Water

Water Champion: Amy Leung
Where the Drinking Water is Salty
October 2002

By Ma. Christina Dueñas
Water Knowledge and Communications Coordinator, ADB

Amy Leung is an Urban Development Specialist in the Social Sectors Division, East and Central Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank. She has worked in various water projects, particularly in Uzbekistan and the People's Republic of China. Ms. Leung handles ADB's first rural water supply intervention in Uzbekistan, the Western Uzbekistan Rural Water Supply Project. Project Brief Karakalpakstan and Khorezm are located in the driest part of Uzbekistan. Over the last three decades, the drying up of the Aral Sea has aggravated the water shortage problem. Since mid-2000, Karakalpakstan and Khorezm have been suffering from the worst drought in 100 years, with families in rural communities losing direct access to safe drinking water and their main source of income from agriculture. Drinking water, where available, is often contaminated and of poor quality, exposing the population to high risks of waterborne diseases and carcinogenic immunological problems. The Western Uzbekistan Rural Water Supply Project will attempt to improve the living and health conditions in the rural communities of Karakalpakstan and Khorezm. The project has three main components: Potable water supply- includes the development of new systems, and rehabilitation and upgrading of existing facilities to: increase access to safe water supply minimize water wastage increase supply efficiency of bulk water and service delivery lower unit costs of production Water conservation and health improvement - includes introduction of water conservation measures, improvement of sanitation facilities in schools and clinics and promotion of better hygiene practices Capacity building- includes strengthening of institutional capacity for potable water resource management The project was approved in April 2002 and is estimated to run up to September 2005.

Who are the main beneficiaries of the project?

The project concentrates on the rural poor. Many are farmers who have lost their crops or livestock because of the drought. The results of the drought are dismal - surface water is drying up and there's the constant need to find another water source because the old one has dried up. Most people don't get enough water since the bulk goes to irrigation first. In fact, in the scheme of things, healthy people probably have the last priority when it comes to getting water-with irrigation coming first, and the sick people a poor second.

How involved are they in the project?

Increasingly so as the project progresses. In Uzbekistan, they have rural assemblies that serve as the social structure for distributing benefits to the people. The members of the rural assemblies understand and can convey the needs of the communities so we tried to tap into that knowledge when designing the project.

Since the project is just starting, the communities themselves haven't had much chance for deeper involvement. But they welcome the idea and we intend to pursue this collaboration further.

How does the project support the ADB water policy?

Obviously, the project's thrust relates to the policy element on improving and expanding the delivery of water services. Beyond that, however, the project also supports ADB's water policy in a variety of ways.

Integrated water resources management is important to the project not only because the very limited water resource available has many competing uses, among them irrigation and domestic supply, but also because responsibility for management is shared among various agencies. We have the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, the Ministry of Macroeconomics and Statistics, the Uzbekistan Communal Services Agency, vodokanals and agrovodokanals (urban and rural water sewerage agencies) and others. Coordination is a key issue. So, too, is building the capacity of these water agencies so that they can be truly independent and sustainable in their operations.

Conservation is also very important. Water was free during the USSR days so the concept of conservation is new to the people. They now conserve water because there is a drought. But without this problem, they will likely go back to old practices. We need to educate them about this, and the best way is through their rural assemblies.

Although it is not the priority, we will also try and help them structure tariff charges. The government has been collecting tariff for some time but they don't use the principle of cost recovery. At the other side of the coin, people welcome the idea of tariffs but because of their income level, it is still difficult to charge.

How does the project respond to government policies?

The government promotes the development of a stable and flexible water supply, the strengthening of water agencies involved, and the implementation of water conservation programs. It also puts special emphasis on rural water supply that, historically, has always lagged behind urban water supply. With the onset of the drought, the government also formulated the 10-year Aral Sea Drought Relief Program for Karakalpakstan and Khorezm in 2000. Besides improving the quantity and quality of potable water supply, the program includes health care, microcredit-based employment generation, social protection of vulnerable families, and irrigation and drainage. Obviously, the main components of the project directly support the government policy and 10-year plan.

How does the project help reduce poverty?

Most of the people in Karakalpakstan and Khorezm are so poor that anything can help them. Specifically, though, the water shortage and the highly saline nature of available water resources have posed serious health risks, affected employment, degraded the environment, and generally increased the number of people living below subsistence levels. The different project components hope to alter this situation.

What are the main challenges ahead?

Coordination is going to be a major challenge because there are a lot of central and local agencies and several donor institutions working in the same areas and towards the same goals. We will also have to deal with Uzbekistan's complicated internal procedures that can delay our progress. But the government has shown a really strong commitment to the project, and our Resident Mission has been very supportive. In general, the situation is hopeful.

Can you share an anecdote about your personal experience with the project?

The first time I drank tea during one of the site visits, I thought the people put salt in it and that's how they make their tea. And then I was told that their water is naturally salty. The people in Karakalpakstan and Khorezm have been drinking salty water for so long that they actually don't know that water shouldn't be salty. Because of the water shortage, the people just drink any water - even one that poses serious health risks - because that's the only one they have. The project will not just give them better quality water; it will also educate them about good and bad water. We are still at a very early stage, and we have all the good intentions. But we will have to make every effort to make good on our promises.