Partners and Beneficiaries    
         
   

The Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC)

    
         
   
ICWC was established in 1992ã in order to protect and control rational water resources use. ICWC comprises of two Basin Water Organizations (BWO) «Amudarya» and «Syrdarya» and Scientific Information Centre ICWC (SIC ICWC). In 1993 ICWC was declared as a a subordinate body of the International Fund for the Aral Sea Saving (IFAS) by the Heads of States. ICWC has permanent Secretariat and meets regularly 4 times a year.
    
         
  The Scientific Information Center ICWC (SIC ICWC)    
http://sic.icwc-aral.uz/
         
   
Although formally under ICWC, SIC is an independent organization. Since its inception, SIC functions as the scientific and analytic center. SIC works with many national agencies in Central Asia and has its branches in all region countries. SIC has established strong relations with many international organizations such as ICID, WWC, INBO, Techware, where SIC ICWC Director is the Vice-President, Governor and Steering Committee member. SIC together with local GWP, organized the Technical Advisory Committee for Central Asia and Caucasus (GWP CACENA) led by Deputy Director V.I Sokolov. CAREWIB is being established jointly with Grid Arendal and ECEE UN. The Center cooperates closely with scientific organizations such as IHE-UNESCO (Delft, Holland), Lisbon University (Portugal), ILRI (Holland), IWLI (Dundee), IPTRID network, INPIP, McGill University (Canada) and others. The Training Center with its branches in Urgench, Osh and Dushanbe, organized in 2000 under CIDA support, provides substantial training activity for water specialists and water users – more than 1000 persons during 5 years. Also the Center collaborates or functions in a number of projects on irrigation and drainage financed by donors.
    
         
  The International Water Management Institute (IWMI)    
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/
         
   

IWMI, based in Sri-Lanka and with its sub-regional office for Central Asia in Tashkent, is one of the 15 institutes of Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). IWMI mission is to improve water and land resources management for  food production and environment protection. IWMI is non-profit research organization, specialized in sustainable water and land resources use in agriculture and water needs in developing countries. IWMI cooperates with partners in South Asia on developing tools and methods for assisting the region countries in eradicating poverty through more effective water and and resources management. 

IWMI Objectives are:

(I) To identify the larger problems in water management and food security that need to be understood and resolved by governments and politicians.

(II) To develop, approbate and promote management tools and practice, which can be used by governments and institutions for more effective water and land resources management as well as for resolving problems on water deficit.

(III) To explain interrelation between poverty and water access and to assist governments and scientific community to understand specific water problems of poor people better.

(IV) To assist developing countries in scientific capacity building for resolving problems on water deficit and food security issues.

IWMI with headquarters in Colombo, Sri-Lanka, implements projects in 21 countries of Asia and Africa. It has representative offices in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nepal, Uzbekistan, China, Laos and other countries. IWMI uses interdisciplinary approach to researching water resources management. Most of its research combines groups of experts on economics, agronomy, hydrology, sociology and management and health researchers. The staff includes 100 persons from 16 different countries. IWMI is a member of Future Harvest Group of agricultural and environmental research centers. In particular it is financed by governments, private funds, international and regional organizations known as Consultative Group on  International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

Water Management Organizations

The leading partners of the Project will be three principal bodies at national level:

- Kyrgyz Ministry for Agriculture, Water Resources and Processing Industry;

- Tajik Ministry for Water Resources and Reclamation

- Ministry for Agriculture and Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The principal liabilities of these organizations are:

- to steer and support the project implementation in selected pilot sites at national level;

- to organize financing for rehabilitation of pilot systems network;

- to promote the new organizational approach of the project to transforming CWC/CMO in single participatory organization (Annex 5).

- to transfer the results of the pilot experiments to national policy level through corresponding institutional, legal and managerial regulations.

- to promote extension service outside of the project activity sphere.

There are the following management institutions at provincial level:

- Osh Basin Water Department in Osh

- Sogd State Water Administration in Tajikistan

- Sokh-Syrdarya BWO, Karadarya-Syrdarya BWO in Uzbekistan.

The principal liabilities of these organizations are:

- to support project implementation in selected pilot provinces;

- to support WUA development and strengthening and extending its network in pilot area, to use a new management approach in WUA.

- to support the project at state level;

- to support measures on water conservation and water and land productivity improvement in pilot area and in farms.

These organizations will appoint representatives who are responsible for the relevant results as well as all needed technical staff in order to execute the above-mentioned liabilities. One representative will be appointed from Isfaram-Shakhimardan inter-district canal management organization.

Besides, three new water management organizations will take part in water distribution namely:

- on Aravan-Akbura canal in Kyrgyzstan

- on Khodjabakirgan canal in Tajikistan

- on South Fergana canal in Uzbekistan.

Canal Management Organizations (KhBC in Tajikistan and SFC in Uzbekistan) will be supported in establishing WUAs along their entire command area.

Farmers, Farm Associations, WUAs

The key partners on creating and strengthening existing WUAs will be:

- In Uzbekistan: WUA “Akbarabad” in Kuva district Fergana province with total irrigated area 2820 ha along South Fergana canal;

- In Tajikistan: WUA “Zarafshan” in Dzh.Rasulov district Sogd province with total irrigated area 1050 ha along Khodzhabakirgan canal;

- In Kyrgyzstan: WUA “Zhapalak” in Karasu district Osh province with total irrigated area 2012 ha and WUA “Kerme Too Akburasy” with total irrigated area 2070 ha along Aravan-Akbura canal;

The key partners will establish the following WUAs in pilot area for disseminating pilot WUAs experience:

In Uzbekistan: in Tashlak district - WUA “A.Navoi, “Shermatov”, “Zarkent”, “Fergana”, “Ergashev”; in Akhunbabaev district - WUA “Pahtakor”, “Yassavi”; in Kuva district – WUA “Buston”, “Navriz”, “Obidov”, “Akhunbabaev”,

In Tajikistan: KhBC zone, WUA “Norbaev”

In Kyrgyzstan: AABC zone, existing WUAs “Zhanu-Aryk” and “Mirza-Azhi”, “Kerme Too Akburasy”.

Village, District and Provincial bodies

The administrative bodies at different levels (province, district, village) will assist the project in pilot areas. This assistance will strengthen introduction of project recommendations.

 Cooperation with others 

Cooperation with many partners, donors, lending organizations and projects in the region will be essential to make profit on positive experience and to avoid replications and contradictions.

Collaborative agreements will be search with the following projects:

- World Bank, «Fergana Valley – Integrated Water Resources Management» Project (Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan/Uzbekistan);

- ADB, Agricultural Rehabilitation Project in Tajikistan;

- SDC-Helvetas Rural Advisory Services Project in Kyrgyzstan;

- SECO-IFC Farmer Ownership Model Project (FOMP) in Tajikistan;

- USAID, WUA Support Project

 Opportunities of cooperation will be also developed with other projects such as:

- World Bank, Onfarm Irrigation Management Project in kyrgyzstan;

- ADB, Amu-Zhang Irrigation Rehabilitation Project in Uzbekistan;

- ADB, Ak Altyn Development Project in Uzbekistan;

- World Bank, Drainage, Irrigation and Wetland Improvement Project in South Karakalpakistan;

- ADB RETA Enabling Communities to reserve soil salinity Project, IWMI;

- US State Department, SIC ICWC,  IWRM in Lowlands and Deltas of the Aral Sea basin Project;

- CIDA-ICWC, Water Resources Management Training Project.

The Project will make use of experiences and adopt systems and methodologies developed and introduced within various projects where appropriate:

- The EU-TACIS WARMAP Project (water resources management system, water use and onfarm management survey information database);

- EU Copernicus Program;

- GEF “Water and Environmental Management” Project, in particular component A1 (National and Regional Water and Salt Management Study) and component A2 (Participation in Water Conservation with emphasis on water management at farm, district and province levels);

- World Bank “Cotton Sub-sector Improvement” Project with a sub-component on irrigation management.