Shifting to hydrological boundaries – The politics of implementation in the lower Amu Darya Basin

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Summary

During the time of the Soviet Union, the Central Asian states managed their water resources on the meso level according to administrative rather than hydrological boundaries. It was only in 2003 that Uzbekistan shifted from administrative to hydrological boundaries for water management. Using the example of Khorezm Province in the lower Amu Darya basin, this paper shows that redefining boundaries is a political process, which led in Khorezm to new boundaries which are partly determined by hydraulic, not hydrological, and political considerations. Nevertheless, the new management approach has created more equity amongst the different districts in terms of water supply per irrigated area. However, simple equity in water supply did not take into consideration other issues, such as infrastructure, hydrogeological zones and crop production. In addition, the official data show that the achieved equity was based on an overall increase in water supply to the individual districts and to Khorezm as a whole. When only the increase in water supply to the individual districts is taken into consideration, it appears that the location of the main office and the regional provenance of the main staff influenced water supply to specific districts. Finally, based on the data presented for Khorezm Province the paper goes a stage further and questions the real value of the new water management boundaries implemented in Khorezm.

Content

References

See also

1. ADB - Donor Project Matrix on Central Asia
2. Atrof-Muhit Environment Programme Evaluation Report
3. Background Paper on Water and Health for the COP workshop Bucharest, 2008
4. CA Water Strategy - McCauley 2004
5. Central Asia HDR 2005 - Chapter 4: Water, Energy and the Environment
6. Central Asia Regional Environmental Action Plan
7. Central Asia Regional Risk Assessment
8. Compliance and Performance in International Waters - Central Asia
9. Compound Crisis in Tajikistan
10. Establishment and improvement of Joint Bodies in countries in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia
11. Financing Rural WSS in Tajikistan/applying the feasible
12. Financing Rural WSS in Tajikistan/baseline szenarios
13. Financing Rural WSS in Tajikistan/socio-economic context
14. GWP-CACENA 2009 Regional Review on WSS
15. GWP/publications
16. Hydro-hegemony in the Amu Darya Basin
17. IWRM - THE BASIS FOR CONFLICT PREVENTION IN CENTRAL ASIA
18. IWRM in Central Asia
19. Image:Wegerich 2009 Shifting to hydrological boundaries.PDF
20. International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea Action Report (2002-2008)
21. Irrigation and Poverty in Central Asia: A Field Assessment
22. Irrigation in Central Asia: Social, Economic and Environmental Considerations
23. Joint Bodies in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia
24. Joint Bodies in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia/Competence, functions and tasks
25. Joint Bodies in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia/Cooperation
26. Joint Bodies in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia/Organization, rules of procedure & decision-making
27. Joint Bodies in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia/Public participation and Financing
28. Lessons on Cooperation Building to Manage Water Conflicts in the Aral Sea Basin
29. Original:ST. PETERSBURG STATEMENT ON THE ARAL SEA
30. Politics of Water in Post-Soviet Central Asia
31. SIC ICWC/publications
32. Small hydropower in Central Asia
33. Speedup of the Integrated Water Resources Management Objectives-2005 Implementation in Central Asia
34. St. Petersburg Statement on the Aral Sea
35. UNDP 2003: Water-related legal and institutional structures in Central Asia
36. Variability and Predictability of Central Asia River Flows - Antecedent Winter Precipitation and Large-Scale Teleconnections
37. Water Conflict and Cooperation in Central Asia
38. Water Conflict and Cooperation/Aral Sea Basin
39. Water Strategy Meets Local Reality

External Resources

Attachments

 Wegerich 2009 Shifting to hydrological boundaries.PDF