Lessons on cooperation building to manage water conflicts in the Aral Sea Basin; Technical documents in hydrology: pc-cp series; Vol.: 11; 2003

participate in supporting the water sector while earning incomes of $100–200 per 
hectare instead of the $500–1,600 they made in the past. At the same time the 
social value of irrigation, which together with other related sectors provides 
employment for 40 percent of the (mostly rural) population, remains important. 
Any disturbances to the sustainability of water supplies, caused by deviation 
from agreed schedules of water delivery, lead to immense social damage, almost 
to the point of disaster, as we have been witnessing for the last two years in 
downstream portions of the rivers. The current “order” of water-energy exchange 
seems unsustainable, not only because of the lack of assurances on the part of 
the states that they will observe the order of water distribution, but also because 
of artificial terms for water releases from reservoirs, which are unacceptable to 
the majority, combined with evident speculative prices. 
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● 
Economic weakness of economies and significant (though varying in extent) 
decreases in national income per capita in all countries of the region have led to 
a sharp reduction in subsidies and support for agriculture and the water sector, 
and reduced provision to agriculture of tractors, machinery, fertilizers, and 
chemicals. The infrastructures. of agriculture and water management have 
deteriorated, especially at the on-farm level, and as a result water supply and 
reclamation of irrigated lands has sharply declined; this cannot but affect crop 
yields. 
● 
The introduction of market mechanisms into agriculture (privatization, breaking 
up large state and collective farm into hundreds and thousands of small farms) 
was not combined with the establishment of proper infrastructures for 
commodity production and water distribution and use. As a result vast 
complications emerged in providing the new private farmers with corresponding 
services, as well as with seed, technologies, extension services and water. An 
almost twofold decrease in general incomes across the region, together with a 
reduction of profitability by several times, led to immense impoverishment of the 
rural population, while at the same making it impossible for agricultural 
producers to protect their interests through their own strengths, as has been 
done by energy and fuel producers emerging on the free market. Comparison of 
land productivity data shows that the average for Central Asia was 1,140 rubles 
or over US$2,000 per hectare of arable land in 1980; this has now fallen to 
nearly US$700 per hectare! 
● 
The challenges of the new situation brought new young leaders to the fore in 
local authorities, and these young managers are not sufficiently experienced in 
using real instruments for creating, managing and improving land productivity. 
In the past, more than half the district and province senior managers were 
agricultural and water specialists, but at present most local managers do not 
clearly realize that water is useful only then when it is within the limits of 
demands. All these elements, combined with inadequate ecological education, 
pave the way for parochial aspirations on the part of local authorities to interfere 
in water allocation and distribution. This hinders equitable and reasonable water 
allocation and causes damage to naturally complex demands for water, which 
become more acute during years when water is scarce. 
● 
Shortages of funds have affected the conditions of hydromet and meteorological 
nets, and thus the quality of water and weather forecasts. This in turn has a 
clear impact on planning and regional water resources operative management. 
Though some donors provide support along these lines, the activities are not 
target oriented; they are fragmented and not always effective.