Comparison of practices

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources

Use of water resources

Country: Tajikistan

Province: Districts of Republican Subordination

District: Vahdat

Other settlement: town of Vakhdat

Country: Kazakhstan

Province: South Kazakhstan Region

District: Maktaaral District

Located in the Kafirnigan River Basin (river catchment area)

Rural Water Consumer Cooperatives (RWCC) are located in the tail part of Dostyk and Turkestan Main Canals (TMC)

Start date: 01.10.2016

End date: 31.12.2016

Start date: 01.01.2006

End date: 31.12.2006

Poor technical condition, operation and maintenance of the irrigation system

Conflicts between water users associated with water distribution;

Loss of water from canals (due to filtration and discharge)

MASSCOTE methodology

• Survey among stakeholders,
• Microsoft Excel computer-based planning of water use,
• Seminars to train water users on computer-based technologies and water accounting

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.

Actions:

Based on the location of RWCCs and with the account of recommendations by akimats (local governance bodies), 8 RWCCs were selected to conduct a survey based on specially prepared questionnaires. Survey results showed that the main issues in target rural areas were water distribution among consumers and drawing up water use plans (WUP) for RWCCs. The proceeding trainings seminars focused on exactly these themes. At the end of the year, the monitoring of the introduction of new water distribution methods was conducted.

Results:

Application of this water distribution practice allowed to sharply reduce the quantity of conflict situations as well as nearly eliminate water losses due to filtration at the canals’ headworks and discharge.

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.

Lessons learnt:

Hourly water distribution allows more flexibility in the context of water deficit. After the trainings for water users and WUAs personnel on hourly water distribution, the number of corresponding conflicts decreased.

Recommendations:

Considering the high turnover of RWCC staff, the trainings should be repeated on annual basis. Hourly water distribution schemes should be used in locations/periods of acute water shortage.

Foreign tools (transfer of foreign experience)

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

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.

Counterpart holds seminars, training courses and programs on effective use of water resources in Kazakhstan with the aim of assisting farmers and other land users in building up their corresponding skills as well as teaching them basic water use principles.  In the course of its collaboration with Counterpart, IWMI analyzed and studied the reclamation condition of irrigated land plots and the technical state of irrigation and drainage networks in Makhtaaral and Turkestan Districts of Southern Kazakhstan Region.

Project title: Support Program for water associations in Southern Kazakhstan

Project duration: 1 year

Project goal and objectives: train water users on new water distribution techniques, computer technologies for drawing WUPs, most simple methods of water accounting.

Project beneficiaries: water consumers

Project implementer: local akimats

Project donor: USAID

IWMI Report “Training on water management on RWCC level and drawing up the water use plan for Makhtaaral and Turkestan Districts of Southern Kazakhstan Region”, Tashkent 2006

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC