooperation with a number of international organizations and countries around the world. Members of the Aral Sea basin HELP team can validate approaches being adopted in a number of past and ongoing projects in the region. This is of extreme importance because of the synergetic effects, which should result out of this project, and in particular, provide benefits for the Central Asian institutions.
Key contacts for this project: Prof. Victor Dukhovny Director, Scientific Information Centre of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (SIC ICWC) of Central Asia 11 Karasu-4 Tashkent 700187 Uzbekistan E-mail: dukh@icwc-aral.uz / dukh@online.ru
Dr Vadim Sokolov Deputy Director, Scientific Information Centre of the Interstate E-mail: vadim@icwc-aral.uz
Ms. Dinara Ziganshina Legal Adviser, Scientific Information Centre of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (SIC ICWC) of Central Asia 11 Karasu-4 Tashkent 700187 Uzbekistan E-mail: dinara@icwc-aral.uz
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