Uzbekistan

From WaterWiki.net

Uzbekistan is part of:
Asia & Pacific · Central Asia · Europe & CIS ·
Water Basins of Uzbekistan:
Amu Darya · Aral Sea · Ferghana Valley · Syr Darya · Vahksh · Zarafshan ·

Facts & Figures

edit

Capital

Tashkent

Neighbouring Countries

Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

Total Area

447,400 km²

- Water

22,000 km² (4.92%) / 492 m²/ha

- Land

425,400 km²

Coastline

0 km

Population

26,593,120 (59 inhab./km²)

HDI^A

0.701 (2007)

Gini Coefficient^A

36.8 (1995)

Nominal GDP^B

$26,620 million

GDP (PPP) Per Capita^B

$2,700

National UN Presence

UNDP, WHO, UNICEF, WB, UNESCO

Land Use^C

- Cultivated Land

47,943 km² (11.27%)

- Arable

44,710 km² (10.51%)

- Permanent Crops

3,233 km² (0.76%)

- Irrigated

42,810 km²

- Non cultivated

377,457 km² (88.73%)

Average Annual Rainfall^D

206 mm

Renewable Water Resources^E

72.2 km³

Water Withdrawals^F	58.34 km³/yr
- For Agricultural Use	93%
- For Domestic Use	5%
- For Industrial Use	2%
- Per Capita	2,360 m³

Population with safe access to
- Improved Water Source	82%
- Urban population	95%
- Rural population	75%
- Improved Sanitation	67%
- Urban population	78%
- Rural population	61%

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

Latest 4 maps for / including Uzbekistan (more..):

Uzbekistan polMap CIA.jpg

Central Asia Region Map.jpg

Water issues ferghana valley ENVSEC.jpg

Water issues ferghana valley envsec.gif

1 News
2 Country Profile: Climate, Geography, Socio-Economic Context
3 Country Profile: Water Bodies and Resources
4 Country Profile: Legal and Institutional Environment
5 Country Profile: Water Sector Coordination
6 Country Profile: Trends in Water Use, Management and Sanitation
7 Country Profile: Challenges and Opportunities
8 Articles
9 Projects and Case Studies
10 Publications
11 Who is Who
12 References
13 See also
14 External Resources

News

Country Profile: Climate, Geography, Socio-Economic Context

Uzbekistan is located in Central Asia, bordered by Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east and Kazakhstan to the west and north. The South Aral Sea, which formed in the late 1980s as the main Aral Sea (a saltwater lake) shrank, lies largely in northern Uzbekistan. The population of around 27 million (2007) occupies a land area of 447,400 km². Uzbekistan is a dry country with a continental climate.

Country Profile: Water Bodies and Resources

Water management may be the single most important issue for Uzbekistan. Forty years of poor management now threaten agriculture, soil quality and availability of water for all purposes. The Government faces difficult political choices. Cotton, a significant foreign-exchange earner, consumes more water in irrigation than can be sustained. (See Chapter 10.) Salinity of soil, surface water and groundwater is increasing to unacceptable levels. Run-off from irrigation is negatively affecting the quality of drinking water from the main water streams. Water is becoming scarce for all purposes.

The main sources of water resources are: the AmuDarya with average long-term withdrawal 2,500 mІ/s, the Syr Darya (1,200 mІ/s), the Zarafshan (164 mІ/s), the Kashkadarya (50 mІ/s), the Surhandarya (52 mІ/s), the Ahangaran (23 mІ/s), the Chirchik (22 mІ/s). The Amu Darya has the largest drainage basin, covering 227 thousand kmІ in the mountain region only, with a water volume of 78 kmі per year (average long-term index, stretch - 1,440 km). The Syr Darya with a water collecting area of 150 thousand kmІ, 2 times less in water volume (36 kmі per year) but it exceeds in stretch (2,140 km). Discharges of the both rivers are formed in contiguous countries - Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Annual discharge, formed within the republic, makes up 9% of the total water resources being used for needs of national economy. Forecasting supply of ground water is 19 kmі per year. Over 50% is used as a reliable source of drinking water for population, industrial needs, pasture watering and land irrigation.

Transboundary rivers of the region are impacted by pollution of cattle-breeding, domestic, municipal, industrial sewage and collecting, drainage waters. Polluted sewage from more than 5 thousand water using objects go into surface waterways and make up approximately 20% of total water withdrawal in open reservoirs.

There are two river basins in Uzbekistan that form the Aral Sea basin. In addition to this, there are 94 major aquifers, and sporadic rainfall that is unevenly distributed, occurring mainly in the mountainous regions during the winter months. The water resources that are available are in short supply in much of Uzbekistan.

Water in Uzbekistan's Economy

In 1994, the agricultural sector contributed some 36 percent to GDP. In 1996, it employed about 33 percent of the total economically active population. The contribution of crop production to GDP was about 20 percent from irrigated crops and 2 percent from rain-fed crops. Cotton, called 'white gold' in Uzbekistan, vegetables and fruits are the country's principal exports. Uzbekistan is one of the world's largest cotton exporters.

Irrigation in Uzbekistan started more than 2,500 years ago in the seven natural oases. At the beginning of the 20th century, about 1.2 million hectares were irrigated in Uzbekistan. Large-scale development started in the late 1950s, when the Soviet Union decided that Uzbekistan should specialize in the production of cotton. Modern irrigation techniques were then developed in the Hunger steppe in the central part of the country. By 1994, irrigation covered almost 4.3 million hectares, or about 82 percent of cultivated land.

Country Profile: Legal and Institutional Environment

The main legislation governing water management is the 1993 Law on Water and Water Use. Uzbekistan is in the process of adopting a series of measures intended to improve water supply so as to promote employment and better living standards. In 2002, Uzbekistan developed the Concept of Sustainable Water Supply of the Regions of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which sets forth Principal Directions of Water Management and Amelioration Measures for 2008–2011. These directives envisage major improvement in land use through better drainage, an increase in agricultural water supply through modernization of irrigation, and the introduction of integrated water resources management.

Country Profile: Water Sector Coordination

See Sector coordination sub-page for detailed description

Country Profile: Trends in Water Use, Management and Sanitation

During the Soviet period, the sharing of water resources among the five Central Asian republics was based on the master plans for water resources development in the Amu Darya (1987) and Syr Darya (1984) basins. In 1992, with the establishment of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination, the newly independent republics decided to prepare a regional water strategy while continuing to respect existing principles until the adoption of a new water-sharing agreement in the new water strategy. The surface water resources allocated to Uzbekistan are calculated every year, depending on the climatic situation and existing flows.