Comparison of practices

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources

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

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Country: Uzbekistan

Province: Fergana Region

District: Kuva District

Other settlement: Khamroli-Ota Farm

Transboundary river

The site is located in the zone of ground water shallow occurrence

Start date: 01.04.2012

End date: 31.10.2016

Start date: 01.01.2010

End date: 31.12.2012

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

Flooding of settlements; salination of irrigated land

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

IWRM planning technique

GIS-technologies and remote-sensing tools

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.

In 1980, specialists of NPO SANIIRI (Research and Development Association “Central Asian Research Institute of Irrigation”) designed and for the first time applied this type of drainage in the Qarshi Steppe where it demonstrated its efficiency.  The project was suspended due to lack of funding.  The re-launch of the project and installment of a combined drainage system in Kuva District (2010) once again confirmed its high efficiency and profitability, especially in areas of confined underground waters.  Further on, the model was applied in Rishtan, Altyarik and Baghdad Districts where it is successfully working.

Actions:

1. reconstruction of the open collector;
2. construction of the combined drainage system;
3. operation of the combined drainage system;
4. consultations with local experts on designing and constructing combined drainage systems;
5. holding a training for Basin Irrigation System Administration (BISA) and Reclamation Expedition (RE) personnel on combined drainage system operation;
6. development and distribution of training materials.

Results:

Financial and economic:

Specific construction costs (sum/ha) of the combined drainage system were twice less compared to horizontal drainage models.  Vertical drainage of 1 hectare of land requires 700-800 kWh of energy, whereas the combined drainage is hyperpiestic.  Maintenance costs for combined drainage systems are also much lower compared to horizontal and vertical drainage models – specifically, twofold less than for closed horizontal and threefold less for vertical. The combined drainage systems also allowed increasing crops productivity.

Technical:

The reclamation condition of farm land has improved.

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:

The practice has confirmed its high efficiency and profitability of combined-type drainage, especially in areas with confined underground water.

Recommendations:

It is necessary to widely apply combined-type drainage where hydro-geological conditions allow it.

Foreign tools (transfer of foreign experience)

R&D product by NPO SANIIRI (Research and Development Association “Central Asian Research Institute of Irrigation”)

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: Application of GIS-technologies for reclamation.

Project duration: Jan 2010-Dec 2012 (3 years).

Project goal and objectives: comprehensive support of Reclamation Expedition (RE) specialists; introduction of new technologies; enhancing RE technical capacities to ensure a more expedient implementation of projects to improve the reclamation condition of irrigated land with the aim of receiving better agricultural yields with the simultaneous maintenance of environmental equilibrium in the area.

Project beneficiaries: Fergana Region and Syr Daria Region Reclamation Expeditions.

Project implementer: Management Department of the Foundation for Reclamation Improvement of Irrigated Land.

carecnet.org

Ekologicheski Vestnik (Environmental Digest) Journal,

Issue 11, 2012 (http://lrf.uz/?p=283&lang=ru).

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC