Water Unites

Preface 5
Introduction 7
Water management in Central Asia –
the legacies of the past 15
Historical patterns of water usage and water management 15
Water usage and water management in the Soviet Union 18
Ecological legacies: environmental impacts
of unsustainable water management 23
Political legacies: conflicting usage interests
of irrigation and energy production 26
Transboundary waters
in the six states of the Aral Sea basin 31
Afghanistan 32
Kazakhstan 34
Kyrgyzstan 36
Tajikistan 38
Turkmenistan 40
Uzbekistan 42
IFAS: a history of post-Soviet cooperation 45
IFAS: organizational structure 46
The Aral Sea Basin Program (ASBP) 49
The challenges of effective regional water cooperation 49
Additional efforts for water cooperation 51
The 2009 summit and the reform process 53
The role of international players 57
Rehabilitating infrastructure for water efficiency 57
Supporting local transboundary water management 57
Improving data availability and exchange 60
Creating platforms for dialogue 61
Conclusion 63
The way forward 64
Photo essay 67
»From the glaciers to the Aral Sea – water unites« 67
Pamir / Amu Darya 69
Karakum 111
Alai / Zarafshan 149
Tian Shan / Syr Darya 185
Aral Sea 227
Acknowledgement of generous contributions 250
Annex 251
Databases 253
List of abbreviations 254
Sources 255