Comparison of practices

Use of water resources

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Province: Osh Region

District: Kara-Suu District

Country: Uzbekistan

Province: Tashkent Region

District: Parkent District

Other settlement: Baikazan Farm

Akbura River Basin

Steep foothill terrain

Start date: 01.01.2007

End date: 31.12.2017

Start date: 01.01.2006

End date: 31.12.2006

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

Issues: loss of water in temporary water distributers, low plot use ratio, difficulties with regulating water supply to irrigation furrows, low irrigator labor productivity

Methods of integration and social mobilization

Portable polyethylene trays (PPL-50) of semi-circular section

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:

1. Water supply using PPL-50 is possible from: a) reinforced concrete trays, b) covered network, c) temporary earthen water distributers;
2. Prior to watering, the trays are manually distributed along the route and installed with required inclination perpendicular to the furrows in the beginning of the irrigated site. Sections are inserted into each other;
3. After adjustment, the kit is capable of ensuring the desired watering regime;
4. In case of long furrows (150+ m) layer watering is used with the application of flexible polyethylene film hoses (D=300 mm);
5. Depending on specific site conditions, inter-row spacing and crop type, the size of irrigation streams is regulated by way of adjusting the water supply control gate.

Results:

• 20-30% reduction of field unproductive losses;
• Increased productivity (2-4 dt/ha for wheat, 3-4 dt/ha for cotton);
• At least twofold increase of irrigator labor productivity;
• Increased land use ratio (1.5-2.5%).

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:

PPL-50 can be used for watering cotton with 0.9 and 0.6 m row-spacing as well as vegetable and cucurbit crops with 0.3 m row-spacing.

Recommendations:

It is recommended to apply:

• PPL-50 (D=300 mm) in steep foothill conditions;
• PPL-50 (D=500 mm) in flat terrain;
• Prior to using the system in flat terrain conditions, it is desirable to do land planning.

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: Moderate

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha: $7.6

3. O&M costs: Moderate

4. Expert support: Needed at implementation stage

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: Adaptation of contour furrows and layer watering via portable trays: research on establishing permanent furrows on the premises of Baikazan Farm of Parkent District.

Project duration: 2005-2006.

Project goal and objectives: improve local living standards and food security among rural residents as well as preserve soil fertility in farms located on sloped terrain by way of watering via contour furrows based on the greatest inclination and layer arrangement of assembly polyethylene trays.  The short-term project objective was to demonstrate the technology of watering via contour furrows based on the greatest inclination of sloped terrain and layer arrangement of assembly polyethylene trays.

Project beneficiaries: farms and dekhan farms.

Project implementer: ICARDA

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

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC