Kazakhstan and Central Asia Information in Transboundary Water Cooperation - The Value of National IWRM and Water Efficiency Plans (Tim Hannan) - Powerpoint - 160kb
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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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Kazakhstan and Central Asia Information in Transboundary Water Cooperation - The Value of National IWRM and Water Efficiency Plans (Tim Hannan) - Powerpoint - 160kb
- 1. Kazakhstan and Central AsiaKazakhstan and Central Asia Information in TransboundaryInformation in Transboundary Water CooperationWater Cooperation && The Value of National IWRM & WaterThe Value of National IWRM & Water Efficiency PlansEfficiency Plans Tim HannanTim Hannan UNDP Water Management AdvisorUNDP Water Management Advisor Almaty, KazakhstanAlmaty, Kazakhstan tim.hannan@undp.orgtim.hannan@undp.org
- 2. National IWRM and WE Plans withNational IWRM and WE Plans with Reference to Transboundary WaterReference to Transboundary Water CooperationCooperation IWRM is a new approach with new information andIWRM is a new approach with new information and management needsmanagement needs Definition of new needs, approach needs to beDefinition of new needs, approach needs to be determineddetermined IWRM needs to be understood and adopted byIWRM needs to be understood and adopted by water managerswater managers The goals and aims of IWRM are the same for allThe goals and aims of IWRM are the same for all countriescountries The information needs are the same for allThe information needs are the same for all countriescountries
- 3. Initiatives in Monitoring and Information inInitiatives in Monitoring and Information in KazakhstanKazakhstan Tobol RiverTobol River (Russia, Kazakhstan, Russia)(Russia, Kazakhstan, Russia) Ural RiverUral River (Russia, Kazakhstan)(Russia, Kazakhstan) Irtysh RiverIrtysh River (China, Kazakhstan, Russia)(China, Kazakhstan, Russia) Ili RiverIli River (China, Kazakhstan)(China, Kazakhstan) Syr Darya, Chu, TalasSyr Darya, Chu, Talas (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan)(Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan) Amu DaryaAmu Darya (to a lesser extent as an Aral Sea tributary)(to a lesser extent as an Aral Sea tributary) Recent improvements in monitoring haveRecent improvements in monitoring have emphasised and been driven by transboundaryemphasised and been driven by transboundary issuesissues
- 4. Initiatives on Regional Cooperation onInitiatives on Regional Cooperation on Transboundary Waters in Central AsiaTransboundary Waters in Central Asia ICWCICWC (water allocations)(water allocations) IFASIFAS (resources and research for the Aral Sea)(resources and research for the Aral Sea) 1998 Agreement1998 Agreement (water & energy on Syr Darya)(water & energy on Syr Darya) CACOCACO (water, energy, transport & food)(water, energy, transport & food) WECWEC (combined water & energy)(combined water & energy) Chu Talas Trans. Water CommissionChu Talas Trans. Water Commission Various annual agreementsVarious annual agreements Kazakhstan signed the Water ConventionKazakhstan signed the Water Convention
- 5. Structure of Water ResourcesStructure of Water Resources Management in KazakhstanManagement in Kazakhstan Committee for Water ResourcesCommittee for Water Resources (Ministry of(Ministry of Agriculture)Agriculture) River Basin OrganisationsRiver Basin Organisations (Under CWR)(Under CWR) River Basin CouncilsRiver Basin Councils (now being established)(now being established) Others –Others – (environment, geology, health, etc.)(environment, geology, health, etc.)
- 6. Information Issues in Water ResourcesInformation Issues in Water Resources Management in Kazakhstan (Central Asia)Management in Kazakhstan (Central Asia) limited understanding of water resources issues andlimited understanding of water resources issues and solutions on the part of central governmentssolutions on the part of central governments limited public understanding and participation in waterlimited public understanding and participation in water resources managementresources management decline in technical skills in the CWR and RBOsdecline in technical skills in the CWR and RBOs limited and difficult coordination and cooperation onlimited and difficult coordination and cooperation on informationinformation poor water information, including its management andpoor water information, including its management and access to itaccess to it
- 7. Other Big Issues in Water ResourcesOther Big Issues in Water Resources Management in Kazakhstan (Central Asia)Management in Kazakhstan (Central Asia) No organisation has the responsibility toNo organisation has the responsibility to manage river basins, or to manage water quality ormanage river basins, or to manage water quality or river ecologyriver ecology RBOs have lost the skills of full water resourcesRBOs have lost the skills of full water resources management, including water qualitymanagement, including water quality Monitoring of water quality is improving but doesMonitoring of water quality is improving but does not come close to the European approachnot come close to the European approach
- 8. Recent Initiatives in Information for WaterRecent Initiatives in Information for Water Resources Management in KazakhstanResources Management in Kazakhstan River Basin Councils established in law in theRiver Basin Councils established in law in the 2003 Water Code of Kazakhstan2003 Water Code of Kazakhstan Strategy for the Development of CWR/RBOsStrategy for the Development of CWR/RBOs was completed in 2004 (partly implemented)was completed in 2004 (partly implemented) Strategy for the Improvement of Water QualityStrategy for the Improvement of Water Quality was completed for CWR/RBOs in 2004 (partlywas completed for CWR/RBOs in 2004 (partly implemented)implemented)
- 9. Recent Initiatives in Information for WaterRecent Initiatives in Information for Water Resources Management in KazakhstanResources Management in Kazakhstan National Water Information CentreNational Water Information Centre proposed in 2003, 2004, 2005 (not yetproposed in 2003, 2004, 2005 (not yet implemented)implemented) National IWRM and WE PlanNational IWRM and WE Plan beingbeing prepared (completed end 2005)prepared (completed end 2005)
- 10. Kazakhstan National Water Information Centre Possible Structure Various River Basin or Local Administration Level Organisations (SES, Vodkhoz, Vodokanal, Irrigation, Ecology, Geology, WUA, Kazhydromet, Akimat, Others) RBC RBC RBCRBCRBCRBC RBCRBC RBO RBO RBORBORBORBO RBORBO Head of State, Ministers, Various National Level Organisations or Ministries Transboundary Water Analysts and Decision Makers Education system, Public Awareness Initiatives, Others Information Department and Information Portal (CWR) National Water Information Centre (?) River Basin Authority in Neighbouring Transboundary Countries River Basin Authority in Neighbouring Transboundary Countries
- 11. Expected Steps in Developing Transboundary Cooperation and Management in Central Asia Improving Monitoring and InformationImproving Monitoring and Information Building Capacity in Water Management OrganisationsBuilding Capacity in Water Management Organisations National IWRM & WE Plans Regional Coordination on Specific Issues in Improving Water Management in each Country Bilateral & single issue agreements on water sharing and water quality improvement with neighbouring countries Multilateral & multiobjective agreements on water sharing and water quality improvement for entire river basins Goal: Transboundary Rivers Managed on IWRM Principles (EUWFD) S T E P 2005 2007 2010 2015 2025?
- 12. Areas of Good Potential for RegionalAreas of Good Potential for Regional Cooperation on Improving WaterCooperation on Improving Water ManagementManagement Water use efficiencyWater use efficiency Education and trainingEducation and training Monitoring and informationMonitoring and information
- 13. Progress on the Kazakhstan NationalProgress on the Kazakhstan National Water Information CentreWater Information Centre DPSIR framework to develop informationDPSIR framework to develop information systems at river basin levelsystems at river basin level Training RBO staff in obtaining info, developingTraining RBO staff in obtaining info, developing data bases (2004 to 2007)data bases (2004 to 2007) Establishing an information portal to link RBOsEstablishing an information portal to link RBOs and CWR and, later RBOs and RBCsand CWR and, later RBOs and RBCs Establishing RBCs and working to define theirEstablishing RBCs and working to define their information needsinformation needs Initial links: RBO RBC RBO CWR National & Transboundary Users
Notas del editor
- In this workshop we are considering Monitoring and Information in the Management of Transboundary Waters. I will speak mainly about the situation in Kazakhstan but also extend that to cover Central Asia because: Central Asia is connected hydrologically: from a transboundary water management perspective, it is one area In terms of capacity in water management and in water information it is similar, with similar problems and similar solutions and a great potential for international cooperation on improvements. One of the stated aims of this Workshop is to “assess the current state of information management” in EECCA transboundary waters. IN contribution to that aim I was invited here mainly to talk about the Kazakhstan National Water Information Centre. In short, it has not yet been established. But, why it has not been established and what needs to be done to establish it is important to discuss. And, I will state now, that we are making some progress on it despite the fact that it has not been established. Like many other places in the larger region including the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, etc. official, properly regulated and operational transboundary agreements are in their infancy. Infancy is the important word here because the work that is needed for transboundary management and for information on water, whether it is transboundary or not, is just beginning. At the same time as we discuss transboundary issues, we are promoting the establishment of IWRM in all countries. The main initiative on IWRM now is the National IWRM and WE Plans which are part of the Johannesburg Directive. All countries are to complete them by the end of this year. Kazakhstan is currently working on its Plan. It is my thesis that it is necessary to build capacity in monitoring and information and its management within countries before it can be done effectively in cooperation with other countries. The National IWRM Plan is an important document for information, for transboundary cooperation and management because the preparation of the Plan provides an opportunity to define information and wider water management needs and to describe the approach to meeting the needs both in-country and in transboundary considerations. It is the first step in building capacity.
- IWRM is a new way of looking at water management: From a command-and-control approach to one with broader participation and wider integration. Information needs and information management are different and need a different approach. But in what way different? This needs to be defined. If we are to manage transboundary rivers according to the principles or IWRM and understanding of IWRM needs to be developed among the water managers of the transboundary zone. Preparing a National IWRM Plan is a good vehicle to define information needs as it allows the country to step back and look at what it needs and where the first steps should be made. The IWRM Plan is about institutions and capacity building, it is about information and its management, it is about transboundary needs and responsibilities. The IWRM Plan provides a platform to assess these components together. The IWRM Plan also provides a vehicle to enhance transboundary cooperation because: the goals and aims of IWRM are the same for all countries The information needs are the same for all countries
- Kazakhstan has great interest in transboundary issues in water management because half its water resources come from upstream countries and a third of its total resources flow out to downstream countries. There are good relations and agreements with Russia on sharing water and on information exchange which are implemented by the relevant River Basin Organisations in Kazakhstan and their equivalents in Russia. A spirit of cooperation is fairly easy to develop as both Russia and Kazakhstan are both upstream and downstream neighbours of each other. The relationship with China on transboundary cooperation is less open, but annual agreements are made on volumes of water. However, there is great concern that China will act unilaterally on its development of river basins which may seriously harm the water resources available in the Irtysh and Ili. Kazakhstan has developed agreements with its Central Asian neighbours which are a little more far reaching than those with Russia (because those with Russian seem adequate to the task for now) and with China. It is also important to note here that much of the reconstruction of the monitoring network in Kazakhstan has been driven by transboundary issues and emphasises those cross-border locations.
- In discussions on regional water cooperation these are the main organisations and agreements which are raised. ICWC – comes closest to transboundary water cooperation but even still it is about allocating volumes of water. Although it is a permanent organisation, agreements tend to be for a year. It is not looking at larger or broader aspects of river and river basin management. IFAS – is mainly a funding attractor for research and projects, valuable, but somewhat separate from cooperative management Also, importantly, the Syr Darya and Amu Darya BVOs, an important start to transboundary management and the CAWaterINFO page, the SIC, etc. 1998 Agreement – Syr Darya focused and may be the foundation of a future Syr Darya managed as a transboundary river. Currently it suffers from difficulties in maintaining the terms of the agreement because of the differing priorities between the countries. CACO has a wider remit – water, energy, transport, food and so is also a little separate from water management. WEC combines water and energy. Energy overshadows water because of the differing potential levels of investment involved. It is useful to study this approach to cooperation but it makes little sense in the wider economic context (why link one primary sector of the economy with water and not the other (agriculture?). I am not suggesting a WEAC, but rather a rethink about coupling these. Selectively coupling specific sectors with water goes against the principles of IWRM. Chu Talas Transboundary Water Commission between the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan looked like it would become a good example of a way forward in establishing agreements and may still show some potential. However, action on the agreement has stalled and, at least for now, funding has been suspended. There are discussions and annual agreements on the main transboundary rivers, with Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, China Kazakhstan has commitments under the Water Convention, but so far no specific actions on it. While all of these organisations or agreements contribute to transboundary cooperation, none of them go far enough to support transboundary water management
- A quick run down of the structure of water resources management in Kazakhstan: The National organisation is the Committee for Water Resources which resides in the Ministry of Agriculture Under the CWR are the eight River Basin Organisations which should be the real managers of the river basins but have been so decimated in terms of staff numbers and budgets that they can actually do very little. River Basin Councils were established in law in the 2003 Water Code of Kazakhstan. Their purpose is to represent the water users and act as an advisory board to the RBOs. RBCs are now being established with support from the IWRM project but the process has very long. Partly this is due to disagreement over who should be on the council, partly it is due to the very low government service status of the RBO directors and even the CWR. It is difficult for them to convince an akim or even a deputy akim to attend a meeting. There are many other organisations as there are in every country. The problem is that there is no mechanism for coordinating and cooperating with other organisations. This has a very negative impact both for water management and for information.
- By this I mean two things: 1) that central governments do not give appropriate consideration to water resources management even though it is essential to large proportions of national economies 2) That decisions are made that affect water resources and their management both in-country and in transboundary agreements without seeking advice from water management organisations. Due to both of these, poor decisions and agreements are made. And, outside organisation see no need for good information (decisions are made without information anyway) The public is not involved in any way (though this may change through the introduction of the RBCs). Therefore there is no demand for information and it is difficult to see the value of the information centre. CWR and RBOs have lost a lot of staff and budget so their functions are necessarily limited. Again, very little need for information. There is no formal mechanism to coordinate with other organisations and the lack of immediate need make the effort somewhat futile. So there is poor water information. However, the main lack of understanding is that water management is at a low point and needs to be rebuilt and strengthened. For that information is needed and the demand for information will grow. Getting this point across has been difficult.
- The monitoring system has improved since about 2000, with a beginning to reconstruction of the hydrometric network and of the water quality network and laboratories. This is specifically Kazhydromet. Departments of Environmental protection also monitor discharges from industries, etc. There is little to no connection between the monitors and the RBOs and there is no organisation which has the responsibility to actually manage or work to improve water quality and the concept of ‘good ecological quality’ as is now the case in Europe under the EUWFD, is not even known about within the government structure. There is little connection between monitoring and using information, especially water quality, as no one is managing water quality. RBOs used to have their own water quality labs and were at least technically aware of water quality in their own rivers. Those skills have been dismantled through budget cuts, etc.
- The CWR and the RBOs are certainly aware of the need for managing the river basins and equally aware of their current inability to do so. Some significant initiatives have been put together in recent years in an attempt to improve the situation. Of great importance to water management at the basin level is the establishment in law in the 2003 Water Code of the River Basin Councils (RBCs). These are advisory bodies made up of water users, representing water users to the water managers (the RBOs). None exist yet but in the currently ongoing Project for the National IWRM and WE Plan they are being established in fact. These are important to obtaining information and the development of an information management system, as I will describe later. A Strategy for Development of the CWR and RBOs was prepared in 2004 under a foreign funded project which proposed significant increases in functions of the RBOs with increases in staffing, budgets, etc. in order to make them real, functional water management authorities. Because water quality is probably the biggest and most difficult problem, a Strategy for the Improvement of Water Quality was also prepared under the same project. These are closely related as one of the key objectives was to reinstate water quality monitoring, labs, assessment plus information management and full water resources management, including water quality and working toward the EUWFD approach. These Strategies also included establishing an Information Department in each RBO and in the CWR for all information related to water management, including quality. They have been equipped with two staff and computers, but are not really working as virtually all of the data they would need to collect is in other organisations, to which they have no access. Also, this year, there will be training for RBO staff in the use of water quality monitoring field kits – a simplified and instant means of determining water quality. This is hoped to be the beginning of their return to water management.
- National Water Information Centre proposed but so far budget has been refused. CWR wanted to make it a State Enterprise so it would not be bound by civil service salary rules. It is not known (to me) why budget has never been approved. It is called for also within the 2003 Water Code. Now under National IWRM Plan support will be provided to develop an information system and a portal for communication, and another attempt at recommending changes to strengthen CWR and RBOs, including information The IWRM Plan also has an overall function to strengthen water resources management. This includes information, it includes transboundary issues, it includes how to manage water bodies as ecological units as in the EUWFD model. So it is relevant at the River Basin level, whether we are talking transboundary or not.
- This is probably an unnecessarily complex illustration of the Proposed National Water Information Centre in Kazakhstan. However, it shows how it would be set up. Describe Right now it is the bottom end of this diagram - basin level - that is the biggest hurdle. It is almost impossible for the RBOs to obtain information from other organisations within the basin. I have drawn the arrows from these organisations at basin level, to the RBOs through the RBCs. Partly this is to simplify the diagram, but there is another reason too, which may make the RBCs very important structures within the information process. The RBCs represent all organisations – government and non-government who are involved in water resources management in one way or another. As such, they are also the organisations from which the RBOs would be obtaining information for their own use (information departments) and for the National Water Information Centre. As RBCs develop they will see the need for RBOs to have basic data from which to produce assessed and properly presented information for the use of the RBC, for sharing with other RBCs, etc. etc. The RBCs may be the catalyst to make water information available.
- This is how work toward integrated management of transboundary waters is likely to develop – and this may be the only way it can. If we are considering full, transboundary management of rivers, in line with IWRM and on the basis of the EUWFD approach (as in the top right hand corner) we are still 20 years away in Central Asia – and that is if we put a serious effort toward it starting now. The National IWRM and WE Plan can underpin and support this development by laying out a strategy to build capacity in the organisations involved in each country so that they can manage water and be real authorities in water management. It will also outline what needs to be done in improving monitoring and information in each country. Meantime, we can build on the existing transboundary initiatives already in place in Central Asia and make them more multi-objective, more multilateral in scope. For example, there is not even discussion yet on cooperation on water quality. In each country water quality hardly gets a mention in water management, so there is a distance to go before we can talk about it transboundary. Each country should prepare their National IWRM and WE Plans as Kazakhstan is doing now. Kazakhstan is the only CA country to have signed up to the Johannesburg Declaration, but this does not preclude other countries from doing the Plan anyway. When each country can manage its own waters effectively, it will be more likely to be able to do so as a transboundary partner.
- With regard to specific elements of the National IWRM and WE Plans, there are many areas where countries could cooperate to improve aspects of water management in their own countries. Improving Water Efficiency is a key area where cooperation should be easy to organise and it is the single biggest issue in water use in all Central Asian Countries. The reason for low efficiencies is similar, if not identical in each country so there is logic to cooperating and coordinating on improving it. Education and Training is also a good area in which to cooperate – through regional training centres (which already exist but are perhaps underused, through regional farmer training programmes, through joint programmes to send students abroad. Monitoring & information – some work has been done on regional management if data, but there have been a lot of problems in sharing and cooperating (WARMAP, for example?). This could be improved continue to be a point of cooperation Acting cooperatively on these and other components of water management will foster a climate of cooperation which will support future transboundary management agreements. In other words, these can be used to build the necessary cooperation for transboundary water management.
- More specific to the Kazakhstan National Water Information Centre, there have been some financial and legal problems in establishing it. Now it will be 2007 before it can be officially established. However, through the Project for the IWRM Plan we support it and develop it through simply working on its information related components. Mainly we are working at the River Basin level. This is where the information is located, it is the appropriate lowest level for information assessment and storage and it is appropriate to the principles of IWRM. We work with reference to the DPSIR (Driving Forces–Pressures–State-Impact-Responses) framework to develop the systems. Basically we want to start simple – what do they need now? And build from there. There is not a strong understanding of information, of managing information, of what the full scope of water information is (often still thought of as hydrology) We are training RBO staff through specific training sessions which started in 2004. We are assessing information needs of the RBCs and will explore these further as they are officially established.