Vadim Sokolov,Victor Dukhovny, SIC ICWC, , vadim@icwc-aral.uz
Scientific-Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination in Central Asia, Uzbekistan
Keywords: water crisis; water security; global water declaration; integrated water resources management; harmony
Introduction to Central Asia
Central Asia includes territory of five countries – former republics of Soviet Union: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (see map in figure 1). Figure1. Location of Central Asia Water resources management is the art of delivering required amount of water to a necessary place in needed moment of time. The history of this art in Central Asia accounts millenniums, but the most intensively water resources started to be used in XX century, especially after 1960. That was caused by fast growth of the population, intensive industry development and, mainly, irrigated agriculture.
Why We Need Integrated Approach?
The humanity has faced with coming water crisis recently. What is the reality in this statement? The most popular thesis is that our generation has already observed the global fresh water scarcity, but the main problem is not in actual deficit of water on the Earth but in poor management. The water crisis appeared as the Earth’s revenge on humanity for non-wise behavior. The climate change is a reaction of the Earth to the humanity in response to the abuse of natural resources. By changing climatic parameters and re-directing of air and moisture mass transfer over the globe the Earth tries to protect itself against humanity’s attempts to create better livelihoods and lifestyles following by own vision (which mostly accounts not demands of nature, but political and economic interests of the elite). We have to pin our hopes on the fact that with evolution of civilization there was growth of the human “wisdom” (in the form of ethics, religion, science, etc.). Now the key question is - do both «the Earth and its Humanity» have enough wisdom to be in proper harmony to overcome water crisis? Water resources management is the art of delivering required amount of water to a necessary place in needed moment of time. There are three keys to sustainable development on the basis of water use – as a way to water security and harmony: 1) the social equity, 2) economic growth, 3) environmental and ecological sustainability. The practical instrument for these - is proper implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM).