Central Asia : Water Accountability in Transboundary Chu and Talas River Basins

Project completed

Effective water resources management requires data management capacities for proper decision-making at different scales. In this context, a modern, Multi-Level Distributed Water Information Systems is a management instrument that provides stakeholders’ gateways for judicious and sustainable water resources management. The project is aiming at introducing such a modern management information system in transboundary Chu and Talas river basins to improve water accountability and transparency.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Central Asia
Water
Water diplomacy and security
Water sector policy
15.12.2016 - 31.12.2021
CHF  2’300’000
Background

Judicious and sustainable water resources management and planning require sufficient amounts of data for informed decision-making at different scales, from local to transboundary levels. Data transparency helps in trust and confidence building between different resource users, especially at interstate levels. To date, no such a modern Water Information System exists anywhere in Central Asia at basin scales. The relevance of such a modern WIS is well recognized by the key stakeholders in the transboundary basins of the Chu and Talas rivers shared by Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan which strongly support interventions in this area.

Objectives

The overall objective is to contribute to sustainable integrated water resources management in the region by promoting transboundary cooperation in Chu and Talas river basins, thus fostering peace and regional stability in Central Asia.

Target groups
  • The Kazakh-Kyrgyz Interstate Commission on transboundary Chu and Talas rivers
  • Basin management organizations from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
  • District level irrigation management organization and water users (farmers)
Medium-term outcomes
  • The institutions increase effectiveness of water delivery services through modernised and accountable water management practices
  • Accountability towards end users is enhanced through data transparency
  • The approach of transboundary cooperation is acknowledged and promoted in the region
Results

Results from previous phases:  

  • Agreement between KG and KZ to have an exchange of daily data (baseline: 0, target: 1)
  • Number of institutions that use modern accounting (baseline: 1, target: 9)
  • Agreement of the KG and KZ Chu talas basin authority with data producers to develop water balance calculation and water use indicators on each national part of the basins (baseline: 0, target: 1 in each country)


Directorate/federal office responsible SDC
Credit area Swiss cooperation with Eastern Europe
Project partners Contract partner
Private sector
Foreign state institution
  • Swiss Private Sector
  • Sub-National State SouthEast


Coordination with other projects and actors
  • GEF funded project “Enabling Transboundary Cooperation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the Chu and Talas River Basins
  • SDC funded “National Water Resources Management Project” steered by the World Bank
Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    2’300’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    2’171’563
Project phases

Phase 1 15.12.2016 - 31.12.2021   (Completed)