Water Management - The Times Of Central Asia

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Kazakhstan and Germany to Cooperate in Water and Agriculture

During a visit to Germany last week, Kazakhstan Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev met with the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture to discuss the possibility of Kazakh agricultural and organic products entering the German market. The parties agreed to draft a concept for the Regional Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Central Asia, an initiative announced by the President of Kazakhstan during his official visit to Germany back in September 2023. Following Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister's meeting with Boris Greifeneder, Managing Director of the German Water Partnership (GWP), a decision was made to draft an Agreement on a Water Partnership between Kazakhstan and Germany. Cooperation with GWP, a network of more than 300 companies in the water sector with a strong international focus, marks an essential step towards sustainable and efficient water management in Kazakhstan and will allow the use of proven new technologies. Speaking at the roundtable "Water for Sustainable Development," Bozumbayev noted that the consequences of the unprecedented floods experienced by Kazakhstan in spring, illustrate the need for innovative approaches to combat and prevent similar disasters in the future. To this end, he added that Kazakhstan is currently testing Talsim, a German digital flood forecasting solution, and is ready to study German cases in solving flood problems. The Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister discussed training specialists for Kazakhstan’s water management industry and in turn, the German side expressed its readiness to identify a university to collaborate with the newly- established Kazakh National University of Water Management and Irrigation in Taraz.

Water Management Access to Clean Water UAE Wastewater treatment water saving

Uzbekistan and UAE to Build Modern Wastewater Facility

The United Arab Emirates company “Sustainable Water Solutions” (SWS) is to cooperate with Uzbekistan on the construction of a modern wastewater facility in Tashkent. The project includes building a facility with a daily capacity of 1.0 million cubic meters of water and a 42-kilometer wastewater collector in the territory of the Surum mahalla, an administrative centre in Tashkent's Lower Chirchik district. Regarding the scheme, Ahmed Al-Shamsi, head of the SWS company announced: “Our next initiative will prevent water wastage in Uzbekistan. The capacity of the joint facility will be 1,000,000 cubic meters per day at the first stage and 1.5 million cubic meters later. The estimated project cost is one billion dollars." According to reports, the quality of wastewater service provided to 1.5 million people will increase, and more than 500,000 residents and over a hundred enterprises and organizations will be provided with centralized wastewater service. The construction of a 42-kilometer collector allows efficient collection and transportation of wastewater for further treatment. SCADA, a data management and collection system, and GIS,a geographic information system, will be introduced, ensuring effective monitoring and management of cleaning and transportation processes. As a result of this large-scale project, 10 million kilowatts of electricity will be saved, and the sanitary-epidemiological and ecological situation in the Sergeli, Bektemir, and Yangi Hayot districts of Tashkent city will be improved.

HPP Energy Security Economy Water Management

High Water in Kyrgyzstan’s Toktogul Reservoir Forecast to Boost Electricity Generation

On August 2, the volume of water in the reservoir of Kyrgyzstan's Toktogul hydroelectric power plant reached 11.922 billion cubic meters, which according to the plant's operator Electric Stations OJSC, is almost one billion cubic meters more than that recorded on August 1, 2023. Located on the Naryn River, which feeds the Syr Darya River that flows to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Toktogul HPP is the largest power plant in Kyrgyzstan and generates some 40% of the country’s electricity. The Toktogul reservoir currently receives 840 cubic meters of water per second and releases 475 cubic meters per second. The released water is used to generate electricity and then flows to downstream countries where it is used for irrigation. The reservoir has a maximum capacity of 19.5 billion cubic meters, with an average volume is 17.3 billion cubic meters, and the "dead" level at which the power plant would stop operating is 5.5 billion cubic meters. As reported by 24.kg news agency, Electric Stations OJSC expects the volume of water in the Toktogul reservoir to reach 12.5 billion cubic meters at the beginning of the next heating season (October 1, 2024) and at the end of 2024/25 season, fall to around 7.9 billion cubic meters. Toktogul HPP comprises four hydroelectric units with a total generating capacity of 1320 MW and on completion of the modernization of hydroelectric unit #1, later this year, the capacity will increase by 60 MW and reach 1380 MW. In recent years, because Kyrgyzstan has been unable to produce enough electricity to meet the country's growing demand, electricity has been imported from neighbouring states.

International Cooperation Water Management Water crisis IFAS Irrigation Eurasian Development Bank (EDB)

Central Asia’s Water Crisis

Over 80% of Central Asia’s available water is spent on irrigation, 40% of which is lost during delivery and directly in the fields. Over the coming years, the problem of water shortage will inevitably worsen and with the commission of the Qosh Tepa Canal in Afghanistan, will become chronic from 2028. The stark warning was issued by Evgeny Vinokurov, Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Deputy Chairman of the Board and Chief Economist during the “Water, Energy and Food in Central Asia: Partnerships and Projects for Sustainable Development” session at the EDB 2024 Annual Meeting and Business Forum on 27–28 June in Almaty. The challenges of the Central Asian water and energy complex are too great to be tackled independently by the region’s countries. Historically, Central Asia’s five states have been closely linked by the region’s two largest transboundary rivers, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya which flow into the Aral Sea basin, home to 80% of the population. Hence, the need for close a intersectoral relationship (nexus) concerning water, energy and food and deep regional cooperation for the effective use of shared water and energy resources to overcome the crisis. At the session, Askhat Orazbai, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, stressed the central role played by IFAS in building essential regional dialogue. The Fund is the only regional organization with membership of all five Central Asian states and according to its mandate, was designed to address the region’s complex water-energy nexus. For over 30 years, the Fund has been the key platform for decisions on water resources management at the highest level. Currently being reformed, the Fund’s full potential will soon be fully unlocked. The session emphasized the urgent need for increased funding to deal with challenges posed by water scarcity. Modernization of the existing irrigation infrastructure is extremely capital-intensive but budgetary funds are inadequate and private investors have shown no interest in the sector. The contribution of multilateral development banks is therefore critical and encouragingly, over recent years, most of the region’s MDBs have given special priority to water projects. The EDB's Chief Economist Vinokurov pointed out that conservation is key to solving the problem of water scarcity. Highlighting the importance of digital accounting and the introduction of effective irrigation technologies, Vinokurov suggested creating a regional cluster of irrigation equipment. Considering that the region spends from $150 million to $300 million annually on the above, the EDB plans to actively support this sector's development. Michael Detlefsen, a UNIDO representative, expressed confidence in the future formation of a regional cluster of irrigation equipment in Central Asia. Over the last two years, the region has seen increased activity from manufacturers from Turkey, China, Israel, and the United States on the organization of local assembly lines. In this regard, the UNIDO representative stressed the importance of working together with the EDB to form such a cluster.

Water Management Caspian Sea

Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea Level Rises by Over a Metre

On July 1, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced that the water level in the north-eastern part of the Caspian Sea in the Atyrau region, has risen by 119 cm since the beginning of 2024. The increase is due to the abundant inflow of floodwater, during April-May, from the Zhaiyk River and additional canals laid by the ministry. During the spring floods, some 7.4 billion cubic meters of water entered the Caspian Sea via the Zhaiyk River, whilst 350 million cubic metres of floodwater were channelled into the sea in Atyrau, via the additional canals. Vice Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurlan Aldamzharov commented: “A total of 12.4 billion cubic meters of floodwater was sent to reservoirs, estuaries, and water meadows. Since the beginning of the floods, 3.3 billion cubic meters of water have been sent to Lake Balkhash. In addition, active filling of the Northern Aral Sea continues, with an inflow of more than 1.1 billion cubic meters of water since the beginning of the year.”

Water Management EDB International investment International Cooperation UNDP

Kazakhstan, UNDP, and Eurasian Development Bank Unite in Water Management

On 28 June, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan, and the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) signed a letter of intent to cooperate on joint development projects in multi-purpose water resources management. As reported by the EDB Media Centre, as part of the agreement, the EDB plans to allocate approximately US $5.3 million in technical assistance to implement several initiatives including water sector digitalization, the development of regional training centres for state-of-the-art irrigation technologies, piloting modern water-saving technologies, and developing a legal and institutional framework for the water sector. Kazakhstan is experiencing an increase in water-related disasters, as evidenced by recent severe floods and escalating water shortages caused by new infrastructure projects in neighbouring regions, and to mitigate future risks, must instigate improved irrigation and water management strategies. Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, commented: “Our Ministry faces many important tasks, one of which is the modernization and improvement of the country’s water management system. For this purpose, a concept and its comprehensive plan outlining specific measures for the development of water infrastructure in Kazakhstan and other large-scale projects were developed and approved. We intend to actively cooperate with international organizations and financial institutions, adopt the best practices of other countries, and jointly implement large projects that will bring benefits for decades to come. Today’s agreement is another step in this direction.” Nikolay Podguzov, Chairman of the EDB Management Board, added: “We are on the verge of a water shortage in Central Asia – this is a complex regional challenge, but we are tackling it. This is the call we want to convey to all interested parties. We must act very quickly and together. We have only five years to get the region ready and avoid severe water shortages. To timely inform all interested parties, we have done significant work and will keep working to expand the network of partnerships.” “Globally, the water sector suffers from insufficient funding and investment,” highlighted Sukhrob Khojimatov, UNDP Resident Representative a.i. in Kazakhstan. “Today, less than 10% of global investment goes into water infrastructure. In this context, we are encouraged by this partnership, which we believe will help address complex issues in water management, strengthen climate resilience, and develop regional cooperation in Central Asia under the water agenda.”