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Chu-Talas Joint Rivers Commission Established Under ADB Project

TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN (2 August 2006) - Government officials from Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic have inaugurated a joint commission to help strengthen interstate water resource management and cooperation.

The Chu-Talas Joint Rivers Commission (CTJRC) was inaugurated in Bishkek on 26 July under an ADB regional grant project to strengthen cooperation among the Central Asian Republics in shared water resource management in the Aral Sea Basin.

Under the grant, ADB has been supporting water agencies of the two countries in the setting up of CTJRC to demonstrate good basin management practices for the region. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan will have equal standing in the Commission, and each country will report to its water management agency. As part of the bilateral deal, Kazakhstan has agreed to pay part of the operating and maintenance expenses for a number of water facilities of Kyrgyz Republic supplying water to both countries.

"The setting up of the CTJRC is an important step forward in improving transboundary water management in the region on a bilateral basis," says Rustam Abdukayumov, Project Management Officer administrating this project from ADB's Uzbekistan Resident Mission. "It is a result of a coordinated effort by the international donor agencies and the governments of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic."

More than 60 participants attended the inauguration ceremony, including representatives of ADB, UN Economic Commission for Europe, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, EU TACIS, Swiss Development Cooperation Agency, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and International Fund for Saving Aral Sea. The participants noted ADB's strong assistance to Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic in establishing a Chui Talas Joint River Commission and emphasized the need for continuing such collaboration in the future.

In addition to the inauguration, a Technical Secretariat of the Chui and Talas Joint River Commission of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic and working groups held a meeting to discuss the progress achieved to date and plans to streamline the work of the Commission.

The Secretariat co-chairs and working groups reported on their accomplishments, including a review of existing interstate agreements on the use of facilities on the Chui and Talas river basins and recommendations for their improvements, development of a computer model for water allocation on the Chui and Talas rivers under different scenarios, an inventory of infrastructure for urgent repair, a system for environmentally sound water allocation, as well as improved transparency of water forecasts through enhanced monitoring.

The $700,000 regional technical assistance project was approved in 2003 and its first component is aimed at improving trans-boundary water management on a pilot basis in the Chu and Talas river basins in the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan. For this purpose ADB provided funding to support the Joint Kazakh-Kyrgyz Secretariat and four working groups on legal and institutional issues; annual water allocation; rehabilitation of hyrdo-technical facilities; and economic, environmental issue, monitoring and data exchange.

ADB has been helping individual countries in Central Asia bring in key policy reforms in the water sector, strengthen existing and develop new institutions such as basin administrations and water users associations, and rehabilitate main irrigation and water supply infrastructure. This has been supported by $270 million of funding from ADB to the Central Asian republics.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through pro-poor sustainable economic growth, social development, and good governance. Established in 1966, it is owned by 66 members - 46 from the region. In 2005, it approved loans and grants for projects totaling $6.95 billion, and technical assistance amounting to $198.8 million.

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