Regional Water Knowledge Hub forIntegrated Water Resources Management in Central Asia

Central Asia IWRM Resource Center’s Expertise

The Central Asia IWRM Resource Center is an arm of the Scientifi c-Information Center (SIC ICWC) of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination of Central Asia (ICWC). ICWC is a nonprofi t association of national water authorities from fi ve regional states committed to the cooperative management of transboundary water resources in the Aral Sea Basin. Founded in 1996, SIC ICWC initiates and coordinates integrated water resource management projects and research with parties working at diff erent levels of Central Asia’s water, agriculture, and energy sectors. SIC ICWC’s mission is to coordinate regional cooperation in the water sphere; improve the exchange of information between ICWC member states; build capacity; promote the eff ective use of natural resources; and enhance growth, security, and sustainable development in the area. The Central Asia IWRM Resource Center comprises SIC ICWC’s Training Center and its Regional Information Center. SIC ICWC is located in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and has branches in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan.

Central Asia IWRM Resource Center’s Services

As the regional water knowledge hub for integrated water resources management in Central Asia, the Central Asia IWRM Resource Center off ers local, national, and regional authorities; higher education institutions, public and private sector corporations; specialized water sector institutes; and others the following services:

• Knowledge exchange through SIC ICWC’s unique CAWater-Info web-portal, a user-friendly database on water use, water energy, water and land resources, and water-related economic matters in the Aral Sea Basin;
• Historical data and predictions of water consumption in transboundary rivers and river basin fl ow dynamics from 1980 onwards;
• Real-time data on water withdrawals in the Amudarya and Syrdarya river basins;
• Estimates of future water consumption and future water and land productivity in the region;
• Identification of hydropower development scenarios and water use and disposal options for the medium term (2025) and long term (2055);
• Access to SIC ICWC’s E-Library of SIC partner publications, national and international laws, international conventions, water planning models, a best practices inventory, and more;
• Links between the international water community and the Russian-speaking audience;
• Geographic information system (GIS)-based services, such as maps of irrigation and drainage networks, maps of changes in cropping patterns and landscapes, and more;
• Coordination, co-execution, and review of regional projects for eff ective water resource use and conservation, and the adoption of common water management policies and guidelines;
• Interactive professional training of high- and mid-level specialists in water and land management, irrigation and drainage, and environmental protection; and
• Regular round tables for regional interstate dialogue on water use and management.

Central Asia IWRM Resource Center’s Knowledge Partners

SIC ICWC facilitates regional networking with partners within and outside of the Central Asian region to share knowledge, develop capacity, and coordinate services. Interested public and private sector organizations are invited to join SIC ICWC’s network of international and local partners, which include such principal regional institutions as:

• Asia-Pacifi c Water Forum (APWF)
• Global Water Partnership for Caucasus and Central Asia (GWP CACENA)
• The national ministries of agriculture and water resources of Central Asian countries
• Executive Committee of the International Fund for saving Aral Sea
• Executive Agency of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea for implementation of the GEF and ASBP Projects, Uzbekistan
• Basin water organizations “Amudarya” and “Syrdarya”
• Coordination Metrological Centre ICWC
• International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID)
• UNEP/GRID-Arendal
• World Water Council
• International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO)
• Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies
• Scientifi c Information Centre of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development, Turkmenistan
• Coordination Regional Dispatch Centre “Energy,” Uzbekistan
• Institute of Water Problems, Hydropower, and Ecology of the Academy of Sciences, Tajikistan
• NGO Ecoforum, Uzbekistan
• Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), Kazakhstan
• Socio-Economic Studies Centre, Uzbekistan
• State Water Inspection, Uzbekistan
• Kazakhstan Su Arnasy
• Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (JSC) (KEGOC)

Contact Information

Olga Poltareva
Specialist, Regional Information Division
Scientific-Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination
Karasu 4/11, Tashkent, 100187, Uzbekistan

Telephone: +998 71 265 9295, 266 4196
Fax +998 71 265 2797

Email: info@icwc-aral.uz, dukh@icwc-aral.uz
Website: www.sic.icwc-aral.uz, www.cawater-info.net