BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 8. Central Asian
countries have agreed on approaches to water use and reservoir
operations in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins amid pressure on
regional water resources.
The information was reported by the press service of the Turkmen
government following the 95th meeting of the Interstate Commission
for Water Coordination (ICWC) of the International Fund for Saving
the Aral Sea (IFAS), held on October 7 in Turkmenistan’s Avaza
National Tourist Zone.
Representatives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan reviewed water-resource use and
reservoir operations in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins,
according to the press service.
The participants focused on approving water-use volumes for the
upcoming period and coordinating reservoir operating schedules,
while also discussing monitoring of actual river flows and water
releases for sanitary and environmental needs in the Aral Sea
region.
The meeting also covered the implementation of joint programs to
modernize water infrastructure and the use of digital technologies
to automate water accounting in transboundary rivers.
Particular attention was given to equipping hydrological
stations of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya water-management
associations with new measuring equipment designed to improve the
accuracy of water-flow measurements.
The participants also discussed measures to supply water to the
deltas and basins of the Aral Sea and stabilize sands on the
exposed seabed, according to the report.
The meeting included discussions with international
organizations and financial institutions on approaches to
implementing joint investment projects focused on water- and
energy-saving technologies in the Aral Sea basin, the press service
said.
The participants also emphasized the need for joint research to
adapt water-management systems to climate change and changing
patterns of glacier melt.
