THE Aral Sea Basin WATER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN CENTRAL ASIA EDITED BY Stefanos Xenarios, Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt, Manzoor Qadir, Barbara Janusz-Pawletta and Iskandar Abdullaev THE ARAL SEA BASIN This book offers the first multidisciplinary overview of water resources issues and management in the Aral Sea Basin, covering both the Amu Darya and Syr Darya River Basins. The two main rivers of Amu Darya and Syr Darya and their tributaries comprise the Aral Sea Basin area and are the lifeline for about 70 million inhabitants in Central Asia. Written by regional and international experts, this book critically examines the current state, trends and future of water resources management and development in this major part of the Central Asia region. It brings together insights on the history of water management in the region, surface and groundwater assessment, issues of transboundary water management and environmental degradation and restoration, and an overview of the importance of water for the key economic sectors and overall socio-economic development of Central Asian countries, as well as of hydro politics in the region. The book also focusses on the future of water sector development in the Basin, including a review of local and international actors, as well as an analysis of the current status and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals by Basin countries. The book will be essential reading for those interested in sea basin management, environ- mental policy in Central Asia and water resource management more widely. It will also act as a reference source for decision-makers in state agencies, as well as a background source of information for NGOs. Stefanos Xenarios is Associate Professor in Nazarbayev University (NU), Graduate School of Public Policy, based in Nur-Sultan (Astana), Kazakhstan. Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt is Honorary Professor at the Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Freiburg University, Germany. Manzoor Qadir is Assistant Director in United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Barbara Janusz-Pawletta is UNESCO Chair Holder in Water Management at the Central Asia Kazakh-German University based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Iskandar Abdullaev is the former Executive Director of the Regional Environmental Centre Central Asia (CAREC), based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and the current Deputy Director of the CAREC Institute, Urumchi, China. EARTHSCAN SERIES ON MAJOR RIVER BASINS OF THE WORLD Series Editor: Vladimir Smakhtin Large river basins are dynamic and complex entities. Defined by hydrological boundaries, they are nearly always shared by more than one country. Encompassing a diverse range of landscapes with often huge temporal and spatial variability of resources, they are put to different and often conflicting uses, and managed by a range of institutions and organisations. While an intrinsic part of Nature, many have been extensively engineered and used by people, often with adverse consequences. Each major river basin has its own development trajectory and often fascinating history. Bringing together multidisciplinary teams of experts, this series explores these complex issues, identifies knowledge gaps and examines potential development pathways towards greater sustainability. The Nile River Basin Water, Agriculture, Governance and Livelihoods Edited by Seleshi Bekele Awulachew, Vladimir Smakhtin, David Molden, Don Peden The Volta River Basin Water for Food, Economic Growth and Environment Edited by Timothy O. Williams, Marloes Mul, Charles Biney and Vladimir Smakhtin The Ganges River Basin Status and Challenges in Water, Environment and Livelihoods Edited by Luna Bharati, Bharat R. Sharma and Vladimir Smakhtin The Zambezi River Basin Pathways for Sustainable Development Edited by Jonathan Lautze, Xueliang Cai, Everisto Mapedza, Marcus Wishart, Zebediah Phiri The Aral Sea Basin Water for Sustainable Development in Central Asia Edited by Stefanos Xenarios, Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt, Manzoor Qadir, Barbara Janusz-Pawletta and Iskandar Abdullaev https://www.routledge.com/series/ECMRBW THE ARAL SEA BASIN Water for Sustainable Development in Central Asia Edited by Stefanos Xenarios, Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt, Manzoor Qadir, Barbara Janusz-Pawletta and Iskandar Abdullaev First published 2020 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business 2020 selection and editorial matter, UNU-INWEH; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Stefanos Xenarios, Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt, Manzoor Qadir, Barbara Janusz-Pawletta and Iskandar Abdullaev to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. With the exception of Chapter 8, no part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Chapter 8 of this book is available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution- Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-1-138-34888-2 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-429-43647-5 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations University CONTENTS Chapter photos vii Notes on authors viii Foreword xxii Guyzgeldi Bayjanov 1 Introduction 1 Stefanos Xenarios, Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt, Manzoor Qadir, Barbara Janusz-Pawletta, Iskandar Abdullaev and Vladimir Smakhtin 2 History of water management in the Aral Sea Basin 8 Iskandar Abdullaev, Kai Wegerich and Jusipbek Kazbekov 3 Surface water resources 25 Kakhramon Djumaboev, Oyture Anarbekov, Bunyod Holmatov, Ahmad Hamidov, Zafar Gafurov, Makhliyo Murzaeva, Janez Sušnik, Shreedhar Maskey, Hamid Mehmood and Vladimir Smakhtin 4 Groundwater resources 39 Abror Gafurov, Vadim Yapiyev, Mohamed Ahmed, Jay Sagin, Ali Torabi Haghighi, Aigul Akylbekova and Bjørn Kløve 5 Hydropower 52 Frank Schrader, Anvar Kamolidinov, Maksud Bekchanov, Murodbek Laldjebaev and Stella Tsani 6 Environmental degradation 67 Alisher Mirzabaev, Jamal Annagylyjova and Iroda Amirova v Contents 7 Water for agriculture and other economic sectors 86 Asel Murzakulova, Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt, Dagmar Balla, Dietrich Darr, Ahmad Hamidov, Ulan Kasymov, Roman Mendelevitch and Serik Orazgaliyev 8 The status and role of the alpine cryosphere in Central Asia 100 Martin Hoelzle, Martina Barandun, Tobias Bolch, Joel Fiddes, Abror Gafurov, Veruska Muccione, Tomas Saks and Maria Shahgedanova 9 Transboundary water management 122 Marton Krasznai 10 Local and national institutions and policies governing water resources management 136 Manon Cassara, Jelle Beekma, Lucia de Strasser, Oyture Anarbekov, Makhliyo Murzaeva, Sara Giska and Andrei Dörre 11 International actors and initiatives for sustainable water management 155 Jenniver Sehring, Dinara R. Ziganshina, Marton Krasznai and Thijs Stoffelen 12 The future of water resources 176 Saghit Ibatullin and Dinara R. Ziganshina 13 Implementing water-related Sustainable Development Goals 197 Aziza Baubekova and Anastasia Kvasha Index 222 vi CHAPTER PHOTOS 1 Uzbek woman in the outskirts of Samarkand, Uzbekistan Photo: MehmetO/Shutterstock.com 2 Sunset on Syr Darya River, Kazakhstan Photo: Maxim Petrichuk/Shutterstock.com 3 Khisorak Reservoir Photo: Shovkat Khodjaev, IWMI-Central Asia 4 Mountainous landscape in Kyrgyzstan Photo: Abror Gafurov 5 Koksaray reservoirs on the Syr Darya River, Kazakhstan Photo: Schankz/Shutterstock.com 6 Rustic boats at a ship graveyard in a desert around Moynaq in the Aral Sea, Uzbekistan Photo: Milosz Maslanka/Shutterstock.com 7 Irrigated cotton plantations near Jalal Abad, Kyrgyzstan Photo: Steffen Entenmann 8 Mountainous landscape in Afghanistan Photo: Maximum Exposure PR/Shutterstock.com 9 The Syr Darya River in the deserts of Kazakhstan Photo: Karakol/Shutterstock.com 10 The Naryn River in the Tien Shan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan Photo: Chubykin Arkady/Shutterstock.com 11 The Amu Darya River before the confluence of the Aral Sea Photo: Boris Rezvantsev/Shutterstock.com 12 The Vaksh River in Tajikistan Photo: Dinara R. Ziganshina 13 A girl with national costume in Namangan, Uzbekistan Photo: Vladimir Goncharenko/Shutterstock.com vii NOTES ON AUTHORS Iskandar Abdullaev was Executive Director of the Regional Environmental Centre Central Asia (CAREC), based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from 2013 and is now Deputy Director of the CAREC Institute, Urumchi, China. Prior to joining CAREC, Iskandar Abdullaev worked as a Regional Advisor for the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) Program ‘Transboundary Water Management