Water Unites

The role of international players
The previous chapter showed that international players have been involved in transboundary
water cooperation since the Central Asian states became independent. It is
impossible to describe all of their activities here. But this chapter will give some examples
of key donors and their actions beyond their direct support to IFAS and ASBP-3
outlined above.
Rehabilitating infrastructure for water efficiency
As was described above, high water usage in Central Asia is often a consequence of deteriorated
infrastructure and inefficient irrigation techniques. Therefore, many donors
have invested in the rehabilitation of irrigation systems and the modernization of irrigation
technologies. Agriculture is an important means of income and its upgrading can
not only make a contribution toward more efficient water use but also toward improving
rural livelihoods. Donors have also financed projects to modernize hydropower plants
in order to increase their efficiency and output, as well as to build new ones. Nevertheless,
all donors agree that technical improvement and more efficiency alone cannot solve the
water problems in Central Asia. It can only be one component in an overall approach
that needs comprehensive management and governance reforms at local, national and
regional levels. Therefore, many donors combine technical assistance with support to
institution-building. The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, USAID, and many
other donors and NGOs, for example, have been very active in establishing and supporting
Water User Associations that are in charge of renovated channels at the local level.
Supporting local transboundary water management
Experience has shown that conflicts are more likely to emerge on the local level than on
the interstate level. While the big transboundary rivers receive more attention, donors
have also started to support the joint management of small transboundary rivers and
canals in border regions. Since 2001, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
SDC has been funding a programme on the introduction of the Integrated Water
Resources Management (IWRM) principles in the Ferghana Valley. It is implemented by
the Scientific Information Centre of ICWC, in cooperation with the International Water
Management Institute (IWMI) in the Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek parts of the valley. The
objective is to reorganize the water management organizations within hydrographic
The role of international players
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