Comparison of practices

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Country: Tajikistan

Province: Districts of Republican Subordination

District: Vahdat

Other settlement: town of Vakhdat

Transboundary river

Located in the Kafirnigan River Basin (river catchment area)

Start date: 01.04.2012

End date: 31.10.2016

Start date: 01.10.2016

End date: 31.12.2016

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

Poor technical condition, operation and maintenance of the irrigation system

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

IWRM planning technique

MASSCOTE methodology

The river originates in Kyrgyzstan in Ak-Suu Glacier on the northern slope of the Turkestan Ridge 3,193 m above sea level.  The Ak-Suu ruins are located close to the river source.  Near the settlement of Karavshin, the river is called the same name.  Crossing the national border, the river merges with the Kshemysh River (Kshemyshsai) and, further on, the river receives the name of Isfara.

 Actions:

Establishment of stakeholder groups, i.e. Small Basin Councils (SBC) representing local authorities, NGOs, water users and local communities.  SBC secretariats independently hold internal semi-annual meetings.  Thus, the SBCs serve as platforms to exchange opinions and information as well as take joint decisions associated with the enhancement of the overall situation in the river basin.

Results:

Creation of national Small Basin Councils (SBC) on the Isfara River allowed a platform for exchanging opinions and information as well as for drawing joint decisions to improve the overall situation in the Isfara River Basin, including the development of the IWRM basin plan for the target basin.

Actions:

Mapping of the system and services depending on canals’ purpose.

Results:

Financial and economic:

economically effective, fair and sustainable water resource management.

Ecological:

integrated protection of key environmental elements, including prevention of raising ground water level and secondary soil salination as well as irrigation-induced soil erosion, etc.

Technical:

improved technical characteristics of municipal water supply to different stakeholders.

Social:

enhanced welfare of farm employees due to increased income.

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 hold thematic seminars to ensure sustainability of SBC operations in the future.  In the long term, it might be possible to establish a joint body to manage the whole river basin.

Lessons learnt:

Express assessment based on MASSCOTE methodology allows to improve the planning of upgrading efforts to ensure better servicing of diversified water uses requiring higher supply flexibility and cost reduction.

Recommendations:

It is necessary to widely deploy the MASSCOTE methodology of express assessment of the condition of irrigation systems and enhancing their operation.

Foreign tools (transfer of foreign experience)

Foreign tools (transfer of foreign experience)

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 Isfara small transboundary river basin, specialists of water and environmental agencies, farmers.

Project implementer: USAID/CAREC.

Project title: Using MASSCOTE methodology for express assessment of the condition of Vakhdat municipal irrigation system.

Project duration: 2016.

Project goal and objectives: designing the irrigation system upgrading and management plan based on MASSCOTE methodology of process diagnostics and assessment of irrigation system performance.

Project beneficiaries: land and water users.

Project implementer: UN FAO.

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SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC