The Aral Sea Basin

The Aral Sea Basin

Author: Stefanos Xenarios

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-09-17

Total Pages: 375

ISBN-13: 0429791062

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This book offers the first multidisciplinary overview of water resources issues and management in the Aral Sea Basin, covering both the Amu Darya and Syr Darya River Basins. The two main rivers of Amu Darya and Syr Darya and their tributaries comprise the Aral Sea Basin area and are the lifeline for about 70 million inhabitants in Central Asia. Written by regional and international experts, this book critically examines the current state, trends and future of water resources management and development in this major part of the Central Asia region. It brings together insights on the history of water management in the region, surface and groundwater assessment, issues of transboundary water management and environmental degradation and restoration, and an overview of the importance of water for the key economic sectors and overall socio-economic development of Central Asian countries, as well as of hydro politics in the region. The book also focusses on the future of water sector development in the Basin, including a review of local and international actors, as well as an analysis of the current status and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals by Basin countries. The book will be essential reading for those interested in sea basin management, environmental policy in Central Asia and water resource management more widely. It will also act as a reference source for decision-makers in state agencies, as well as a background source of information for NGOs.


Promoting Transboundary Water Security in the Aral Sea Basin through International Law

Promoting Transboundary Water Security in the Aral Sea Basin through International Law

Author: Dinara Ziganshina

Publisher: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers

Published: 2014-10-09

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 900427426X

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Water security threats arising from inadequate access to water for sustaining ecosystems, livelihoods, human well-being and socio-economic development has gained increasing attention over the past decades all over the world, but especially in international river basins shared by two or more states. In the Aral Sea basin, shared by Afghanistan and five post-Soviet republics of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - water security issues are extremely pressing due to heavy reliance on, and competition over, shared waters. Promoting Transboundary Water Security in the Aral Sea Basin through International Law addresses the current gap in the literature by moving beyond the static identification of treaties and norms to examine how these treaties and norms can work for water security in practice. In its thorough and incisive scholarship, the book serves as a contribution toward peaceful and sustainable regulation of transboundary watercourses and their ecosystems in the Aral Sea basin.


Aral Sea

Aral Sea

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 92

ISBN-13:

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This report presents the GIWA assessment of the Aral Sea, a land-locked sea in Central Asia. Nearly all available freshwater resources are being used for irrigation, and the regional economy suffers frequent freshwater shortages. Modification of stream flow is the major issue. Outmoded and inefficient irrigation continues the economic problems. Weak water legislation is highlighted as a main cause. Policy options for mitigation of environmental and socio-economic impacts are laid out.


Water Resource Conflicts and International Security

Water Resource Conflicts and International Security

Author: Dhirendra K. Vajpeyi

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0739168177

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Water Resource Conflicts and International Security: A Global Perspective is an edited collection by Dhirendra K. Vajpeyi which analyzes the increasing global demand for water in economic and social development, and the dire need to efficiently manage this vital natural resource, particularly in water-scarce countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Several environmental- and human-induced factors, such as urbanization, industrialization, climate change, and agricultural needs, have created a near-crisis situation in many countries. Subsequently, there is an increasingly intense competition to utilize available water resources in these most heavily-affected regions; transboundary rivers, lakes, and streams which are shared by more than one country pose potential for political conflict, armed conflict, and, in the best of cases, cooperation. The contributors of Water Resource Conflicts and International Security present ten case studies in seven chapters, highlighting the competition between countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. In his conclusion, Dhirendra K. Vajpeyi suggests several policy measures that governments may implement in order to minimize the potential for conflict.


The UN Watercourses Convention in Force

The UN Watercourses Convention in Force

Author: Flavia Rocha Loures

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-09-11

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 1136484388

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At the UN General Assembly in 1997, an overwhelming majority of States voted for the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses – a global overarching framework governing the rights and duties of States sharing freshwater systems. Globally, there are 263 internationally shared watersheds, which drain the territories of 145 countries and represent more than forty percent of the Earth's land surface. Hence, inter-State cooperation towards the sustainable management of transboundary water supplies, in accordance with applicable international legal instruments, is a topic of crucial importance, especially in the context of the current global water crisis. This volume provides an assessment of the role and relevance of the UN Watercourses Convention and describes and evaluates its entry into force as a key component of transboundary water governance. To date, the Convention still requires further contracting States before it can enter into force. The authors describe the drafting and negotiation of the Convention and its relationship to other multilateral environmental agreements. A series of case studies assess the role of the Convention at various levels: regional (European Union, East Africa, West Africa, Central Asia, Central America and South America), river basin (e.g. the Mekong and Congo) and national (e.g. Ethiopia and Mexico). The book concludes by proposing how future implementation might further strengthen international cooperation in the management of water resources, to promote biodiversity conservation as well as sustainable and equitable use.


Central Asia Atlas of Natural Resources

Central Asia Atlas of Natural Resources

Author: Asian Development Bank

Publisher: Asian Development Bank

Published: 2010-04-01

Total Pages: 578

ISBN-13: 9292547593

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This atlas brings together a wealth of information related to living and nonliving natural resources in the five countries of Central Asia---Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It contains an array of maps based on geographic information systems and remote sensing images, numerous photographs, tabulations of important data, and extensive descriptive text that together illustrate and describe the region's bountiful natural resources, its diversity of peoples, and their progress toward sustainable development. Highlights include geographic and climatic features; environmental, economic, and social profiles; energy, minerals, and water resources; ecoregions and ecosystems; major fauna and flora; agriculture and fisheries; peoples and cultural traditions; and economic and social statistics.


Global International Waters Assessment

Global International Waters Assessment

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13:

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This report presents the results of the GIWA assessment of the Aral Sea, a land-locked sea in Central Asia. Practically all renewable water resources in the region are being used, predominantly for irrigation, and the regional economy is developing under conditions of increasing freshwater shortages. Freshwater shortage, and more specifically the issue of modification of stream flow was assessed to be of the highest priority. The past and present status and future prospects are discussed, and the transboundary issues are traced back to their root causes. The use of outmoded and inefficient irrigation technology, the continued economic difficulties and weak legislation for water use are major root causes in this region. Policy options have been recommended to mitigate environmental and socio-economic impacts and to secure the region's future prosperity.--Publisher's description.