World Bank (WB) continues to invest in irrigation and drainage management in upstream countries of the Aral Sea. In a previous article published on 21 December 2010, the Senior Water Resource Specialist in the Agriculture and Rural Development Unit of the Europe and Central Asia region of WB, IJsbrand de Jong told WaterWideWeb, “Close to 90 percent of Uzbekistan’s agriculture is irrigated.”
Such a significant percentage of irrigated agriculture requires careful maintenance of these systems that are integral to economic development in the region. Seventy percent of foreign trade in Uzbekistan is fueled by agriculture and twenty-two percent of the Gross Domestic Product is produced by agriculture.
In an interview with WaterWideWeb, de Jong detailed the role of WB’s Drainage, Irrigation and Wetlands Improvement Project (DIWIP) in Uzbekistan in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and securing regional stability in Central Asia. Please read the complete interview below.
EAB: Why is WB so heavily invested in irrigation and drainage maintenance projects in Uzbekistan?
IJ: There are five reasons why irrigation is important in Uzbekistan. Firstly, we know that irrigation water is an input and we need to make sure that irrigation services are provided in a reliable and good quality way. This will increase produce and agricultural productivity. Support for agricultural production is important in Uzbekistan, as you know from our previous interview. Supporting the agricultural agenda is important.
Secondly, we’re looking at this from a public expenditure perspective. Approximately 80 percent of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Agriculture budget is spent on pump irrigation, which is about half of the total irrigated area. These pumps are electric or diesel and they cost a lot of energy. That represents a large percentage of financial investment by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Thirdly, if you would increase use of irrigated water by 1 percent, then you would earn $3 million by reducing pumping costs. You can export electricity that you don’t need to neighboring countries and earn an additional $4 million. These are expenditures for a country like Uzbekistan. More focused irrigation is crucial.
Fourthly, these projects are important for environmental conservation. Irrigation has a big impact on the Aral Sea because of massive irrigation development. Water is no longer reaching the Aral Sea anymore. The whole idea is making irrigation more efficient so you can send more water back into the Aral Sea. And the whole Aral Sea and all downstream users benefit from this efficiency.
Then there is the energy-water story. During the Soviet Union, issues were solved between republics of the Soviet Union but that’s no longer the case. Upstream countries need electricity in winter and downstream countries need water in summer for irrigation. This is a major part of that whole dialogue and discourse about water and energy between upstream and downstream countries in Central Asia.
Lastly, climate change is a huge factor. There has been a mobile increase in temperature and higher variability in precipitation. Irrigation is an important tool to mitigate against these climate change impacts.
EAB: What is the ultimate goal of the DIWIP?
IJ: It points into the same direction. In order to help irrigation serve a better purpose it needs to be reliable, transparent, and with cost-effective delivery. Service provision is important here as well. We need to make sure it’s used efficiently by farmers and provide incentives to make people use irrigation in a more effectively.
EAB: What are the implications of this project?
IJ: That goes back to the five reasons stated earlier. The energy-water issue in Central Asia is a big issue. It’s not just about energy and water. It’s about regional stability and international security following the break up of the Soviet Union. It’s a potential threat to Eastern stability. The provision for the future is a vibrant agriculture that supports life of people and reduces poverty and poverty is a problem in terms of regional stability. It is in our interest to address to these issues.
EAB: Thank you for interviewing with WaterWideWeb.
IJ: You’re welcome.
Thus far, the DIWIP has yielded positive results in Uzbekistan. Since it began in 2003, the groundwater table has lowered in 90 percent of the project area. As a result, there has been a desalination of irrigated land. Arable land that was unfit to cultivate because of salinity is now ready to be used. Local communities can now generate income and rates of poverty will decrease.
Uzbekistan is centrally located in a hot zone of water politics. Appeasing downstream countries with water and energy needs must be navigated with caution since both upstream and downstream end users draw upon the same water source. Since the Aral Sea is no longer supplying the region with the water needed to benefit all users in the region, entities such as the WB and other international organizations must start using water smarter. Saving water is securing stability, a non-violent way of keeping the peace in the region.
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