Transboundary water management adaptation in the Amudarya basin to climate change uncertainties
Workshop on Project (26 October 2016, Tashkent)
The workshop was held as part of the Project “Transboundary water management adaptation in the Amudarya basin to climate change uncertainties” at SIC ICWC premises in Tashkent on the 26th of October 2016. The participants included the representatives of SIC ICWC, Head of BWO Amudarya Mr. M.Makhramov, Head of Lower Shavat branch of Upradik Mr. D.Pirmatov, and the expert on Amudarya basin water management Mr. A.Nazariy.
The meeting is virtually the first one dedicated to the Amudarya basin. SIC ICWC has been trying repeatedly to attract attention to the needs of the basin by reporting at various conferences and disseminating information among international organizations and national agencies that the situation may be much worse in the Amudarya basin in the future than in the Syrdarya basin. The expected complexities and potentially growing water stress can be caused on the one hand, by climatic characteristics and glacial feeding of the Pyandj River and, on the other hand, be related to prospective increase in water use by Afghanistan and demographic growth. The international community allocates more and more funds (more than $3 billion in the last year only) to Afghanistan, with greater portion of money invested in irrigation development, especially along the Kunduz River. With the development of irrigation in the area of the Kunduz River, additional 4-6 billion m3 could be withdrawn from the tributaries of Amudarya, and this would have a substantial effect on the Amudarya runoff. In dry period, the Amudarya River could lose about 7-9 billion m3. In this context, the main objective is searching reserves for water use. The Project allows us to discover these reserves. First of all, those imply automation, which helps to estimate river channel balance, substantially decrease losses, and, thus, partially cover water deficit. Based on our past research and this project, SIC ICWC could find a possibility to reduce water requirements through shortened growing season of plants because of rise in air temperature.
With support of
