Trans-Border Rivers Problems of Central Asia and Kazakhstan
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Central Asia’s Water Distribution Problems
Transboundary waters of Central Asia are turning into one of the most complicated problems of the region, which has been ignored so far. Central Asian countries when they were totally engaged in their economic and institutional developments in the early years of independence nobody ever imagined that the water will be a big challenge like energy problems or transboundary (regional) issues. Water is a life-giving and vivifying, but limited and nonrenewable resource. Water is a geopolitical and strategic resource. There is a serious struggle and real conflict of interests for the water resources all over the world. One can live without petroleum and natural gas, or even gold and iron, but without water no one can live more than 4-5 days.
Given its natural and geographical conditions, Central Asia has one of the biggest and cleanest water resources in Eurasia. For example, Pamir, Tien-Shan and Altay Mountains, Amu darya, Syr darya, Irtysh, Ural, Ile, Talas rivers. But, at the same time Central Asia has growing demography or increasing population with critical development of poverty and social imbalance. This factor causes some complication in water relations in the region. 90% of water resources are used for irrigation and agriculture. But, poor management of these resources created some disproportions and tentions. Especially, when Soviet government was realizing biggest agricultural projects in Central Asia failed to take into account natural limits of regional ecosystems. As a result of this policy more than half of the territory of Central Asia has been subjected to desertisation. 179.9 million hectares of land (or 66% of its territory) in Kazakhstan has been desertified. Aral sea crisis is a direct result of such policies. Inefficient Soviet system of agricultural management has the same approach to the all regions despite their fertility and productivity rates.
After the collapse of USSR, Central Asian Republics started to share regional lands and resources. But, rivers and water resources could not be divided according to territory or borders. This situation caused discords and disagreements between the newly created republics. As USSR did not exist no more, no one was responsible for the debts existing between Central Asian republics, causing mutual pretentions and claims. Initially, water basin and reservoirs like Toktogul or Andijan were formed as international ones between CA Soviet republics. According to World Bank report investments for irrigation and drainage systems in Kazakhstan in the 90-th has decreased 21 times.
National reforms and ideologies of CA states in the field of water resources management have resulted in different approaches and controversial strategies. The first controversy comes from different concepts of right for water. If everybody wants more water there should be only common solution. Only CA states themselves can solve their own water problems.
Transboundary rivers of Central Asia as follow: Syrdarya and Amu darya (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan), Chu and Talas (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan), Tarim (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and China), Ile (Kazakhstan and China), Irtysh (China, Kazakhstan, Russia), Ural, Ishym, Tobol (Kazakhstan, Russia).
Water resources of CA region are sufficient but, they were not distributed equally and proportionally. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have more water control resources as both of them located in the higher places, i.e. in mountains. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are located in the lower places. Especially Uzbekistan always claims about Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan’s water control policies. Dry climate of the region also makes its contribution in these conflicts. As Uzbek leader Islom Karimov said in Astana in 2012, water is a serious international issue in CA, which even might lead to the regional wars. Tajikistan plans to build the biggest hydroelectric project Rogun (Wakhsh river) in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan also builds Kambarata (Naryn river) hydroelectric station. Both of these economically poor countries want to benefit from what they have, but they ignore Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan’s water needs and agricultural projects. Uzbekistan continuously expresses its anxiety and concerns that if Tajikistan will control the highest water resources, this could negatively affect Uzbekistan`s cotton manufacture. As for Kyrgyzstan, it wants to solve its electricity deficit problems. Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan economize on their limited water resources.
Mountain countries hold and accumulate the water in summer when low-lying countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan need it. This situation causes conflicts of interests. It is clear, Central Asia nations failed to agree on that they can easily exchange (energy to water) or share what they have.
Kazakhstan’s Trans-Border Rivers Problems
Aral Sea or lake is a first and biggest ecological and water issue of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. As numerous experts analyzed this issue in depth, we just add that Aral Sea is a global catastrophe that can be named as one of the failed salvation projects. Unfortunately, Aral is a lost sea.
Balkhash Lake in Almaty region is one of the biggest lakes in Eurasia. Balkhash Lake suffers from unbalanced water regime and deterioration of water quality. The situation can be explained by the degradation of Ile river ecosystems because of construction works and biggest hydro-projects in China. Management and protection of trans-border rivers is not only problem of Kazakhstan, but it will affect its neighbors like China and Russia. As for second river Irtysh, China uses more and more water resources for its grandiose projects to the extent that it can negatively affect ecosystems of the basin. According to the experts, China plans to use such amount of water (20-25% of Kara-Irtysh) that will inevitably have catastrophic results for both economy and ecology of Kazakhstan and Russia. Especially, such Kazakh cities like Uskemen, Semey and Pavlodar will suffer from lack of water.
Kazakhstan has plans to finally resolve water problems till 2050. Kazakh government elaborates long-term program which secures that drinking water problems will be solved by 2020 and deficit of water for irrigation will be coped with by 2040. But, now water problems of Kazakhstan are real and need to be resolved in the near future. Kazakh population, especially those in South regions still need drinkable water resources. As Kazakh president N.Nazarbayev said, this question should not be politicized no more.
Kazakhstan has no access to the sea or ocean. Kazakhstan has 8 water basins, 7 of them are trans-border rivers (Irtysh, Ural, Tobol, Ishym, Ile, Chu, Talas, Syr darya). Total water resources of Kazakhstan are about 100 cubic kilometer, 57 if which is formed within the country, 8 cub.km in Russia, 19 cub.km in China, 15 in Uzbekistan and 3 in Kyrgyzstan. Kazakhstan has deficit of water resources.
Coming back to China, it is difficult to find a solution that will satisfy the both sides. China actively develops its western regions, namely Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region. This region has 26,3 cubic km water resources which can secure only 18 million people with water. Now population is more than 20 million people. As for Kazakhstan, 70% of its main rivers like Ile and Irtysh are formed in China. China pays special attention to the term of any agreement which concludes that transboundary issues should not be divided according to the international standards, but to the number of people living across the disputable rivers. For now it is acceptable for Kazakhstan. But China tends to protract the near solution for this issue. Kazakh and Chinease specialists conduct common work on this direction and nearly five rounds of negotiations have been organized in the last 15 years.
In 2015 Kazakhstan and China plan to sign an agreement concerning the trans-border rivers. By 2020 all the problems of Kazakhstan concerning water sharing with China will be resolved. As vice-minister of agriculture Marat Tolybayev declared, now, in this issue, we have no final agreement with China. Meanwhile, China increases areas for irrigation and agriculture across Irtysh and Ile rivers.
As for the Central Asia states, Kazakhstan has also certain problems, which might be explained by lack of agreements, responsibilities and mechanisms of control. Kazakhstan tends to be guided by international law principles and related UN Convention. The problems of CA in water regulation are as follow: lack of common laws between CA states, priority of national interests over the other`s ones, some discrepancies in national models and identities, increasing water needs. Unfortunately, water resources of CA region continue to be used ineffectively and irrationally. The solution can be found by 2020. The problems are CA states’ nationalist policies and lack of mutual understanding.
References:
1. Valentini K.L., Orolbayev E.E., Abilgaziyeva A.K. Water Problems of Central Asia (Vodniye Problemy Tsentralnoy Azii). – Bishkek: 2004.-142 p. Kyrgyzistan, International Institute of Strategic Researches.
2. Environment, Water and Secutiry in Cenral Asia (Okruzhayushaya sreda, voda I bezopastnost v Tsetralnoy Azii). Central Asia Environment Regional Center- CAREC. – 2002. – 28 p.
3. Ayzhan Bektasova. Казахстан решит проблему водообеспечения. Access date: 20.01.2013. Resource: www.Bnews.kz. Link:
http://stanradar.com/news/full/181-kazahstan-reshit-problemu-vodoobespechenija.html
4. Казахстан планирует решить проблемы трансграничных рек с Китаем до 2020 года. http://russian.people.com.cn/31519/8057144.html
5. Эксперт МГИМО: Ксения Боришполец. Вешние воды Центральной Азии
17.04.13. http://www.mgimo.ru/news/experts/document237429.phtml