From monocentric ideal to polycentric pragmatism in the Syr Darya: searching for second best approaches

Abstract

While best practice in water management typically calls for the use of a basin-level approach, specific guidance in the absence of basin-level management is fairly scant. This paper reviews the experience of the Syr Darya basin to identify insights related to second best practices for water management at scales below the basin level. This paper first presents the causes for the disintegration of river basin management within the Syr Darya, which include both changes in operation of the Toktogul reservoir and rising water demands due to shifts in agricultural production and land ownership. Focus is then devoted specifically to small transboundary tributaries, where bottom-up cooperation has continued or reemerged in recent times. This paper concludes by highlighting the limitations to singular focus on sub-basins and tributaries, suggesting a balance between more intense cooperation and water control on tributaries and a loose overarching framework at the basin level

The Costs of Benefit Sharing: Historical and Institutional Analysis of Shared Water Development in the Ferghana Valley, the Syr Darya Basin

“…[28][29] explaining "fair sharing of benefits" refer to Article 6 of the 1997 UN Convention, which enumerates seven non-weighted guiding principles. Theoretically, this seems to translate the already existing dilemma of equitable distribution in the traditional (water volume based) approach into the benefit sharing approach.…”

“…When exiting the Ferghana Valley, the Syr Darya is regulated by the Kayrakkum Reservoir (2.6 BCM active storage capacity), located in the territory of Tajikistan. Within the valley, there are also about 20 Small Transboundary Tributaries (STTs) with significant combined contribution to the flow of the main stem of 7.8 BCM [29]. Often these STTs have their own smaller reservoirs [30].…”

“…Tajikistan joined the agreement in 1999. However, due to implementation problems, the Framework Agreement was not renewed after its first five years cycle [29].…”

Water Security in the Syr Darya Basin

“…Other research highlights that within the Syr Darya Basin, water management was organized according to "water-use regions" or "irrigation districts", which in some cases even crossed republican boundaries [82][83][84]. Within the Syr Darya Basin there were six irrigation districts during the Soviet era, these were: Upper Naryn, Ferghana Valley, Chirchik-Akhangaran-Keles (Chakir), Midstream, Arys-Turkestan (Artur) and Downstream ( Figure 2).…”

Between Multiple Transformations and Systemic Path Dependencies

“…For some, the main problem is how to keep the existing irrigation system operating in order to maintain current modes of intensive agricultural production, focussing on the collapse of effective irrigation management on farms following de-collectivisation and engineering solutions to improve water use effi ciency (Dukhovny et al 2009 ;Karimov et al 2012 ). For others, the main problem is the transnational dispute between the riparian states of the Syrdarya River surrounding the allocation of water from the upstream reservoirs which, after over 20 years of negotiation, has reached an impasse, prompting each nation state to pursue its own, second-best option (Weinthal 2002 ;Megoran 2004 ;Wegerich et al 2012 ). For others still, the core issue is about strengthening the hand of water users -i.e.…”