TO THE WATER PROBLEM

R.A. Kulzhaeva, G.A. Sarbasova, S.T. Duysenbaeva., Zh. T. Uysenbaeva

Taraz State University named after M.Kh. Dulaty, Taraz

Water problem has economic, ecologic, also strategic importance as factor of state security.

According to calculations of the Committee of water resources of the Ministry of agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, water resources in Kazakhstan for the later 50 years reduced to 20 milliard m3, and the process continues. The reason is all the rivers in our country are trans-bordering. Water resources in Kazakhstan make up to 100 km3 a year averagely, and 56 km3 are produced on the territory of the republic. The rest volume (44 km3) comes from bordering countries: China – 18.9km3; Uzbekistan – 14.6 km3; Kyrgyzstan – 3.0 km3; Russia – 7.5 km3. Kazakhstan takes one of the last places among the states of the CIS in water provision. Specific water provision is equal to 37 thousand m3 and 6 thousand m3 a year for one person. To compare: in Kyrgyzstan 245 thousand m3 for 1 km2 and 11763 thousand m3 a year for one person. The radical difference is discovered when we compare Kazakhstan with Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. It is obvious that the problem of regulating interstate water relations has great strategic meaning, and for Kazakhstan, with the least water provision in the frame of the planet it is more than topical. According to the Ministry of Agriculture of the RK, 70-75% of the urban citizens are provided by water supply. 15-18% of the inhabitants in Kazakhstan get water from decentralized water resources. The rest population (more than 500 thousand people) use delivered water and water reservoirs, though a little more than half of all the water in the state is formed within the state, and the rest volume comes from neighboring countries – China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia.

Kyrgyzstan takes third place among the states of the CIS in hydro resources. It is possible to construct 22 electro stations on the river Naryn and its tributaries with annual 30 milliard kW/hr of electro energy production. Hydro energy potential of Kyrgyzstan is 142.5 milliard kW/hr, and only 10% of it is mastered for today. Water resources in the basins of the rivers Chu, Talas and Syr-Dariya are distributed between Kyrgyzstan and neighboring countries. In the basin of the river Chu Kyrgyzstan uses 58% of the flow, in the basin of the river Talas – 50%, in the basin of the river Syr-Dariya – 18%, in the basin of the river Amu-Dariya (the river Kyzyl Su) – 20%. For hundreds of years all the countries of the Central Asian region use water resources formed on the territory of Kyrgyzstan.

Rational usage of water resources of trans-bordering rivers in Central Asia became a topical problem lately. In the end of XX and at the beginning of XXI century the question of trans bordering rivers is not only in reservation and reviving of ecologic system and supplying agricultural branches with water, but also in providing security of the inhabitants on the background of intensive aggravation of transition flow quality. Industrial and agricultural development and urbanization with the growth of population in Central Asian countries had sharpened the problem as in quality so in quantity and caused necessity to intensify balancing the usage of water resources of trans bordering rivers to avert possible crisis situations and worsening the international ties, which can come out from controversial demands of the components of watering system to the whole, as:

- Controversial demands of energetic and irrigation to the regimen of river flow, because irrigation is interested in more water using in vegetation period, but energetics – in cold seasons of the year for more electro energy producing in the period of great energy loading;

- Difference of water quality, used by upper and downer consumers, as the downer consumer is interested in water maximally prevented from pollution by upper consumer. But the latter is interested in using natural flow as collector of communal industrial flows and back flows from irrigated fields;

- Controversial demands to the quality of river flow used as water provision for population and agricultural needs of economically developed regions of the basin and water provision of delta and sea ecosystems.

These pointed contradictions were settled down by union organs according to economic ideology. They stuck to the idea of achieving the state aims, taking the criteria of maximal agricultural effectiveness as a rule.

In the new geopolitical situation in Central Asia, which appeared together with independence of some Central-Asian states, key contradictions in using water resources of trans-bordering rivers acquired the character of international conflicts:

- Kyrgyzstan (hydro energy), from one side, and Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan (irrigation), from the other side;

- Uzbekistan (upper user of water), from one side, and Kazakhstan (downer user of water), from the other side;

- Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan (water provision of population and agriculture), from one side, and Kazakhstan (water provision of delta and sea ecosystems), from the other side;

That is why the problem of using water resources of trans-bordering rivers, especially in Central Asia, demands working out some ecological-economical rules, the strategy and concept of international water division, the methodological mechanism of their realization, that would provide the reservation and recreation of ecological conditions of the water basin, and security and rights of the population.

Bibliography

1. Transgranichnye reki – strategicheskiy resurs vodoobespecheniya Kazahstana // Information agency “Kazinform”. – October 21^st, 2005.

2. Burlibayev M.Zh., Dostai Zh.D., Tursunov A.A. Aralo-Syrdariynskiy bassein. Almaty, 2001,-p.180.

3. Ibatullin S.R., Mustafaiev Zh.S., Koibagarova K.B. Sbalansirovannoe ispolzovanie vodnyh resursov transgranichnyh rek.- Taraz, 2005,- p.111.