Drought Fears Force Water Deal
Drought Fears Force Water Deal
An agreement to divide cross-border river waters among four Central Asian countries may help prevent disputes when a drought hits the region this summer, but NBCentralAsia observers say the main obstacle for all countries involved remains their lack of water-saving technology.
In an attempt to deal with the drought that is expected in Central Asia this year, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will sign an agreement in Bishkek to divide irrigation water from the Syr Darya river among them.
The deal springs from a meeting of the Interstate Coordinating Water Commission for Central Asia held in the Maktaaral district of southern Kazakstan on March 25, which heard forecasts that the drought could result in an 11 to 15 per cent shortfall on the required amount of water.
Mahmud Hamitov, head of the Syr Darya Water Association, told the Kazakstan Today news agency, “We must develop a common plan to use water efficiently and ensure that any shortfall is apportioned equally among all the countries.”
NBCentralAsia observers point that negotiating on water remains as tricky as ever because of the different needs of countries located upstream and downstream. For example, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan collect water in reservoirs in spring and summer, and then let it flow downstream over the winter months to generate hydroelectricity, when it is no good to Kazakstan and Uzbekistan.
“This difference is a stumbling block,” NBCentralAsia observer Daur Dosybiev says. “Unfortunately, this water shortage will most probably force all sides to fiercely defend their own interests.”
The lack of water-saving technology across the region makes it very difficult for all four countries to coordinate economy measures in practice.
“Economic problems prevent water conservation projects from being implemented. The technology for efficient water use is quite expensive,” said Erkin Orolbaev, an expert on water issues.
Dyushen Mamatkanov, director of the Institute for Water and Hydroenergy at Kyrgyzstan’s Academy of Sciences, said it would not be enough to rely on the forthcoming agreement between the four states as the dry season moves ever closer. He recommends establishing clear economic mechanisms for distributing and paying for water.
“If there are shortages and any of the countries fails to comply with the terms of the [April] agreement, it will sour relations between them. We have to set a fair price for water to avoid the damage. The means to distribute water among these countries is already in place, and all that is needed is payment to solve the problem,” said Mamatkanov.
Commentators in Kazakstan nevertheless have high hopes for the agreement, and believe economic mechanisms for sharing water will work well.
“The meeting has shown that all sides have come to terms,” said Bakhtiyar Temirbaev, head of the water agency for southern Kazakstan. “A market mechanism is in place where [Kazakstan] will compensate for the water it takes by giving coal and fuel oil to Kyrgyzstan.”
Jamantai Beisenbaev, the deputy head of Kazakstan’s Maktaaral district with special responsibility for agriculture, was similarly optimistic, saying, “The division of water is more of an economic issue than a political one. The relationship has been governed by the market for a long time, so the mechanism works.”
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
In an attempt to deal with the drought that is expected in Central Asia this year, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will sign an agreement in Bishkek to divide irrigation water from the Syr Darya river among them.
The deal springs from a meeting of the Interstate Coordinating Water Commission for Central Asia held in the Maktaaral district of southern Kazakstan on March 25, which heard forecasts that the drought could result in an 11 to 15 per cent shortfall on the required amount of water.
Mahmud Hamitov, head of the Syr Darya Water Association, told the Kazakstan Today news agency, “We must develop a common plan to use water efficiently and ensure that any shortfall is apportioned equally among all the countries.”
NBCentralAsia observers point that negotiating on water remains as tricky as ever because of the different needs of countries located upstream and downstream. For example, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan collect water in reservoirs in spring and summer, and then let it flow downstream over the winter months to generate hydroelectricity, when it is no good to Kazakstan and Uzbekistan.
“This difference is a stumbling block,” NBCentralAsia observer Daur Dosybiev says. “Unfortunately, this water shortage will most probably force all sides to fiercely defend their own interests.”
The lack of water-saving technology across the region makes it very difficult for all four countries to coordinate economy measures in practice.
“Economic problems prevent water conservation projects from being implemented. The technology for efficient water use is quite expensive,” said Erkin Orolbaev, an expert on water issues.
Dyushen Mamatkanov, director of the Institute for Water and Hydroenergy at Kyrgyzstan’s Academy of Sciences, said it would not be enough to rely on the forthcoming agreement between the four states as the dry season moves ever closer. He recommends establishing clear economic mechanisms for distributing and paying for water.
“If there are shortages and any of the countries fails to comply with the terms of the [April] agreement, it will sour relations between them. We have to set a fair price for water to avoid the damage. The means to distribute water among these countries is already in place, and all that is needed is payment to solve the problem,” said Mamatkanov.
Commentators in Kazakstan nevertheless have high hopes for the agreement, and believe economic mechanisms for sharing water will work well.
“The meeting has shown that all sides have come to terms,” said Bakhtiyar Temirbaev, head of the water agency for southern Kazakstan. “A market mechanism is in place where [Kazakstan] will compensate for the water it takes by giving coal and fuel oil to Kyrgyzstan.”
Jamantai Beisenbaev, the deputy head of Kazakstan’s Maktaaral district with special responsibility for agriculture, was similarly optimistic, saying, “The division of water is more of an economic issue than a political one. The relationship has been governed by the market for a long time, so the mechanism works.”
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
