Integrated River Basin Planning Alazani Watershed SUBCONTRACT No. 3335-105-002 Under USAID/DAI Prime CONTRACT No. LAG-I-00-00017-00 Water Management in the South Caucasus Project Technical Report Task 7. Final IRBP Prepared by the Alazani Watershed Consortium Tbilisi, Georgia September 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES AND APPENDICES .................................................................2 LIST OF TECHICAL REPORTS ...............................................................................................3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...........................................................................................................4 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................7 1.1 OBJECTIVES AND TASKS .........................................................................................................7 1.2 BACKGROUND.........................................................................................................................9 1.2.1 Geographic Context........................................................................................................9 1.2.2 Socio-economic Context...............................................................................................11 1.2.3 Legal-institutional Context...........................................................................................11 1.2.3 Water Hydrology ..........................................................................................................13 1.2.4 Water Quality................................................................................................................15 1.2.5 Water Uses....................................................................................................................18 2.0 PRIORITY WATER FUNCTIONS AND ISSUES ............................................................25 2.1 CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGY FOR SETTING PRIORITIES .....................................................25 2.2 DRINKING WATER SUPPLY ...................................................................................................25 2.2.1 Priority Issues...............................................................................................................25 2.3 PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECOSYSTEM SUPPORT .........................................................................26 2.3.1 Priority Issues...............................................................................................................27 2.3 IRRIGATION WATER USE.......................................................................................................28 2.3.1 Priority Issues...............................................................................................................28 2.5 HYDROPOWER GENERATION.................................................................................................29 2.5.1 Priority Issues...............................................................................................................29 3.1 NO ACTION PLAN ...............................................................................................................30 3.2 RIVER-BASIN ACTION PLAN .................................................................................................32 3.2.1 Planned Activities and Identified Projects...................................................................32 3.2.2 Pilot Project..................................................................................................................36 4.0 INSTITUTIONAL SETTING FOR INTEGRATED RIVER-BASIN MANAGEMENT .......................................................................................................................................................37 5.0 NEXT STEPS .........................................................................................................................42 APPENDICES ..............................................................................................................................43 LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES AND APPENDICES Tables and Graphs Table 1. Estimated Groundwater Resources in the Alazani Basin Table 2. Multi-year Average Values of River Run-off and other Hydrologic Parameters for the Alazani Basin Table 3. Average Monthly Water Discharges in Azerbaijan Part of the Alazani Basin Table 4. Hydrological Sites in the Alazani River Basin Table 5. Annual Average Water Quality Data for R. Alazani 1986-88 Table 6. River Turbidity in Azerbaijan Part of the Alazani Basin, 2000 Table 7. Annual Maximum Concentrations of Selected Constituents for R. Alazani and its Tributaries in Azerbaijan, 2000 Table 8. Water Quality Sampling Points in the Alazani River Basin Table 9. Cities with Centralized Sewerage Systems Table 10. Solid Waste Disposal Sites in the Alazani Basin Table 11. Hydropower Plants in the Alazani Basin Figures Figure 1. Location of the Alazani River Basin Figure 2. Alazani River Basin Figure 3. Alazani River Basin Land Use Figure 4. Alazani River Basin Water Monitoring Points Figure 5. Dynamics of Various Types of Water Uses in the Georgian Side of the Basin Figure 6. Location of Long-term Projects Figure 7. Location of Pilot Projects Appendix 1 – Assessment and Prioritization of Issues Table 1. Drinking Water Supply Table 2. Irrigation Usage Table 3. Public Health and Ecosystem Support Table 4. Hydropower Generation Table 5. Priority List of Issues based on Quantitative Analyses of Issues under Four Functions Table 6. Priority List of Sub-Issues Appendix 2 - Evaluation of Planned Measures and Project Proposals Table 1. Weighted Importance Factors Assigned to Evaluation Criteria for Planned Measures Table 2. Weighted Importance Factors Assigned to Evaluation Criteria for Project Proposals Table 3. Evaluation Criteria and Factors for Planned Measures Table 4. Evaluation Criteria and Factors for Project Proposals Table 5. Evaluation of Planned Measures Table 6. List of Prioritized Measures under Each Function Table 7. Brief Description of Project Proposals Table 8. Evaluation of Project Proposals Table 9. List of Prioritized Project Proposals Appendix 3 - Combination of Prioritized Measures and Projects Table 1. Summary Table of Prioritized Measures and Projects Table 2. Development of Sewerage System in the Alazani Basin 2 Appendix 4 – Pilot Projects Table 1. Pilot Project Briefs Table 2. Weighted Importance Factors Assigned to Evaluation Criteria for Pilot Project Proposals Table 3. Evaluation Criteria and Factors for Pilot Projects Table 4. Pilot Projects Evaluated LIST OF TECHICAL REPORTS Technical Report 1. Stakeholder Identification Technical Report 2. Inventory of Water Uses Technical Report 3. Issues Assessment Technical Report 5. Preliminary Integrated River Basin Plan (PIRBP) 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Integrated River Basin Plan for the Alazani River was prepared by the “Alazani Consortium” consisting of a specially selected team of technical experts from ORIGO Consulting, a Georgian based consultancy firm; with Little Town, a Georgian NGO; and Nature Protection Society, an Azerbaijan NGO, including independent experts. This plan was prepared within the framework of the “Water Management in the South Caucasus” Project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and implemented by Development Alternatives, Inc (DAI). The consortium started the implementation of the Integrated River Basin Planning in early January 2002. The final plan was prepared in September 2002. The principal objective of this work was to demonstrate the process of integrated river basin planning (IRBP) at the local level, and to focus on capacity building in the region. The plan was prepared by implementing the following tasks: 1. Development of stakeholders participation; 2. Preparation of an inventory of water uses; 3. Assessment of issues; 4. Preparation of a public awareness campaign; 5. Formulation of a preliminary integrated river basin plan; 6. Identification of pilot projects; and 7. Preparation of a final integrated river basin plan (IRBP). The IRBP was developed for the Alazani River Basin pilot area. The Alazani River is one of the major tributaries of the Kura River and is created by the junction of two mountain rivers, Tsiplovaniskhevi and Samkuristskali, which flow from the southern slopes of the Main Caucasus Mountain Range. The highest gauging station on the Alazani River is at elev. 2200 m., above mean sea level, and the low end of the river is at about 200 m., above mean sea level. The river crosses an inter-mountainous depression, streams along the Georgian-Azerbaijan border and then flows into Mingachavir Reservoir in Azerbaijan. There are 11 administrative districts in the region, seven in Georgia: Telavi, Gurjaani, Akhmeta, Kvareli, Signagi, Lagodekhi, Dedoplistskaro; and four in Azerbaijan: Kakh, Balaken, Zagatala, Sheki. Agriculture is the main economic activity within the basin. Most of the agricultural lands in the basin are irrigated, while some areas in the Georgian part of the basin are also drained. Hence, irrigation water use is one of the major water uses for the basin. The usage for drinking water is also significant. However, ground waters, which are quite abundant in the region, are also used for drinking water. The waters of the Alazani Basin are also used for hydropower generation and recreation, since many of the rivers have high hydropower potential and the basin is rich in flora and fauna, and supports valuable ecosystems.