Planning Process

In May 1999 IWMI a concept note titled «Water management to improve performance of irrigation systems in Central Asia Republics» to the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), where SIC ICWC was identified as a potential partner. In July 1999 at SDC's request, IWMI organized the workshop in Lahore. Participants included representatives of SDC Berne, SDC Tashkent, SIC ICWC and IWMI

In November 1999 participants met in Tashkent to develop three project objectives further. Additional representatives of other Central Asia Republics took part in this workshop. SDC informed that CHF 1.5 millions have been allocated for the Project for duration of three years. in January 2000 IWMI and SIC ICWC made a proposal to SDC. In June 2000 SDC representatives visited SIC ICWC and prompted the third workshop in August 2000.

The participants at the third workshop (August 2000) agreed that the Project should include three components: institutions at farm level, institutions at canal level and the third one on water productivity. It was also agreed that during the first year an inventory of WUA activities in three republics would be developed and the reasons for varying degree of success would be analyzed. Emphasis on the third component was placed on establishing a framework for extension services to improve water productivity.

In September 2001 the Inception Project Phase (Phase I) was started, which was being implemented up to 30 April 2002. During this period a detailed analysis of the legal, institutional, economic-financial and managerial issues as well an analysis and evaluation of earlier experience, methodologies and systems developed by other donors, regional and national organizations related to water resources management were carried out, necessary documents and institutional frameworks (the Project framework, agreements, the Project document, credit proposal) were prepared for Phase II implementation.

During the second phase 2 (01.05.2002 – 30.04.2005) the IWRM conceptual framework was developed and approved by the ministries of water management in the three countries. This phase also established a comprehensive social mobilization approach to establish bottom up Water User Associations (WUAs) and unified canal management organizations along hydrographic boundaries. These organizations involved local farmers and users in the governance and management. At the field level (pilot plots), the project has demonstrated the potential to increase water productivity by 55 to 95%, with a 30% reduction in water supply through effective management of the water at the on-farm level.

The third phase (01.05.2005 – 30.04.2008) consolidated and generalized the adopted IWRM principles and carried out extensive capacity building, training and dissemination campaigns for wider dissemination. This phase  addressed the key issues related to strengthening vertical linkages, e.g. water distribution and public participation in canal, WUA and WUG levels of the water management hierarchy; i.e. from tertiary (informal user groups) to secondary (formal user associations) to main canal levels (public-government partnerships) while making links to national policy. This was a fundamental achievement in a post – Soviet region, as a ‘first time ever’ where users and governments joined to manage an important economic asset like the canal system. The horizontal, e.g. inter-sectoral integration was achieved through well designed awareness and mobilization activities. During this phase, the project succeeded to move water management in pilot canals and their command areas from administrative directive to demand oriented allocation of water and from time to volume based water fees. This is eventually leading towards identification of ‘who should and can pay for what’.

 During the Third phase, three functional National Coordination & Support Groups (NCSGs) were established in all three countries to ensure support and better policy uptake at national level. The main tasks of these multidisciplinary and inter-ministerial groups were to develop and disseminate recommendations for policy changes at the national level.

 For better dissemination, replication, uptake and sustainability, the project has established an effective network and partnerships with other relevant projects in the region; teamed up with extension and consultancy services active in places; and established collaborative linkages with local academic  institutions.

 In 2007, a new important component - trans-boundary small rivers – was added to extend IWRM principles along selected small rivers, which have linkages to pilot canals. The focus of this new component was to analyze the current situation with a perspective of creating a mechanism that helps sharing water across national borders using IWRM principles, which can be used in other small and main rivers in Central Asia.

details about the component

Further, by the end of 2007, a small one-year project was piggy backed to IWRM Ferghana to support the construction of water measurement devices in distribution canals on demand basis as a means to support the later introduction of volumetric water fees, i.e. the introduction of the “pay for what you get” principle.

The External Reviewers of the project  appreciated these results achieved  ‘in a not always conducive environment’ and recommended a further phase for finishing unfinished work, and to further strengthen the inclusion of non agricultural water users into the institutional frame for water allocation management and decision making.

During the fourth phase (01.05.2008 – 28.02.2011), institutional, organizational and management approaches of IWRM were developed and tested in pilot canals, in command areas below those canals and in STTs. Principal provisions of IWRM are almost completed, consolidated and made operational for dissemination. During the fourth phase, gained experiences were compiled with the view of promoting IWRM into other areas of the region.

However, at the end of phase IV, many challenges remain to secure the long term sustainability of this IWRM approach. Foremost, the question still has to be addressed of the financial and economic viability of irrigation systems in Central Asia. Also the question remains of how to integrate the IWRM model at canal level into the existing national water management systems in the 3 countries of the project.

Currently, the fifth (interim) phase is being carried out (01.03.2011 – 29.02.2012)During this phase, it is intended to promote a common vision on the role and scope of IWRM institutions from the WUA/WUG to CMO for each of three countries under the leadership of the respective countries and in coordination with other donors. This work doesn’t touch interconnection provincial – national WMOs with BWO Syrdarya.

In order to maintain the continuity of the substantial progress made and successful experiences gained during all previous phases of the project, project execution is mandated to the same consortium of partners – the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (SIC-ICWC). The implementing partners shall establish an effective collaboration and mainstream cooperation with governments and donors to establish functional coordination and consolidation on key aspects of IWRM.