Comparison of practices

Use of water resources

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources
• Environmental protection

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Province: Osh Region

District: Kara-Suu District

Country: Turkmenistan

Province: Daşoguz Region

Akbura River Basin

Lower reaches of the Amu Darya River Basin

Start date: 01.01.2007

End date: 31.12.2017

Start date: 01.01.2009

End date: 31.12.2015

Low level of coordination among WUAs – as a rule, each WUA liaises independently with its water management organization (WMO).

Expanding salination of irrigated land

Methods of integration and social mobilization

Set of measures to enhance the reclamation condition of land (motorized cleaning of the collector, reconstruction of hydro-technical facilities, etc.).

The AAMC-WUU is an association of legal entities in the form of Union – a voluntary independent non-profit public organization uniting legal entities (i.e. WUAs) based on common interests with the aim of coordinating actions and protecting shared interests and rights.  AAMC-WUU operates as per the Charter approved at the general meeting of water user representatives, has its own stamp and bank account.

Actions:

The creation of AAMC-WUU began with the establishment of the Initiative Group (IG).  The IG consisted of active water specialists, representatives of water users and other stakeholders who saw the need to transit to IWRM.  Further on, the IG carried out social mobilization, drafted necessary documents (the Union’s Charter, etc.), organized the general meeting of water users that approved the Charter and established the Union’s Council (Board).  After that, AAMC-WUU underwent legal registration and officially launched its work.

Results:

• AAMC-WUU established, legally registered and has been operating until present time;
• AAMC-WUU contributed to the following:
  - enhanced stability and uniformity of water supply to WUAs via state WMO;
  - better collection of water supply service fees paid by WUAs to state WMO.
• Representing the interests of water users as a member of the RMC Water Committee, AAMC-WUU also contributed to decreasing conflicts between WUAs and WMO.

Actions:

A set of measures to rehabilitate the Darialyk Collector executed to improve land reclamation condition.

Results:

The executed actions allowed lowering the level of ground water occurrence, thus, enhancing the overall land reclamation condition in target area as well as improving water drainage in adjacent areas.

Lessons learnt:

The effectiveness of AAMC-WUU depends on internal and external conditions: capacities (financial, institutional, etc.) of its members (i.e. WUAs) and the level of democracy and market development in a given country.  In turn, the growth of capacities of AAMC-WUU members depends on AAMC-WUU performance.

Recommendation:

Currently, WUAs capacities are rather poor which is reflected in AAMC-WUA own underperformance.  Considering that WUA represent the weakest link in water hierarchy and the role of water users in addressing national food, water and environmental security needs, the government should find opportunities to support (first of all, financially) WUAs/AAMC-WUU during transition period (until they become self-sufficient).

Lessons learnt:

Lowered ground water level and improved reclamation status of irrigated land allowed tenant farmers and daikhan (farmer) associations in Dashoguz Velayat (Region) to increase crop productivity and, thus, gain additional income.

Recommendations:

Major project efforts to enhance the overall land condition in the target area resulted in improved public welfare.  The practice can benefit from the relevant Uzbekistan’s experience (systemic cleaning of collectors) – cleaning of intra-farm water supply networks simultaneously with inter-farm and/or main collector systems.  Uzbekistan’s model demonstrated sharp improvement of reclamation condition of entire land massifs.  Ecosystems are extremely vulnerable and without proper care future generations will have to take much more effort and spend more resources to restore them.

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

Project title: Integrated Water Resources Management in the Fergana Valley (IWRM-Fergana).

Project duration: Jan 01, 2001-Dec 31, 2012 (12 years).

Project goal and objectives: overall project goal was “to contribute to safer living, environmental sustainability and wide social harmony, to support rural restructuring in Central Asian countries by enhancing water resources management based on the example of the Ferghana Valley”.

Project beneficiaries: WUAs, farmers in project sites.

Project implementer: IWMI, SIC of the ICWC, Project Steering Committee (PSC) consisting of 3 representatives of the Ministries of Rural and Water Management (MRWM) of project target countries, 3 heads of Regional Water Administrations hosting project target sites.

Project title: Reconstruction of the Darialyk Interstate Collector (including water inlets).

Project duration: 2009-2016.

Project goal and objectives: improving passage of drainage water.

Project beneficiaries: water consumers of all levels in the area supplied by the Darialyk Collector.

Project implementer: Republic of Turkmenistan

Guidelines on IWRM streamlining, Volume 1 (Institutional Aspects), Tashkent 2011.

ASBP-3 Project

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC