On 12 of May KICT team met with key staff of SIC ICWC (Vadim Sokolov, Anatoliy Sorokin) to discuss progress on preparatory works for Water information system for Uzbekistan. Before this visit, SIC ICWC prepared draft of the "Concept of Information System" for the Main Administration of Water Resources of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan. This is the first document in the future complex of interconnected documents to create an information system. The entire process of creating an information system will include the following steps:
- Formation of information system requirements
- Development of the concept of information system
- Terms of references for creation of an information system
- Implementation of conceptual design
- Implementation of technical project
- Development of information system operational documentation
Steps 1 and 2 were implemented under instruction of the Main Administration of Water Resources of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekistan by specialists of SIC ICWC. Now the Concept draft was submitted to KICT team for farther consideration.
In the same day KICT team met staff of the UNDP-Uzbekistan project office (Ulugbek Islamov and Malika Karimova) to share of views on water information system development and ways for initiation of SMART water activities in Uzbekistan.
On 13-14 May, the KICT team with support from NGO “Union for protection of the Aral and Amudarya” (GWP CACENA partner represented by Izzat Aimbetov) visited Karakalpakstan where they took part in the field visit to the dried bottom of the Aral Sea around the Muynak city. KICT team observed the sad reality of the Aral Sea crisis and better understood value of water for the country.
The Memorial above the former shore of the Aral Sea, now dried, near Muynak city
Memorial complex near the Muynak city -view from the bottom of dried sea, and rusting hulks of trawlers abandoned at the memorial place after the shrinking of the Aral Sea– evidence of the crisis
Fishing had always been part of the economy of the Muynak city – former fish processing factory.
On 15-16 May, the KICT team paid a visit to the Fergana Valley, where the meeting with key staff of Administration of the main canal systems in Fergana Valley, includibg the United Dispatch Center (Fazyljon Rasulov) and Administration of the South Fergana Canal (Rustam Nurmatov). The main goal of this field trip was to observe of the water planning, allocation and delivery processes within the Fergana Valley. There were discussed issues of the real-time monitoring and data collection. Also, there was a field visit to hydro structure on the South Fergana Canal.
Fergana city: visit to Administration of the main canal systems in Fergana Valley with United Dispatch Center, group photo with Head of this institution, Mr. Fazyljon Rasulov (in front of linear scheme of the canal systems)
Fergana province: Mr. Rustam Nurmatov, Deputy Director of Administration of the South Fergana Canal explains the water planning, allocation and delivery processes along the canal system, which was established with support from IWRM-Fergana Project funded by SDC and executed by SIC ICWC and IWMI during 2001-2012
Field visit to one of the hydro structures along the South Fergana canal – observe the real-time water management process.
On 17-18 May, the KICT team paid a visit to the Zarafshan river basin (Samarkand province). They met the key staff of the Zerafshan Basin Administration of the Irrigation Systems (Tolmaz Isanov, Kobul Latypov and Shamsutdin Djumaev) to observe of the water planning, allocation and delivery process within the Zerafshan river basin.
Samarkand city: visit to the Zerafshan BAIS (Basin Administration of the Irrigation Systems)
Field visit to the hydro structure Ak-Karadarya water weir – where we observed that no water down stream in the river channel, but water delivered to the irrigation canals. 2014 is dry year – water deficit occurred already in May, beginning of the irrigation season in Zerafshan river basin.
Head of Ak-Karadarya water weir explains the scheme of water allocation at this point and water situation down stream.
As the result of KICT mission to Uzbekistan there were agreed the follow-up steps between KICT team, SIC ICWC and Regional Secretariat of GWP CACENA addressing to finalization of preparatory works for new joint project on creation of Water Information System for Uzbekistan. It is necessary to complete prepared by SIC ICWC draft of the "Concept of Information System" - to include description of needed information flow belonging to the Main Administration of water resources of the ministry. For that the information systems of the Administration of the main canal systems in Fergana Valley with United Dispatch Center and Zerafshan Basin Administration of the Irrigation Systems should be taken as pilot. The final, more detailed version of the "Concept of Information System" should be agreed with the Uzbek Agency for Communication and Informatization.
After those joint efforts, the assistance from the KICT is required to prepare an application for project funding from KOICA.
It was challenging mission for KICT team: during a week to cross Uzbekistan by air plane twice (Tashkent-Nukus-Tashkent - more than 2000 km) and travel by car – about another 2000 km – to Fergana valley and to Zerafshan valley