INBO - Newsletter

INBO Newsletter n° 27 - May 2019 30 Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia Kyrgyzstan / Kazakhstan The project on “Water Accountability in the Chu-Talas Transboundary Basins” funded by the SDC (Swiss Develop- ment and Cooperation Agency), aims to promote modern, sustainable, trans- parent management of water resources in the Chu and Talas Basins (Kazakh- stan, Kyrgyzstan). One of the specific targets of the pro- ject is the modernization of processes to manage demand and distribution of water for irrigation in the entire Chu and Talas Basins. The existing system involves commu- nicating data on water demands by fax or telephone between services. The Water Information System (WIS) currently being installed will be used to securely communicate and interro- gate data in almost-real time from work stations and tablets. Data are available for operational use and for writing reports and are pre- pared to make them easy to access and understand by all stakeholders, from water user associations right up to national and transboundary level. The activities, carried out in collab- oration with local experts, consist in improving shared management and data processing, as well as the produc- tion and dissemination of information according to needs. Thanks to this system, local bodies responsible for distributing water for irrigation can now use a tablet to follow online the everyday status of this distri- bution on the entire network. In addition, new information services (reports, indicators, newsletters, maps) will be developed for national and basin authorities to make it easier to monitor distribution on each irriga- tion sector and canal. At transboundary level, the system will also facilitate production and exchanges of information, thanks to the regular publication of transboundary newsletters on the situation of water resources and uses. Lastly, the system should also serve as a model for effective management of transboundary waters at national and regional levels. Chu and Talas Transboundary Basins Water accountability Using a tablet to operate services at Chu basin level Water and Ecosystems in Central Asia and the Caucasus (CACENA) To the present day, society perceives the preservation of ecosystems as a minor task concerning only the agen- cies responsible for nature protection. There is not yet a legal status for the “preservation of ecosystems” in nor- mative documents of countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia, and agen- cies responsible for the preservation and maintaining of ecosystems within the framework of the state governance are not specified as well. The Ministries of Nature Protection are responsible for many aspects related to nature protection (from the wastes disposal control to the recovery of pen- alties for non-observance of ecological laws), but functions directly related to the preservation of ecosystems were not exactly specified. Therefore, the agencies responsible for nature protection do not still solve the issues related to ecosystems and their water requirements. One of the basic causes of degrading aquatic ecosys- tems in the sub-regions is inefficient management and lack of public aware- ness concerning the major functions being implemented by these ecosys- tems. On-going degradation of the Aral, Black, and Caspian seas, reducing biodiversity and biological resources, and adverse changes in transbound- ary river flows are universally known. “These processes result in deteriorat- ing drinking water quality and health of the population, in decreasing land productivity and crop yields, and in the growth of poverty, unemployment, and migration”. The CACENA States face the acute need in developing and implementing integrated actions aimed at settling the increasing problems of destruction of aquatic ecosystems. The UN Declara- tion on Environment and Development (Rio Declaration), UN Sustainable Development Program “Agenda 21”, UN Millennium Declaration and other international documents consider the protection and preservation of ecosys- tems as the integral part of the devel- oping process. The UN SDG adopted by Heads of States and Governments, sets a list of the principles of sustaina- ble development and declares the firm intention to adopt in all our environ- mental actions a new ethic of conser- vation and stewardship. The Ecosystem Assessment Report confirms that on-going degradation of ecosystems is the major obstacle on the way of achieving the SDGs. At the Pan-European Ministerial Con- ference held in Kiev, the preservation of aquatic ecosystems was declared as the priority sub-regional goal (Goal 1) in Central Asia. In accordance with these goals, the group of experts with support of CAREC has studied the sta- tus of aquatic ecosystems in Central Asia and the South Caucasus based on available information. It is expected that this report will promote public aware- ness with respect to the degradation of aquatic ecosystems in the sub-region, as well as formulating the topical tasks in this field and developing efficient strategies and mechanisms for regulat- ing their vital functions. Bulat K. YESSEKIN Public Advisory Council CAREC bulat.yessekin@gmail.com