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NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — Prime Minister Askar Mamin on July 10 took part in the signing of documents between the Government of Kazakhstan and American companies on cooperation in the field of agriculture, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reports. Continue reading
DUSHANBE (TCA) — In February 2019, the European Union contributed with an additional 10 million EUR to the Single-Donor Trust Fund for the rehabilitation of the water management and irrigation systems in Tajikistan’s Zarafshon river basin area, the Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan said on February 21. Continue reading
ASTANA (TCA) — At the meeting on December 25, the Kazakh Government approved the Plan for the Development of Irrigated Lands in the country until 2028. The draft Plan was presented by the First Vice Minister of Agriculture Arman Yevniev, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported. Continue reading
TASHKENT (TCA) — Effective water management can reduce water costs for farmers, enabling them to increase their yields and cultivate higher-value crops. In Uzbekistan, a World Bank-supported project aims to help 1,500 private farms and 40,000 small farming households in three districts of rural South Karakalpakstan, by improving irrigation and drainage services to increase farming productivity, the World Bank reported on its website. Continue reading
DUSHANBE (TCA) — Improved management of irrigation and water resources in the Zarafshon river basin of northern Tajikistan will help farmers increase their crop yields and provide greater food security for the local population, thanks to the Zarafshon Irrigation Rehabilitation and Management Improvement Project, launched by the Government of Tajikistan and the World Bank. The Project is being financed through a EUR 13.9 million grant from the Development Fund of the European Commission. Continue reading
BISHKEK (TCA) — The largely non-delimited state border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as long-lasting disputes over water resources and irrigation facilities in border areas, remain the main problem in the relations between the two neighboring countries. We are republishing this article on the issue by Nurjamal Djanibekova, originally published by Eurasianet: The districts of Batken and Lelik are tucked away in a southwest corner of Kyrgyzstan with the northern part of Tajikistan on either side. On occasion, this remote corner of the Fergana Valley is the site of sudden outbreaks of unrest, as rival communities on either side of the border vie for control over the sparse resources the unyielding land has to provide. The problem is compounded by lingering uncertainty and indecision on where exactly national borders ought to be drawn. On February 15, experts convened at the University of Central Asia for a roundtable – “Promoting Social Cohesion and Conflict Migration along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border” – to discuss the findings of their research on these pressing issues and to debate how best to resolve the impasse. Kemel Toktomushev, research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy and Administration of the University of Central Asia, said that he saw the roots of sporadic conflicts in the inability of the Kyrgyz SSR to take preventative measures. Tensions between one particular set of communities have been exacerbated over the years by disagreement on how to manage the Tortgul Reservoir, which was built in the 1970s to collect the flow of water from the Isfara, a river that snakes along either side of the border. But Toktomushev said that despite the oft-cited insistence that water shortages cause arguments, only by finally ending the process of delimiting borders will the periodic flare-ups stop. Borders need to be both clearly defined and yet open for local residents to cross with ease. “For more than 25 years we have been unable to address this problem. We still have uncertain borders and enclaves. These shortcomings exacerbate conflict — as well as economic tensions and interethnic hatred — in the region. Strict border regimes only hinder free movement and destroy fragile peace, instead of strengthening relations,” he said. Toktomushev noted that tensions tend to surge during the growing season as many of the canals and irrigation systems are in bad shape. Since neither government is willing to commit to the cost of renovations outside their national borders, the faulty infrastructure itself makes resource-sharing problematic. Asel Murzakulova, a senior research fellow at UCA's Mountain Societies Research Institute, agreed that Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are failing to address the problem at the local level and are instead politicizing it. “We see how almost all republic-status canals are not being maintained. There is no sense of ownership, there is constant competition: that’s mine and this is mine. People don’t view canals as infrastructure but as a place where to plant one’s flag. This politicization of the issue leaves no space for development,” Murzakulova said. Murzakulova added that the local...
