Water Institute Could Help Solve Asian Disputes

Water Institute Could Help Solve Asian Disputes

   
April 2007 - A proposal by Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Ednan
 Karabaev to establish a regional 
research institute for water and energy could help end the 
persistent political wrangling over cross-border water use in 
Central Asia. 
During a meeting between European Union delegates and foreign 
ministers from all five central Asian states in Astana on 
March 28, held to consult on the new EU strategy for the 
region, the Kyrgyz foreign minister put forward a proposal to 
set up a Water and Energy Academy in the Kyrgyz capital of 
Bishkek, with the EU's support. Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Ednan
 Karabaev proposes to establish a 
Central Asian water and energy research institute in Bishkek.
 The new institute would train experts from all the Central 
Asian countries on hydroelectric power, while undertaking 
research that will benefit the region, Karabaev said. 
Central Asia's largest rivers have their sources in the 
mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. These two countries 
use the water flow mainly to generate electricity, whereas 
Uzbekistan and Kazakstan further downstream rely on the water 
for crop irrigation. 
Although numerous mechanisms and plans have been produced to 
manage water use, the upstream and downstream countries have 
failed to agree on terms that would be acceptable to all. 
Political and water analysts in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan say 
developing a regional-level academic centre for water 
management could help Central Asia reach a common view of how 
the resource should be distributed. 
Erkin Orolbaev, a Kyrgyz expert on water issues, said the 
institute may well achieve this goal if it is internationally 
recognized and recruits capable lecturers and researchers from 
the region and the rest of the world. 
Anatoliy Kholmatov, technical director at the International 
Fund for Saving the Aral Sea based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 
points out that a similar initiative was launched in 2003 at 
an international forum on fresh water. 
The plan then was to have an International Water Center based 
in Dushanbe to look at water, related social issues, and 
electricity generation. The center is currently under 
construction. 
One of several hydropower dams on the Naryn River, the largest 
river in Kyrgyzstan 
But Kholmatov says the Kyrgyz initiative is a good one, as a 
great deal of research is needed to develop the economic 
mechanisms for shared water use. 
According to a senior official in the Tajik Ministry of Energy 
and Industry, the academy should be a place where experienced 
energy officials can get advanced training and network rather 
than a college for training new people from scratch. 
"If this is an academy for advanced training, something 
serious may come of it… Personal connections, which often 
count for a lot, will be able to have a major impact on 
decision-making," he said. 
Almost all the experts interviewed agree that simply 
strengthening research capacity will not solve water disputes 
– there must also be the political will to do so. 
Bazarbay Mambetov, a Kyrgyz energy expert said, "The problem 
can be solved through constructive talks among the regional 
states, provided their leaders are willing and ready to do 
this." 
 

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