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TRANSBOUNDARY WATER MANAGEMENTCooperation at local levelThere was reason to focus cooperation efforts on the small tributariesflowing into the Syr Darya. Water sharing in these ‘subcatchments’is a local, bilateral issue with infrastructure shared by borderingcountries. The setting can also be ideal to demonstrate what strategiesmight work on other tributaries.Research also showed that cooperation on water managementcould exist at the local level even amid tension at the nationallevel. For example, Uzbekistan and Tajikstan were in disagreementregarding the construction of a large hydroelectric dam,while Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan grappled over water andnatural gas trades.The Soviet break-up has both simplified and complicatedmatters, with former Soviet colleagues now working on oppositesides of the border. Abdukhakim Abdusaminov, chairman of aTajik water users’ group on Khojabakirgansai and former head ofJabbor Rasulov district, recalled at one workshop that before theSoviet split-up, it was quite easy to coordinate and monitor waterallocations, agree on maintenance projects, and discuss emergingissues. The IWMI project, in essence, has solidified those informalrelationships through regular meetings.Jusipbek Kazbekov, an IWMI researcher in central Asia, recallssome key river management operators hurriedly leaving theworkshop room one day as clouds looked ominous so they couldcoordinate safeguards to the systems. A warning of possible flashfloods, for example, can spark downstream operators to close waterintake structures and open flood management dams, canals andchannels to avoid costly damages.To aid in transboundary cooperation, IWMI, with partners, has alsocollected Soviet and post-independence water agreements and protocols,with particular focus on the 33 small transboundary tributarieswithin the Ferghana Valley.The documents cover a wide range oftopics including water sharing, infrastructure maintenance, borderdemarcations, transboundary infrastructure property rights, landexchanges, pasture use and water withdrawals. Plans are to create awebsite that provides the ability to search and download documentsand data, as well as maps. The documents provide information onlong-term patterns in the region, and lessons for the future.At a workshop last year in Ferghana, Uzbekistan, IWMI staff talkedabout the different ways the parties could institutionalize joint watergovernance for the Shakhimardansai tributary. Attendees participatedin a group exercise to discuss the options. The participantsagreed that a more systematic approach was needed, and establisheda river-wide water commission consisting of board members fromsub-basin water committees on both sides of the river with appropriatesupport from the respective governments.Later that month, IWMI held a similar workshop in Bishkek,Krygyzstan for the Khojabakirgansai tributary, the vast majorityof which lies in upstream Kyrgyzstan. After flowing into Tajikstan,the river flows into the Plotina Dam, which is used from Marchthrough October to divert water into a canal to irrigate fields.An agreement signed in 1962 calls for 79 per cent ofKhojabakirgansai’s annual flow to be distributed in the arid Tajikbasin. Kyrgystan has had plans since the 1970s to build a damto double its irrigated land upstream. The plan has yet to receivefunding but is a subject for discussion with the Tajiks as part ofcooperative effort. While there remains tension over water allocation,there now is a joint plan to discuss river management issuesand cooperation during the critical periods.Kazbekov says the tributary cooperation hasresulted in better communication between farmersand authorities. Until recently, water was heavilysubsidized or free in central Asia. Now water usershave to pay in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, makingthem more motivated to ensure the system is in goodworking order.However, Wegerich and other researchers urgecentral Asia also to look beyond agriculture.6 Theregion is often viewed as water scarce, but in reality,the freshwater carried by the Syr Darya and Amu Daryaexceed commonly used water shortage standards,according to researchers. The problem, they say, is thatwater is being used primarily to cultivate crops such aswater-gobbling cotton.Economies are beginning to become less dependenton agriculture, but the transition away from naturalresources to service-based and knowledge-basedindustries such as information technology needs toaccelerate. IWMI researchers argue that such a strategyis needed not only for the sake of future waterresources amid climate change; it would also makethe region more politically secure by offering morepromising social and economic opportunities.The framework for water cooperation also can bebroadened. The next logical step, IWMI researcherssay, is to replicate the small transboundary tributarycooperation in other places, and encourage regionalorganizations to set up special funds to support suchefforts. In the words of IWMI’s Wegerich: “This projecthas the potential to trigger wider cooperation and actuallybuild cooperation from the grassroots.”IWMI’s transboundary water management approachIWMI generally takes a basin-scale approach to improvewater management for food production, livelihoods andthe environment. In the volatile Ferghana Valley in centralAsia, IWMI has taken a ‘second best’ approach – workingto develop cooperation along small transboundarytributaries where decisions are made locally andinfrastructure is shared. The hope is that such bottom-upcooperation can be replicated on a broader scale.IWMI’s research on transboundary issues focuses on fivemain areas:• Creating analytical tools and resources that assistresearchers, policymakers and practitioners inassessing and managing transboundary river basins.An example is the collection of historical watermanagement agreements. 7• Identifying and answering research questions central tothe improved management of transboundary waters.• Undertaking research projects aimed at developingpractical policy and management recommendations atthe local level as well as generic suggestions with globalrelevance.• Developing partnerships with institutions throughresearch activities and involving and supportinggraduate students and interns interested intransboundary water research.• Ensuring rigour in its work by publishing findings in majorinternational, peer-reviewed journals.[ 56 ]