Kazakhstan and Central Asia Information in Transboundary Water Cooperation

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Kazakhstan and Central AsiaInformation in
Transboundary Water CooperationThe Value of
National IWRM Water Efficiency PlansTim
HannanUNDP Water Management AdvisorAlmaty,
Kazakhstantim.hannan_at_undp.org
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National IWRM and WE Plans with Reference to
Transboundary Water Cooperation

• IWRM is a new approach with new information and
• management needs
• Definition of new needs, approach needs to be
• determined
• IWRM needs to be understood and adopted by
• water managers
• The goals and aims of IWRM are the same for all
• countries
• The information needs are the same for all
• countries

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Initiatives in Monitoring and Information in
Kazakhstan

• Tobol River (Russia, Kazakhstan, Russia)
• Ural River (Russia, Kazakhstan)
• Irtysh River (China, Kazakhstan, Russia)
• Ili River (China, Kazakhstan)
• Syr Darya, Chu, Talas (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan,
  Kyrgyzstan)
• Amu Darya (to a lesser extent as an Aral Sea
  tributary)
• Recent improvements in monitoring have
• emphasised and been driven by transboundary
• issues

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Initiatives on Regional Cooperation on
Transboundary Waters in Central Asia

• ICWC (water allocations)
• IFAS (resources and research for the Aral Sea)
• 1998 Agreement (water energy on Syr Darya)
• CACO (water, energy, transport food)
• WEC (combined water energy)
• Chu Talas Trans. Water Commission
• Various annual agreements
• Kazakhstan signed the Water Convention

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Structure of Water Resources Management in
Kazakhstan

• Committee for Water Resources (Ministry of
• Agriculture)
• River Basin Organisations (Under CWR)
• River Basin Councils (now being established)
• Others (environment, geology, health, etc.)

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Information Issues in Water Resources Management
in Kazakhstan (Central Asia)

• limited understanding of water resources issues
  and
• solutions on the part of central governments
• limited public understanding and participation
  in water
• resources management
• decline in technical skills in the CWR and RBOs
• limited and difficult coordination and
  cooperation on
• information
• poor water information, including its management
  and
• access to it

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Other Big Issues in Water Resources Management in
Kazakhstan (Central Asia)

• No organisation has the responsibility to
• manage river basins, or to manage water
  quality or
• river ecology
• RBOs have lost the skills of full water
  resources
• management, including water quality
• Monitoring of water quality is improving but
  does
• not come close to the European approach

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Recent Initiatives in Information for Water
Resources Management in Kazakhstan

• River Basin Councils established in law in the
• 2003 Water Code of Kazakhstan
• Strategy for the Development of CWR/RBOs
• was completed in 2004 (partly implemented)
• Strategy for the Improvement of Water Quality
• was completed for CWR/RBOs in 2004 (partly
• implemented)

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Recent Initiatives in Information for Water
Resources Management in Kazakhstan

• National Water Information Centre
• proposed in 2003, 2004, 2005 (not yet
• implemented)
• National IWRM and WE Plan being
• prepared (completed end 2005)

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Kazakhstan National Water Information
Centre Possible Structure
River Basin Authority in Neighbouring
Transboundary Countries
River Basin Authority in Neighbouring
Transboundary Countries
Various River Basin or Local Administration Level
Organisations (SES, Vodkhoz, Vodokanal,
Irrigation, Ecology, Geology, WUA, Kazhydromet,
Akimat, Others)
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Expected Steps in Developing Transboundary
Cooperation and Management in Central Asia
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Areas of Good Potential for Regional Cooperation
on Improving Water Management

• Water use efficiency
• Education and training
• Monitoring and information

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Progress on the Kazakhstan National Water
Information Centre

• DPSIR framework to develop information
• systems at river basin level
• Training RBO staff in obtaining info, developing
• data bases (2004 to 2007)
• Establishing an information portal to link RBOs
• and CWR and, later RBOs and RBCs
• Establishing RBCs and working to define their
• information needs
• Initial links RBO RBC
• RBO CWR National Transboundary
  Users