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

2.5.7. Water Saving: Main Direction for Regional Survival 
From ancient times, water use in the region has been based on using it for the benefit 
of the whole of society. Historically water use was based on water saving and the 
prevention of pollution. Unfortunately, the traditions and customs of water allocation, 
use, and conservation have been partially lost. In practice, strict controls need to be 
established to ensure equal access to water for everybody, along with proper 
operation and maintenance of the water delivery infrastructure, mostly in irrigated 
agriculture.
Water use in the region could be improved through analysis of the best methods 
of water use and management under similar conditions around the world (Israel, 
Jordan, western states of the United States, Spain, and similar cases). The analysis of 
water allocation and water losses with different levels of management shows that it is 
possible to set a strict limit on water use for all the countries and different zones in 
accordance with the “criterion level of best water use.” This level is very stringent, but 
it is necessary for the benefit of future generations. 
Water conservation for all water uses and levels (user/farm–system–basin) 
should be based on the principle of maximum water efficiency. At the first stage this 
could be achieved by reducing unproductive water losses, which are estimated to 
amount to 20 percent of the total diverted water. Later, when the financial capacities 
of water users and the governments increase, more expensive methods of water 
conservation could be implemented. A significant factor affecting regional water and 
agricultural sectors is the sharp reduction in world prices for irrigated crops in the past 
ten years: rice two times, wheat 1.5 times, cotton more than two times. This makes 
irrigation unprofitable and prevents farmers from supporting the water sector. In 
these circumstances specific actions need to be taken on a low-cost basis (supervision 
of the activity of all water users, strict limits on water use, water measurement, 
establishment of Water Users Associations, reclamation activities on irrigated lands, 
better crop patterns, and similar measures). See details in Annex.