Transcript Deserts and Desertification in Central Asia
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project The evolution of bilateral agreements in the face of changing geo-politics in the Chu-Talas basin By Dr. Andriy Demydenko Project Manager, Chu-Talas pilot project Summary of the keynote at International Conference “WATER: a Catalyst for Peace”. Alternative approaches for the management of shared water resources, Zaragoza, Spain, 6-8 October 2004
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Transboundary water cooperation in the former USSR
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Определение ИУВР
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project
Aral Sea basin
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project High demand for water
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Shrinking Aral Sea
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Other issues The high demand for water in the Aral Sea basin is not the only problem the region is facing. There are other issues that make finding sustainable solutions very challenging. The region has also relevance for the rest of the world: today’s problems of the Aral Sea Basin might become tomorrow’s problems of the world.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project
Population growth
The population is growing very rapidly despite of an uncertain future. In some states, population will double in the coming 25 years and will put high demands on food production and water
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Climate change
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Climate change is widely accepted. Unclear is if this process will lead to more or less available water. In the short term there is the possibility that snow melt will increase and therefore more water will be available. In the long term however it might lead to less water.
Hydropower
Water is not only used for irrigation but also for electricity generation. Demand for electricity is the highest during the winter season. The water reservoirs need to be full by that time. As a consequence, water has to be stored during summer, when demand for irrigation water is the highest. These are conflicting interests!
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project
Political setting
Demands and availability of water in the five states are different and change over time. As water is scarce, this generates political friction, which is fed by other issues like territorial disputes.
Salinization
All water contains a little salt. Irrigated land will evaporate part of the water, leaving behind the salt. This salt will accumulate over the years, unless washed away, which requires a lot of water. This mineralization process became increasingly serious during last few years: land productivity is decreasing by 5-6% annually.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Regional water management practices before independence
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USSR Water Ministry centralised allocation Basin organisations were set up to execute the regulations and schedules agreed by the republics and approved by the USSR Water Ministry.
In 1986 two basin organizations were created for the two main rivers: Amu Darya and Syr Darya.
1110 basin organisations were responsible for all the head gates on the rivers and its main tributaries with a discharge of more than 10 cu.m/sec, financed by the USSR Water Ministry.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Regional water management practices before independence (continued)
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Twice a year, based on hydromet forecasts, the basin organisations were to submit to the USSR Water Ministry an annual plan including schedules of release and supply from the reservoirs within their respective watersheds.
Each republic received its share of water in accordance with quotas approved by the USSR state Planning Committee.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Regional water management practices before independence (continued)
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Water allocation depended either on the irrigated surface area, or on the demand calculated for each crop per district. Depending on the hydrological forecasts, basin organisations were able either to reduce, or to increase quotas for each country by no more than 10%. The basin organisation did not monitor water quality, nor were responsible for water usage.
The Aral Sea and Aral region basically received what was “left on the plate”.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Regional water management practices after independence
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With the independence it became necessary to set up a mechanism for regional cooperation in water resources management. The first agreement dealt with «cooperation regarding joint management of water resources in interstate water bodies» and established the Interstate Coordination Water Commission (ICWC).
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Regional water management practices after independence (continued)
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ICWC: -five Central Asian states as members; -decision by consensus; -the two basin organisations became the executive bodies of ICWC; -the principles of allocation approved in the Soviet period are retained until new regional and national water management strategies are developed and approved.
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Moreover, a special regional organisation, « International Fund for saving the Aral Sea » (IFAS), was established under the joint leadership of the five presidents.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project President of IFAS Presidents of five Central Asian States IFAS Board (Deputy Prime Ministers 5 CA States) Executive Committee of IFAS (10 Country Representatives) Secretariat GEF WEMP Project KAZ Branch KYR Branch TAJ Branch TUK Branch UZB Branch ISDC (15 Country Representatives) ICWC (5 Ministers Water Resources) Secretariat SD network SIC UZB SIC TUK KAZ NECSD KYR NCSD TAJ NSDC TUK CIC UZB NSDC
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project
Chart of Aral Sea Basin InstitutionsChart of Aral Sea Basin Institutions
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Regional water management practices after independence: drawbacks of the existing legal framework
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Most existing water related agreements provide just an outline of general approaches, without detailed procedures for their implementation.
The upstream countries are concerned that in the regional co-operation framework, the saving of the Aral Sea is prevailing over the national economic interests of the individual countries.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Drawbacks of the existing legal framework:
upstream countries concerns •
There are different opinions regarding the long-term projections of water demand - it is argued that agreements do not adequately take into account the dynamics of population growth, which will result in an increase of water consumption to meet potable, agricultural, industrial and other needs.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Drawbacks of the existing legal framework:
upstream countries concerns • •
The “Soviet” water sharing system allocated water resources asymmetrically to favor irrigation farming in the downstream countries.
The territories of the upstream countries were used for the construction of water regulating facilities to supply water to the lower reaches.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Drawbacks of the existing legal framework:
upstream countries concerns • •
Irrigation farming in the upstream countries was reduced to a minimum - in compensation, they got energy carriers, agricultural and industrial products.
After the emergence of the sovereign countries in Central Asia, the former principles of water allocation were maintained, yet the upstream countries were deprived of all the compensations.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Drawbacks of the existing legal framework:
upstream countries concerns •
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan believe that the current regional water allocation system is inequitable and causes them serious harm as it does not make it possible for them to, firstly, develop irrigation farming to satisfy their food requirements and, secondly, use the hydropower station cascades in an optimal mode to cover winter requirements for electricity.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Drawbacks of the existing legal framework
• •
Among the most precarious issues to be debated is the problem of defining the ownership rights of each country with regard to the water resources and water bodies in the respective territories.
Another contradiction is the adoption of a Kyrgyz law (2001), which proclaims that the foreign policy of Kyrgyzstan towards water related issues is based on the principle of paid use.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Drawbacks of the existing legal framework
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Repeated declarations by heads of Central Asian States to develop mutually advantageous regional cooperation in the use and protection of water resources have not produced tangible results.
Main reason – the existing legal basis for cooperation primarily consists of agreements which do not cover the entire range of relevant issues, and fail to offer detailed procedures for the preparation and adoption of decisions and joint follow-up on commitments assumed by countries.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project From multilateral to bilateral cooperation
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There are different views in the region regarding further development of the organisational cooperation.
forms of long-term
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There is growing concern that effective transboundary cooperation is more probable if it is organized on bilateral rather than on multilateral basis
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project From multilateral to bilateral cooperation
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A good example of effective bilateral cooperation takes place between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. They share two relatively small rivers, Chu and Talas, which are purely transboundary for these two countries.
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Chu-Talas case is rather simple but could provide an example for the rest of the Aral Sea basin, as key problems are similar.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project
Talas Catchment Hydrometric Network
6 5 4 Kazakh Hydro Post Station, River and Name 1.
2.
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Talas – Pakrovka Talas – Solnichni Talas – H/P No 5 - Talas Dam Talas - Temirbet (Dam) Talas – Jambet Talas – Uyuk Hydropost with Ecology Post for Water Quality Measurements Ecologic post not attached to Hydropost 3 2
Kazakhstan Taraz
13 1
Manas Rayon
Kirov
3 12 11
Kara - Bura Rayon
9 8 10 1.
2.
3.
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5.
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Kyrgyz Hydro Post Station, River and Name Talas – Ak Tash Talas – 2.6km downstream of inflow of Koshoi Talas – Klouchevka Koshoi – Kara Oi Besh Tash – head of River Saz Urmaral – Oktyabrskoe Kumushtag – head of River Yangi Bakiyan spring – Bakiyan Beysheke – Kara Bura – Koksai gorge Kirovskie spring – mouth Chimkent spring – mouth Kukuryesu - Chonkurchan 7 6
Talas
Bakai-Ata Rayon
2 5
Talas Rayon
1 4
Kyrgyz Republic
Rivers Talaskii Canal Kirov Reservoir Kaz. / Kyg Border
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Description of the Talas basin
• • •
The Talas river is a small river in Central Asia streaming down the north-west slope of Tyan Shan.
Length 660 km (440 km in Kazakhstan) Total area of the catchment - 52,7 thousand km 2 (21,7% located in Kyrgyzstan and 78,3% – in Kazakhstan) Water is diverted along the whole course of the river, mainly for irrigation (more than 90%).
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Description of the Talas basin
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Within Kyrgyzstan but close to the border with Kazakhstan, lies the Kirov Reservoir, the only structure that can be used to regulate the river flows.
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In years of average water availability, all water is allocated between the users and diverted from the river.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Description of the Talas basin
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Most of the upstream catchment lies above 2 000 metres elevation. The river is mainly supplied by glaciers and snow pack areas especially from the southern high mountainous zone, which almost reaches 4 000 m. A portion of the total flow comes from direct rainfall runoff, particularly during the spring months March and April and in autumn.
Climatic indicators are: a long winter period; a relatively high yearly precipitation of 400-500 mm; high flows from April until July from snow and glacier melt; and a relatively short hot period with high evaporation from May till September, the period when irrigation is necessary.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Description of the Talas basin
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The totally irrigated area in the Kyrgyz part of the basin is 114 900 ha.
Almost all plain areas, especially on the southern banks of the valley, are densely irrigated.
Main crops in the upstream Talas catchment are wheat, maize, potatoes and vegetables.
There are no extensive useable groundwater deposits.
Despite this, shallow groundwater is used for individual drinking water supply systems.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Description of the Talas basin
• • • • •
The population of the upstream catchment numbers about 200 000, mostly living in rural areas.
Brick production and industrial facilities for product processing from the Soviet period are no longer operating.
There are practically no sources of water pollution except municipal waste water discharges.
Little of the drinking water supply is from a central supply system; nevertheless the water quality of the drinking water is quite good.
Currently, the most important industrial development which may have an impact on the water use and pollution is a proposed Yerooy gold mine located at 3 000 m elevation in the catchment (currently the EIA is under preparation).
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Description of the Talas basin
• • • • •
The downstream catchment is quite different, not only in the natural conditions but also in the land use pattern.
Land use is affected by a rapid increase of evaporation along the lower river course as the elevation drops.
Rainfall is reduced to 300 mm, while it is in the lowest reaches less than 250 mm.
The surface water remaining in the riverbed rapidly decreases towards the northwest.
The area downstream from Taraz (Jambul) city is predominantly characterized by dry steppe and, finally, by natural semi-desert.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Description of the Talas basin
• •
Beyond Uyuk the water only fills the depressions of the undulating land and forms marshes. Particularly in high-water years, in this zone grass is watered by the natural flooding, supplemented by wild flood irrigation, and is extensively harvested for hay.
The zone is also important for waterfowls in spring (transit area only for feeding) and in summer time (breeding).
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Description of the Talas basin
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The few rural villages downstream of Taraz are small and suffering from an out-migration and deterioration of the houses and infrastructure.
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The reasons for out-migration are: - current poor economic conditions in the area, especially in comparison with developments elsewhere in the country - combination of poor reliability of water supplies, poor land quality, and a relatively large distance from the centre, Taraz city, with its markets.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Description of the Talas basin
• • •
In comparison with the upstream catchment, the groundwater situation is quite different.
There are fresh groundwater deposits at 60 to 100 m depth which are used for the drinking water supply in Taraz city (population 300 000).
Groundwater in the upper horizons is of inferior quality .
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Description of the Talas basin
• • •
The total area of irrigated land is 62 000 ha downstream of Taraz city and an additional 16 600 ha between the city and Kyrgyz-Kazakh border.
Due to the limited water availability, the remaining Kyrgyz part).
river course further north (downstream) provides very little water for irrigation (while in earlier times, the total irrigated land in the Kazakh part of the basin was almost equal to the irrigated area in the The most important land use in this zone is for livestock.
Проект Tasic “ASREWAM Aral Sea 30560” “Поддержка регионального управления водными ресурсами и повышение потенциала бассейновых организаций для эффективного управления ресурсами” ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560
Проект Tasic “ASREWAM Aral Sea 30560” “Поддержка регионального управления водными ресурсами и повышение потенциала бассейновых организаций для эффективного управления ресурсами” ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Название
Возделываемые земли Возделанные земли
Кыргызстан
109450 82030
Казахстан
116220 52276
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Status of the present legal and institutional framework
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Water-sharing rules of 1983 Agreement in 2000 on the interstate use of water facilities: Kazakhstan is already paying for joint rehabilitation of hydro-technical facilities on Kyrgyz territory Draft regulations on the commission Water Codes: Kazakhstan (2003), Kyrgyzstan (Draft: now in Parliament)
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Kazakh-Kyrgyz Agreement of 2000
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Although the title of the Agreement only refers to the facilities, the list of tasks is much broader and clearly relates to the resource planning and management: assess and forecast the state of water objects & regulate water use; agree on parameters and annual limits for water use & drainage, cooperation in the financing of O&M, flood prevention; agree on the operational regime of reservoirs and adjust schedules and limits, depending on water availability and user needs; develop procedures for joint action in emergency situations (floods, other natural calamities); organize exchange of hydrologic and other data & information; agree on, and coordinate, water monitoring programmes, water accounting & infrastructure inventory, with a view to establishing a basin water monitoring and accounting system; organize joint scientific studies on O&M and safety issues, and on regulation, rational use and protection of water resources.
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ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Main problem related to inter-state water management Lack of a proper legal basis and formal institutional arrangement management.
for the water sharing and joint river Poor information systems management decisions.
on which to base water Lack of separation of responsibilities and formal procedures for managing reservoirs and floods.
Lack of future plans regarding joint responsibility for maintenance of water management structures. Though the principles of joint responsibility are accepted and cost sharing is agreed annually, formal mechanisms are weak.
No input from environmental concerns into the water planning processes, including planning for protection against upstream accidents or controlling new polluting developments, and allocation of environmental flows to wetlands.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Present issues of transboundary relevance
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Many issues, but the most pressing are: Water management issues that relate to planning and verification of diversions.
Water shares are based on the diversions from the river, which cannot be verified by the other party; information could be made available more timely and be better presented.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Water management issues
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Forecasts of water resources are hampered by run-down monitoring networks but also by the institutional set-up.
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The Kirov reservoir management should be improved: water discharges do not correspond to the agreed figures.
I I I
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Availability of water resources
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Resource deficiency will be increased due to restoration and further development of the main water consuming sectors of the economy, and the social needs of the growing population.
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In high water years, Kazakhstan does not use completely its quota (partly to ensure environmental downstream flows) due to a decrease of water demand for irrigation purposes.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Availability of water resources (continued)
• • •
Possibilities for extensive development have already been exhausted over the whole basin (all water is already used). In Kyrgyzstan – no increase in irrigated land As to Kazakhstan’s part, a planned growth of production in the agricultural sector should be ensured largely by better water use (more crop per drop). Otherwise, planned extension of irrigated area will need an increase of water intake exceeding the whole river annual run off.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Water availability and diversions in Talas basin
2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 1994 1996 1997 1999 2000 2002 2010 2020 Water diversion by KYR Water diversion by KAZ KYR + KAZ diversion Annual run-off
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project 50/50 water sharing problems
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Politically the arrangement appears to be satisfactory from the perspective of both nations However, problems arise in transparency, technical capability and methodological approaches used to determine water availability and therefore apportionment on an annual basis.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project 50/50 water sharing problems
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Facilities are actually used 80/20 or 20/80. Why rehabilitation costs are shared 50/50?
If water is shared, the problem of providing enough water to other users (such as environmental flows to the downstream wetlands) becomes purely national problem and should be provided from national quota.
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Does the legal framework address the issues?
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The Agreement is narrow in scope focus on defined infrastructure, but not on ancillary installations and not on water use itself No focus on water quality
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Present institutional arrangements for interstate cooperation work, but informally only for water-sharing (1983 Rules) for matters relating to infrastructure
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Towards IWRM needs
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Availability of data and information on water resources (flows, levels, etc.) on water quality on water uses
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on pollution sources Capacity to plan the basins’ water resources management measures (quantity & quality) common works
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Workable institutional arrangements
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project The draft regulations of the Commission
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Expand the focus of the 2000 Agreement
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Commission vested with broader powers, including planning and water quality
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High level membership
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Headquarters, financial issues and links with existing institutions to be defined
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project How to make it workable?
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Not only a high level commission, but also practical institutional arrangements at the basin level are required to provide the information needed by the Commission and to act on its decisions
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Further development of the concept of shared responsibility including financing and common investment planning
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Improvement of water management procedures
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Improvement of verifyable monitoring
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project Focus of ASREWAM
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Identification of legal, institutional, practical objectives
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Proposals for improved forecasting, monitoring and information handling: physical and institutional, including inter-state relationships
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Identification of potential development options and national or shared costs
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All brought together into a Joint Basin Strategy
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project So, what?
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Taking into account the ultimate goal of our conference, the question is:
How to make the water supply service in the Chu Talas Basin economically and socially viable without undermining the sustainability of vital water ecosystems?
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Or how to move from prevention of conflicts (equitable water sharing) to cooperation potential (sharing benefits of water use instead)?
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project
Prevention of Conflict
Cooperation Potential
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project
Prevention of Conflict
Cooperation Potential
ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis 30560 Chu-Talas pilot project
Prevention of Conflict