Tajikistan

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Tajikistan polMap CIA.jpg

Central Asia Region Map.jpg

Tajikistan SurfaceRunoff TajMET.jpg

Tajikistan AnnualFlow Type TajMET.jpg

Facts & Figures	edit
Capital	Dushanbe
Neighbouring Countries	Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan
Total Area	143,100 km2
- Water	400 km2 (0.28%) / 28 m2/ha
- Land	142,700 km2
Coastline	0 km
Population	6,506,980 (45 inhab./km2)
HDIA	0.503 (2007)
Gini CoefficientA	34.6 (1995)
Nominal GDPB	$4,788 million
GDP (PPP) Per CapitaB	$1,800
National UN Presence	FAO, UNDP, UNHCR, WHO, UNICEF, WB, UNESCO, UNISDR
Land UseC
- Cultivated Land	10,574 km2 (7.41%)
- Arable	9,304 km2 (6.52%)
- Permanent Crops	1,270 km2 (0.89%)
- Irrigated	7,220 km2
- Non cultivated	126 km2 (92.59%)
Average Annual RainfallD	691 mm
Renewable Water ResourcesE	99.7 km3
Water WithdrawalsF 11.96 km3/yr   - For Agricultural Use 92%   - For Domestic Use 4%   - For Industrial Use 5%   - Per Capita 1,942 m3
Population with safe access to   - Improved Water Source 59%      - Urban population 92%      - Rural population 48%   - Improved Sanitation 51%      - Urban population 98%      - Rural population 45%
References & Remarks
A UNDP Human Development Report
B CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia
C CIA World Factbook Country Profiles
D Aquastat - FAO's Information System on Water and Agriculture
E CIA World Factbook
F Earthtrends

News

On 26 July 2005, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a US$13 million IDA grant for the Ferghana Valley Water Resources Management Project for the Republic of Tajikistan. Focused on the Soghd Oblast, in the northern region of Tajikistan, and the easternmost part of the multi-national Ferghana Valley, the project will improve irrigation and drainage systems locally in Tajikistan, which will improve the capacity of irrigated agriculture and help to increase the income of the rural population. At the same time, it will reestablish the safety and improve the operations of the Kayrakkum dam and reservoir, thereby benefiting not only Tajikistan, but also neighboring countries. Read more http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunicados.asp?nid=87205&src=0

Country Profile: Climate, Geography, Socio-Economic Context

Geography

Tajikistan is situated in south-east Central Asia, with an area of 143,100 km2. Tajikistan borders Uzbekistan in the west, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in the north, China in the east and Afghanistan in the south. The state boundary is 3,000km long. Tajikistan is a mountainous country, with mountains occupying around 93% of its territory. In addition, over half the territory is situated at the elevation of over 3,000 meters. Geographically, the western part of the country is wedged by desert and semi-desert areas of the Touran lowlands that gradually turn into foothills; in the east, the country territory abuts with gigantic mountain ranges and Central Asian highlands – Tibet and Tien-Shan. This geographic situation accounts for a great variety of natural conditions.

The climate of Tajikistan comprises a variety of temperature ranges, moisture conditions, precipitation character, and the intensity of solar radiation. Depending on the elevation, average annual temperatures may vary from + 17 to - 6°С. Maximum and minimum temperatures may vary from +47 до - 63°С. Average annual amount of atmospheric precipitation constitutes from 70 to 1,800 mm and more. The terrain similarly varies. The northern territories include theFerghana Valley and a relatively low Kuramin Ridge. The central part of the country is covered with mountains ranges of Kuhistan, and the eastern part is dominated by the Pamir – the most severe mountainous area of the republic (I. Somoni Peak is 7,495m). The south-western part of Tajikistan is occupied by low ridges and wide valleys,l whilst the southern corner point(Aivadj) is located at 300m above sea level.

Around 6% of the country territory is covered with glaciers and permanent snows prevailing at 3,500 – 5,000 m. Glaciers are of real importance for Tajikistan as they serve not only as water depositories but also river flow and climate regulators. There are over 8.5 thousand glaciers in the country with the total area of 8,470 km2. The biggest rivers of Central Asia – Syr Darya, Amu Darya, Pianj, and Zerafshan – flow on the territory of the republic. Most rivers in Tajikistan are mountainous rivers originating at the elevation of 3,000m. The average annual flow is over 50 km3. There are almost 1,300 lakes in Tajikistan covering the total area of 705 km2. Very few of them are big. The biggest lake is Karakul in the Eastern Pamir situated at 3,914m above sea level. Other lakes of prime importance are Iskanderkul, Sarez, and Yashilkul. The area is also characterized by temporary lakes formed by glaciers or rock-falls and landslides. Besides natural lakes, there are man-made reservoirs: Kairakkum, Nurek, and others.

Socio-economic context

Tajikistan is a developing country. It's economic development is influenced by a number of objective factors: (1) it is landlocked; (2) it is far away from developed world economic centres; (3) it has a shortage of accessible oil and gas deposits; (4) it is fragmented into regions because of its natural and geographical features; (5) it has a small domestic market; (6) there is political instability in the surrounding region; and (7) there are high transaction costs associated with natural disaster recovery efforts and combating drug trafficking and terrorism.^[1]

Country Profile: Water Bodies and Resources

The mountainous areas of Tajikistan are a principal source of water for the Aral Sea basin. These territories are characterized by an arctic climate, with a low average temperature, continuous cloudiness and a high level of fog. There are 1,300 natural lakes in Tajikistan with a total water surface area of 705 square kilometres and a total capacity of about 50 cubic kilometres. About 78 percent of the lakes are situated in the mountain zone more than 3,500 metres above sea level.

Tajikistan is rich in water resources. It is necessary to note that mountains of Central Asia occupying 20% of the total area of the Aral Sea basin (350 thousand sq. km) gives 90% of surface runoff. On average, the water flow formed in this zone is 115 cub.km mainly within Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins. On average, 51.2 cub.km of water is formed on the territory of Tajikistan which comprise 44% of annual water flow of the Aral Sea basin rivers: in the basin of Amudarya River - 50.5 cub.km and Syrdarya River - 0.7 cub. km. The main water flow comes from Pyanj, Vakhsh, Kafirnigan, Bartang and Zarafshan river basins.

Tajikistan’s water resources mainly arise owing to glacier melting and precipitation. Total freshwater reserves in Tajikistan’s glaciers and snowfields are estimated at 550 cub. km. Many of them are located in the basins of Obihingou, Gunt, and Muksu rivers as well as in other high-mountain areas. Glaciers and snowfields occupy about 6% of country’s territory. Over 1,300 lakes contain 44 cub.km of water, including 20 cub.km of freshwater and 24 cub.km of saltwater. Their total area is 705 sq. km.

Groundwater

Groundwater used in national economy is mainly located in quaternary alluvium of the large river valleys (Syr Darya, Kafirnigan, Vakhsh, Kyzylsu, Yakhsu) and intermountain depressions. According to resent surveys, potential reserves of groundwater make 17 cub. km/year. Exploited reserves are estimated at 2-3 cub. km/year. On average, households, drinking water supply, industrial processes, and irrigation of lands consume 6,500 thousand cub. m of water per day. Fresh groundwaters are spread within earth horizons 1 to 100 meters.

Rural Potable Water Supply (Source: ADB Irrigation Rehab. Proj., Nov 04; see bottom of this page)  TAJ ADB Irrigation Rehab Proj 19Nov04.pdf^[2]

Water in Tajikistan's Economy

Irrigated farming dominates water consumption by volume (over 90 percent). Agriculture in Tajikistan at present and for the foreseeable future will remain one of the priority areas of the economy. The basis of agricultural production is irrigated farming: about 90 percent of all agricultural production is produced on irrigated land. The share of agriculture in GDP during 1996-2000 was about 21.6 percent. About 65 percent of the economically active population is engaged in agriculture (in 1999, 1.1 million people). Water is also important for energy production in Tajikistan. The country's hydroelectric production is third in the world after Russia and the United states. Only about 15% of the 4.6 million people, who live in rural areas, are currently served by drinking water. During the winter months, reduced availability of power supplies typically restrict water supply to 2 hours per day and many rural people pay $3–5 per cubic meter (m3) to have water delivered by truck to their village. Morbidity due to unsafe drinking water is an acknowledged contributor to poverty in rural areas. There are 669 publicly owned water supply schemes in Tajikistan, but due to lack of funding and damage sustained during the civil war, most of these are in a state of disrepair. Opportunities to improve water supplies are hampered by institutional barriers and existing taxation rules.

Country Profile: Legal and Institutional Environment

Institutions

• UNDP implements several national and regional projects on the effective management of water resources. With 13 years of experience in water management, UNDP is at the forefront of development efforts in the water sector in Tajikistan, providing more than 1 million people access to clean drinking water.
• World Bank: The Bank is one of the main sponsors of efforts to improve water supply and sanitation in urban areas. Besides their on-going grant support for improvements of the Dushanbe Vodokanal, they currently support a $15 million grant program for 11 cities in the 20,000 to 50,000 population range (Vahdat as described above being one). The project has two primary components and is implemented by a project implementation office housed under the State Unitary Enterprise:
  • Physical improvements (pipeline replacement, furnishing vehicles and equipment, leak detection and repair).
  • Institutional strengthening of the vodokanals in each city.
• UNICEF has acted as Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Sector Lead for a number of years in Tajikistan. In this role, they have periodically convened government, donors and international humanitarian organizations working in the sector and conducted evaluations of the sector. However, they have not played a particularly key role of late. Their field activities in the sector (hygiene promotion, and latrine construction in schools) are only a sub-component of their education program.
• USAID has supported many water and sanitation activities as part of its humanitarian assistance in recent years. Currently, the primary project contributing to increased access to improved water supply is the Local Governance Community Participation Program (LGPC). The Urban Institute is currently implementing this project that provides training and technical assistance, and funds (using small grants of $20,000 or less) basic water supply systems in rural areas. The work in Niyozbek Village described above is on example. The project also helps improve solid waste management in both cities and towns. Urban Institute performs hydraulic modeling of distribution systems and uses modern leak detection equipment to identify leaks and focus repairs in village water systems.
• Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC) is taking a lead role in support to the water supply sector. The focus of their current efforts include:
  • Promoting policy dialog with the Ministries of Land Reclamation and Water Resources, Housing and Reconstruction and others, with the goal of leading to sector-wide reforms; 2. Addressing ministerial reform;
  • Encouraging networking of relevant organizations, including relevant past experience, community tasks and responsibilities, and problems of poor materials; and
  • Piloting a model to sustainably expanding piped water access in rural areas that includes setting up a District Trust Fund. This effort includes an on-going project (started last year) in rural Sughd Oblast rehabilitating a defunct water system and building new ones.
• Oxfam - Oxfam’s WASH sector strategy is to (1) gather information, (2) continue their fieldwork in Katlon Oblast on water supply and sanitation, and (3) advocate for sector policy reform. They are widely recognized as one of the international humanitarian organizations that has made consistent and high-quality contributions to the sector in Tajikistan. The Team had the impression that the contributions of other international organizations have been less consistent and influential at the national level.

Legislative Framework

Water legislation in the Republic of Tajikistan is based on the Constitution, the Tajik Water Code (2002), laws on Water (2000) and Sanitation (2003), and the normative and legislative acts recognized by the Republic. In connection with the adoption of the Water Code, the Republic is carrying out an inventory of all legislative acts, 'from top to bottom', to reveal and remove internal inconsistencies, eliminate what is obsolete and set out new legislation. Due to the strategic importance and complexity of the water management system, some structures of particular importance are expected to remain under government ownership and funding.

Tajikistan has ratified or signed the following international human rights conventions and other water-relevant instruments:

Conventions

• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights(ratified 4th April 1999);
• Convention on the Rights of the Child (ratified 25th November 1993);
• Convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (ratified 25th November 1993);
• Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (10th February 1995);
• International Convention on the elimination of all forms of racial Discrimination (10th February 1995);

Regional Instruments

• UNECE Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters(accession 17th July 2001);
• Kiev Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (signed 21st May 2003).

At present, Tajikistan is neither a signatory nor party to:

• Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms;
• Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities;
• UNECE Convention of the Protection and Use of Transboundary Waters and International Lakes;
• UNECE Protocol on Water and Health.

Country Profile: Water Sector Coordination

See Sector coordination sub-page for detailed description

Country Profile: Trends in Water Use, Management and Sanitation

Country Profile: Challenges and Opportunities

Tajikistan has plentiful water resources (deriving from Pamir Mountains) but more challenges, especially in terms of water governance. ‘With annual production of over 13,000cubic metres of water per capita, Tajikistan is one of the most water wealthy states in the world, yet the country is able to provide just 59% of its population with access to safe drinking water ^[3]. Tajikistan has the worst access to safe drinking water in all of Central Asia, and outbreaks of waterborne disease diseases poses a serious risk to human health. Moroever, just under 1/4 of water supply systems are not functioning, approximately half do not meet sanitary requirements, and the systems provide water with outages and do not guarantee regular and sustainable access to safe drinking water. Water governance needs significant improvements. Many government bodies and institutions deal with the water sector, but none has overriding responsibility or capacity to enforce a unique strategic vision for the sector.

The water sector has faced grave problems during post-soviet independence. Hardships of post-soviet economic transition & civil war (1992-1997) have taken a toll on the water supply infrastructure. Low levels of official budget allocations and difficulties collecting user fees have severely limited domestic financing, which has been insufficient to meet the needs of capital investment. Even if increased funding was made available, it is unlikely water authorities would be able to effectively apportion resources among the sectors many and competing needs. The transition to a market economy and difficulties related to management of reforms put a special mark to development of water supply and sewerage, particularly in rural areas of RT. Emergence of un-owned objects, inability to maintain and operate water supply and sewerage facilities, low tariffs for services, quality of which does not meet standards, loss of facilities and production capacity, staff issues, loss of common accounting and reporting systems, sharp decrease of state aid, untimely payments and debts of water users, inability to attract investments aggravated already difficult situation in the sector of water supply and sewerage.During the latter Soviet period most rural villages had functioning piped water supply systems operated by their collective farm administrators or other authorities, of these piped systems, few are functioning today due to the local administrative vacuum caused by the post-Soviet break-up of these farms and the lack of maintenance and damage during the country’s long civil war. As these systems have been abandoned, villagers have become responsible for finding their own water.

“The poor quality of strategic plans for the restoration and development of the sector and the lack of a real system of economic incentives for administrative organizations are limiting opportunities to achieve a comprehensive resolution of the sector’s problems and to attract investment. Other negative factors include a shortage of qualified personnel, the lack of an agency responsible for implementing a unified policy in the sector, as well as the failure to resolve problems associated with placing water supply, sanitation and housing and municipal services facilities under the control of local authorities.”^[4]

In addition, water in the piped systems is heavily polluted and of a poor quality. Due to increased human activity, the water is strongly contaminated with nitrates, sulphate, calcium, magnesium and various bacteria. Due to leaks in the system and the interruptions to supply of the water the contaminants from soil are being sucked into the system and the water is strongly contaminated with nitrates, sulphate, calcium, magnesium and various bacteria. The poor quality of water results in water related diseases such as typhus, dysentery, intestinal infections, and hepatitis. Kidney stones are reported as a major health problem, caused by the hardness of the water. Moreover, there are significant (average 50-60%) losses/leakages arising from the dilapidated water supply systems. Excessive water consumption and inability to calculate water usage are further problems. The level of water consumption in cities is extremely high. Without installing water metres in households and improving collection rate, it will be extremely difficult for Tajikistan to reduce the excessive water consumption, and mobilize internal and international resources for maintenance and development of water supply systems. ^[5]

Nevertheless, Tajikistan has great hydropwer potential, given it has 55% of all of the water resources in Central Asia. It is a truly rich water resource country; problems of water access are not due to a lack of availability, but rather a lack of good governance.

Articles

Recently updated articles on Tajikistan

1. Tajikistan/sector assessment ‎(897 views) . . Katy.norman
2. UNDP GoAL WaSH ‎(548 views) . . Katy.norman
3. Tajikistan/articles ‎(193 views) . . WikiBot
4. Tajikistan/projects ‎(202 views) . . WikiBot
5. Tajikistan/publications ‎(194 views) . . WikiBot
6. Tajikistan/who is who ‎(207 views) . . WikiBot
7. Tajikistan/Maps ‎(64 views) . . WikiBot
8. Tajikistan/sector assessment annexes ‎(179 views) . . WikiBot
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Projects and Case Studies

Projects in or about Tajikistan

(this is a list of the 15 most recently updated entries. To see all projects click here)

1. Central Asia – Regional and National Water Sector Review ‎(1,500 views) . . Juerg.staudenmann
2. A Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) to Improve Water Governance in Europe & CIS ‎(1,962 views) . . Katy.norman
3. Water Flume Metres for Water User Associations ‎(438 views) . . WikiBot
4. Water Productivity Improvement at Plot Level ‎(409 views) . . WikiBot
5. The Swiss Support to Hydro-meteorological Services in the Aral Sea basin Project ‎(386 views) . . WikiBot
6. Regional Rural Water Supply Project (SDC) ‎(368 views) . . WikiBot
7. Regional Research Network Water in Central Asia (CAWa) ‎(396 views) . . WikiBot
8. Integrated Water Resources Management Ferghana Valley ‎(418 views) . . WikiBot
9. Ferghana Valley Water Resources Management Project ‎(671 views) . . WikiBot
10. Canal Automation in Ferghana Valley ‎(458 views) . . WikiBot
11. Water-Energy Nexus in Central Asia ‎(441 views) . . WikiBot
12. Water/Energy Dialogue ‎(404 views) . . WikiBot
13. Water Governance in Central Asia ‎(591 views) . . WikiBot
14. Utilities Reform Study ‎(348 views) . . WikiBot
15. UNEP Support Programm for CA Countries on Johannesburg Plan and IWRM Plan by 2005 ‎(1,307 views) . . WikiBot

Case studies in or about Tajikistan

(by popularity)

1. Tajikistan - Mobilization of labor remittances into infrastructure rehabilitation ‎(3,378 views) . . WikiBot
2. Water Conflict and Cooperation/Aral Sea Basin ‎(2,560 views) . . Katy.norman
3. Lessons on Cooperation Building to Manage Water Conflicts in the Aral Sea Basin ‎(794 views) . . Katy.norman

See the complete list of WaterWiki documented projects in Tajikistan

Publications

5 most recently updated publications on Tajikistan

1. Politics of Water in Post-Soviet Central Asia ‎(642 views) . . Katy.norman
2. UNDP 2003: Water-related legal and institutional structures in Central Asia ‎(544 views) . . WikiBot
3. Strategy for development of small scale hydropower of the Republic of Tajikistan ‎(323 views) . . WikiBot
4. Socio-Economic Assessment of the Production and Consumption of Renewable Energy Sources in the Republic of Tajikistan ‎(329 views) . . WikiBot
5. Irrigation and Poverty in Central Asia: A Field Assessment ‎(425 views) . . WikiBot

5 most popular publications on Tajikistan

1. Water Conflict and Cooperation/Aral Sea Basin ‎(2,560 views) . . Katy.norman
2. Lessons on Cooperation Building to Manage Water Conflicts in the Aral Sea Basin ‎(794 views) . . Katy.norman
3. Politics of Water in Post-Soviet Central Asia ‎(642 views) . . Katy.norman
4. UNDP 2003: Water-related legal and institutional structures in Central Asia ‎(544 views) . . WikiBot
5. Irrigation and Poverty in Central Asia: A Field Assessment ‎(425 views) . . WikiBot

See the complete list of WaterWiki documented publications on Tajikistan

Who is Who

People working in Tajikistan

1. Siegfried Leffler ‎(1,276 views)
2. Vadim Sokolov ‎(1,573 views)
3. Christine.roth ‎(2,269 views)
4. Christina.carlson ‎(1,738 views)
5. Magdalena Banasiak ‎(1,269 views)
6. Craig Steffensen ‎(1,235 views)
7. Sukhrob.khoshmukhamedov ‎(1,741 views)
8. Karl.nilsson ‎(1,015 views)
9. Cheickna.diawara ‎(1,449 views)

See the complete list of Waterwiki users working in Tajikistan

Organizations working in Tajikistan

1. Interstate Commission for Water Coordination of Central Asia ‎(144 views) . . WikiBot

See the complete list of WaterWiki documented organizations in Tajikistan

References

1. ↑ National Development Strategy, p.6
2. ↑ see p. 2 (p. 13 in pdf browser) for Analysis: Agricultural Water Management, Rural Potable Water Supply, etc
3. ↑ MDG Needs Assessment p2
4. ↑ National Development Strategy, p.50
5. ↑ MDG Needs Assessment, p.6

See also

Tajikistan/sector assessment

External Resources

Attachments

 WaterSectorDevelopmentStrategy2006.pdf

 NationalHumanDevelopmentReport2003.pdf

 NationalDevelopmentStrategy.pdf

 MDGNeedsAssessmentofWSSSector2005.pdf