Country: Kyrgyzstan

Province: Talas Region

Regions: Chu (Kyrgyz Republic), Dzhambul (Republic of Kazakhstan);

Districts: Kochkor, Kemin, Talas (Kyrgyz Republic), Korday, Shu (Republic of Kazakhstan)

The Chu and Talas Rivers Basins are shared by two riparian countries – Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.  Whereas the rivers’ runoff formation zone is located in the mountainous areas of the Kyrgyz Republic, the zone of the rivers’ drain dispersion and balancing is located on the territory of Kazakhstan.

Chu is the main river of the watershed and mainly forms its drain in Kyrgyzstan (Kochkor Depression at the confluence of the Dzhuanaryk and Kochkor Rivers).

The relief of the basin’s upper streams is represented by deeply dissected slopes of the Dzhumgol, Karakokta, Baidula, and Karakudzhur Ridges, eastern tail of the Kyrgyz Ridge and western tail of the Terskey-Ala-Too.  Passing the Lake Issyk-Kul through the narrow Boom Gorge, the Chu enters the cognominal valley to accept several large and small tributaries: Chon-Kemin (right-bank) and Kyzyl-Suu, Shamsi, Kegety, Issyk-Ata, Alamedin, Ala-Archa, Ak-Suu, Sokuluk, Kara-Balta, Chon-Kahindy, Aspara, etc. (left-bank) flowing from the northern slope of the Kyrgyz Ridge.  The plain of the Chu Depression gradually descends from 1300 m (east) to 120 m (west) ASL.

The Talas River Basin borders the Chu Depression in its lower section in southwestern Kazakhstan, and the rivers’ sources are located at the junction point of the Kyrgyz and Talas Ridges radiating westwards on the territory of Kyrgyzstan.  The Chu-Talas Watershed is represented by the Muyun-Kum High Plain with the absolute mark of about 390 m on the meridian of the mouth of the Talas River and ascending in southeast direction. The watershed line of the Karatau Ridge serves the southern border of the Talas Basin.

Due to varying relief, vegetation and soils in the Chu and Talas Basins are rather diverse as well.  With elevation, desert and semi-desert landscapes featuring the basin’s plain section and intermountain troughs are replaced with steppe, meadow, and forest complexes, and later on with sub-alpine and alpine meadows and grasslands.

Practice scale:

Total basin area:

• Talas River Basin – 52 700 km²;
• Chu River Basin – 67 500 km².

In the Kyrgyz Republic:

• 41 270 km² (Talas River Basin – 78.3%);
• 35 900 km² (Chu River Basin – 57.5%).

In the Republic of Kazakhstan:

• 11 340 km² (Talas River Basin – 21.7%);
• 26 600 km² (Chu River Basin – 42.5%).

Start date: 01.01.2013

End date: 31.12.2014

Insufficient development of the legal framework regulating interactions and coordinated cooperation in water resource management of the transboundary Chu and Talas Rivers and use of interstate water management facilities

Regulation tools: development of a project document for review (by the Chu-Talas Water Management Commission, further on by the national Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFAs)) and adoption of relevant decisions, rules and laws

Actions:

Based on preliminary consultations in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, the expert team drafted the project document (including, the first international) for preliminary review by the key partners, including the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry (SAEPF) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MALR) of the Kyrgyz Republic.  Based on the SAEPF feedback, an additional environment expert was invited to mainstream water resource quality monitoring and assessment aspects into the document.

The expert also executed a series of recommendations that were further integrated into the final version of the project document.  In February 2014, the preliminary version of the project document was submitted to and jointly reviewed with the Secretariat of the Chu-Talas Water Management Commission in Bishkek. The consultations allowed gaining support (joint project funding and implementation) on behalf of MALR of Kyrgyzstan, Water Resources Committee (WRC) of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) of Kazakhstan, SAEPF with the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, Hydrometeorological Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) of Kyrgyzstan, SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), UNDP and UNECE.  To facilitate the suitable conditions for launching the transboundary project, SAEPF was assisted in drafting the bylaws “Rules of Protecting Surface Water” and “Rules of Protecting Underground Water” serving as the legal foundation for executing joint water quality monitoring, including in the Chu and Talas River Basins.  The project document was also submitted to the GEF Secretariat.  GEF Secretariat comments were reviewed and accounted for.  The project was approved in September 2014.

To optimize costs, the Meeting of the Project Review Committee (PRC) (GEF/UNDP/UNECE Project “Promoting transboundary cooperation and integrated water resource management in the Chu and Talas River Basins”) was held back-to-back with the Meeting of the Chu-Talas Water Management Commission.

As per PRC recommendations, the project document was submitted to the MFAs of the hosting countries (in Kyrgyzstan -- on behalf of SAEPF, and in Kazakhstan – on behalf of UNDP Kazakhstan).

Results:

The mid-size Project “Promoting transboundary cooperation and integrated water resource management in the Chu and Talas River Basins” was designed in due time based on the approved Concept and in compliance with the UNDP/GEF rules and procedures, including the requirements of the GEF International Waters Work-stream, and submitted to the GEF Secretariat.

Lessons learnt:

Improved coordination and implementation of activities by water management organizations of the Chu and Talas Basins as the result of fulfilling project requirements and scope.

Recommendations:

The cooperation experience was positive and can be scaled-up in other river basins of interstate value.

Foreign tools (transfer of foreign experience)

Project title: GEF/UNDP/UNECE Project “Promoting transboundary cooperation and integrated water resource management in the Chu and Talas River Basins”.

Project duration: 2013-2014.

Project goal and objectives: strengthen transboundary cooperation and promote integrated water resource management in the Chu and Talas River Basins, and expand the authority of the Water Resources Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic.

Project beneficiaries: residents and water management organizations of the Chu and Talas River Basins in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

Project implementer: United Nations Development Programme.

Project donors: Global Environmental Facility, MALR of the KR, WRC with the MoA of the RK, SAEPF with the Government of Kyrgyzstan, Hydrometeorological Service with the MES of the RK, SDC, UNDP and UNECE (joint project funding and implementation).

Responsible agency: UN Development Programme

Promoting cooperation in climate change adaptation in the Chu and Talas River Basins (Main Report, Feb 2014);

Report on UNDP activities under the Environment and Power Dimension in 2014
(https://info.undp.org/docs /pdc/Documents/KGZ/Annual%20report%20to%20SAEPF%202014%20final.pdf)