Comparison of practices

Use of water resources

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources
• Re-use of drainage water for irrigation

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Country: Kazakhstan

Province: South Kazakhstan Region

District: Maktaaral District

Other settlement: Zhanaauyl Rural District

Transboundary river

The Maktaaral Irrigation Massif has 220 vertical drainage wells (VDW), but currently practically all of them are not operational.   The highest level of ground water occurrence in Maktaaral Irrigation Massif falls on December-February after completion of fall irrigation washings and water-charging.  The beginning of vegetation season (April-May) is characterized by receding ground water table.

The second ground water table rise occurs during mass vegetation watering of main crops, as a rule in July-August.

The vertical drainage system in Maktaaral Irrigation Massif does not operate on permanent basis, but mainly during fall and winter (irrigation washing, water charging) and during the vegetation season at the time of insufficient irrigation water supply.

Start date: 01.04.2012

End date: 31.10.2016

Start date: 01.01.2016

End date: 31.10.2017

Imperfections of the water management mechanism in the Isfara small transboundary river basin

Deterioration of reclamation situation: raising ground water table and land salination.  Intensified water withdrawal, saving on pipes, reusing ground water for irrigation

The principle of stakeholder engagement in decision-making associated with water management of small transboundary river; IWRM planning technique

Set of measures to enhance land reclamation condition (rehabilitation of vertical drainage well capacities, fitting them with equipment for pumping ground water via casing column)

• Using casing pipes in wells for water lifting requires application of a special (pipeless water-lifting) device.

The Aspara River originates in the Western Tien Shan on the territory of Kyrgyzstan and flows northwards crossing the border with Kazakhstan.  The river’s total length exceeds 44 km, and its catchment area amounts to approximately 66 km².  The Aspara River Basin is located in Chu Region in Kyrgyzstan’s northwest and Jambyl Region in Southern Kazakhstan.  The basin is shared by several different ethnicities where they live and work.  The basin’s population is rapidly growing, and the agriculture is developing.  In many places along the course of the river, especially in its lower streams, the water doesn't meet quality and sanitary standards.  Liquid waste produced by the population, industry and livestock production as well as solid waste constitute major sources of environmental pollution.

Project efforts were carried out in Jambyl Region of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Chu Region of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Actions:

Establishment of 2 stakeholder groups, i.e. Small Basin Councils (SBC) – on both Kazakhstan’s and Kyrgyzstan’s sides of the river – representing local authorities, NGOs, water users and local communities.  The SBCs already held 6 joint meetings proving the value of SBCs as platforms to exchange opinions and information as well as take joint decisions on enhancing the overall situation in the basin.

In addition, hydrometric posts were reconstructed and underwent certification, and the automated water distribution and accounting system was installed on the Mailybai Canal. The water supply system in the village of Cholok-Aryk also underwent reconstructed.  A demo-site to demonstrate drip irrigation equipment and technology was established on the premises of Ravshan Farm receiving its irrigation water via the Mailybai Canal.

Results:

Thus, the creation of national Small Basin Councils (SBC) on the Aspara River ensured a platform for exchanging opinions and information as well as joint decision-making to improve the overall situation in the Aspara River Basin, including the development of the IWRM basin-specific plan.

The pipeless water-lifting device allows fixing the submersible pump at a set depth and dividing the well’s trunk into suction and injection zones.

Water lifting is done via the casing column and not the water-lifting pipe used in traditional well operation technology.

 At the same time:

• metal consumption and total weight of the pumping installation decreases by 60-90%;
• pollution of the water-bearing layer is excluded; assembly and dismantling costs decrease by 40-70%;
• power costs of water lifting decrease by 30%; water return of the water-bearing layer increases; possibility of polluting and/or infecting the water-bearing table is excluded making the suggested technology competitive.

 This technology of pumping underground water renders the possibility of intensifying water withdrawal due to creating vacuum in the pump’s suction zone.

Lessons learnt:

Introduction of IWRM principles is the pre-requisite of stable and fair water supply irrespective of a given water user’s location.

Recommendations:

Currently, when local stakeholders are represented in SBCs and are engaged in joint water management, it is necessary to continue the capacity-building efforts to build-up SBCs’ efficiency.  In the long term, it might be necessary and possible to establish a joint body to manage the whole Aspara River Basin shared by Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

There is a need to perform major repair of vertical drainage system with the aim of ensuring the timely diversion of drainage and waste water from the Maktaaral Irrigation Massif.

It is also necessary to identify the optimal environmental and reclamation conditions to prevent salination of irrigated massifs by way of re-using drainage water for irrigation.

The data on the chemical composition of drainage and waste water (as per reports by Southern Kazakhstan Hydro-Geological Reclamation Expedition) prove that in most cases such water can used for irrigation without the need to dilute it with clean irrigation water.

Required personnel capacity-building:

• continuous training of the staff of the Operational Section of Southern Kazakhstan branch of RSE “Kazvodkhoz” on assembly and dismantling of target equipment used for VDW re-fitting;
• drafting and disseminating training materials (operation recommendations, practical seminars and trainings).

Foreign tools (transfer of foreign experience)

Domestic tools (outcomes of research by domestic R&D organizations)

1. Cost of implementation: High

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha:

3. O&M costs: High

4. Expert support: Not needed

1. Cost of implementation: High

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha:

3. O&M costs: High

4. Expert support: Not needed

Development and implementation of basin plans constitute principal elements of integrated water resources management.  Multi-agency coordination mechanism via basin councils or coordination groups is an important advantage of IWRM.  This approach allows streamlined coordination and synergy of actions on all levels of management hierarchy.

Project title: Stakeholder partnership in joint policy-making: assistance to transboundary cooperation in small watersheds of Central Asia.

Project duration: Apr 2012-Oct 2016

Project goal and objectives: introduction of the integrated water resources management (IWRM) practice in three transboundary watersheds and its scaling-up in Central Asia.

Project beneficiaries: communities of the Aspara small transboundary river basin, specialists of water and environmental agencies, farmers.

Project implementer: USAID/CAREC.

Within the framework of 5039GF/4 Project supported via the financial grant on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) of Kazakhstan, several demo-sites were established in Maktaaral District of Southern Kazakhstan Region to hold trainings and practical seminars for specialists and to promote the new technology of pumping underground water via vertical drainage wells re-fitted with pipeless water-lifting devices.

Observations of ground water level were performed in the irrigation massif; optimal reclamation regime for irrigated land via vertical drainage wells based on the new technology was developed.

carecnet.org

Tumlert, V.A., Tumlert, E.V. “Outcomes of designing a device to pump underground water via well casing column” //Fair and rational use of natural resources – a way to the future (III Urkumbayev Readings): report abstract for scientific and technical conference, Taraz 2015, pp. 337-347;

Amangeldiyev, S.S. “Power-and-resource-saving technology of pumping underground water via well casing column with submersible pumps” // Khabar TV Channel, “Innovative Overdrive” Program (in the Kazakh and Russian languages), May 2015;

Tumlert, V. A., Yugai, I.A., Telgarayeva, G.E., Tumlert, E.V. “Introducing a new resource-saving technology of operating vertical drainage wells in irrigated massifs of Southern Kazakhstan Region” // ”Agrarian Science in Agriculture of Siberia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Bulgaria”: report at the XIX International Scientific and Technical Conference, Minsk 2016, pp. 183-188;

Tumlert, V. A., Yugai, I.A., Ismailov, B.D. “Technology of  pumping drainage water within the vertical drainage system in the irrigation massif of Southern Kazakhstan Region” // “Transboundary cooperation in Central Asia – stability and wellbeing of the whole region”: materials of international scientific and technical conference, Almaty 2017, pp. 181-187;

Tumlert, V. A., Yugai, I.A., Ismailov, B.D. “Intensifying water supply of distant pastures based on GIS-technologies” // “Prospects of innovative and investment development of the water sector”: materials of international scientific and technical conference, Kherson, Ukraine, May 18-19, 2017, pp. 133-137.

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC