The Aral Sea problem must be solved

The State Flag of the Republic of Uzbekistan

2008-04-30 16:41:42 - The problem of Aral Sea traces its roots back to the far past. But it acquired the threatening scales in 60s of the 20th century. Intensive development of new lands, further development of irrigated land farming, construction of irrigational systems for such purposes throughout entire territory of Central Asia, the continuing growth of demand for water for the household and industrial consumption, as well as systematically repeating low-water years have created the conditions for one of the largest global ecological catastrophes in the latest history - the drying up of once one of the most beautiful reservoirs on our planet.

For over the last fifty years the water area of the Aral Sea has decreased by over four times, the volume of water has diminished by ten times with its mineralization having increased by as much as the same-fold.
The newly-emerged desert conquers the area adjacent to Aral. The zone of permanent ecological risk encompasses not only the regions located around the drying sea impacted by the factors that negatively affect the quality of life, health, and the gene pool of the locally residing population - the Kyzyl-Orda region of Kazakhstan, Dashkhovuz region of Turkmenistan and the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Khorezm, Navoi, and Bukhara provinces of Uzbekistan, but also the entire region of Central Asia.
The deficit of water resources, including the decrease of access and quality of drinking water, degradation of lands, rapid diminishing of biodiversity, climatic changes as a result of high haziness of atmosphere, and perhaps, the related to it lessening of area of glaciers on the Pamir and Tian Shan, where the significant part of flow off of the region's major rivers is formed - these are the brief list of results of dying up of Aral. Today it is quite obvious that the tough complex of ecological, social, economic and demographic problems has emerged in the area adjacent to Aral which on their origins and level of consequences are of an international and global nature.
The 2005 UN report on human development in Central Asia which has noted that depletion of the Aral Sea was not only of a regional but also a global significance had also reflected the realization of those problems.
The issues of rational use of water resources of transboundary rivers of the region acquire a special urgency in this context. Those rivers at all times have provided for pivotal needs of states located in their basins. Today, these are the vitally important interests of more than 50 million people that reside in six states of the region which dictate the need of undertaking the comprehensively thought-out approach and solutions in using the water resources, firstly, of the flow of transboundary rivers in the interests of all countries and peoples that reside in the region. Otherwise this may much worsen the situation in terms of providing water in the downstream of Amudarya and Syrdarya, accelerate the ecological catastrophe of drying up Aral and put into doubt the prospects of sustainable development and practically as a whole the residence of tens of millions of people of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan here.
In line with the key documents of international law, including the conventions on the protection and use of transboundary watercourses and international lakes (1992) and on the law of the non-navigational uses of international watercourses (1997) which define the major principles of using the transboundary rivers, it is envisaged that all states of watercourse 'use within boundaries of their corresponding territory the transboundary watercourse in a reasonable and equitable way'.
Those documents also envisage the commitment of states of international watercourse on its use on their territory to take 'all necessary measures to prevent the infliction of significant damage to other states of watercourse', and in the case of infliction of such damage all measures must be taken 'to liquidate or abate such damage, and if needed, to discuss the issue of compensation'.
The international law on using the water resources of transboundary rivers also envisions the general commitment of states of the region to cooperate 'with an aim to achieve the optimal use and due protection of international watercourse'.
The meeting of heads of states of Central Asia which took place on March 1993 served as an important start of such cooperation. That meeting in the city of Kyzyl Orda saw the signing of Agreement on joint actions to resolve the Aral Sea crisis. For over all these years the states of the region jointly with international organizations have undertaken the considerable efforts to overcome the ecological, social and economic crisis in the Aral Sea basin and improve the situation in the region.
The global social problems including those in the framework of achieving the Millennium development goals are necessary to resolve in line with the formula 'towards globalism through regionalism', by way of establishing the effective regional mechanisms.
In accordance with the resolution of the UN General Assembly, the years 2005-2015 have been announced as an International action decade 'Water for life'.
At the same time would be well to mention the International conference 'Problems of Aral: impact on the gene pool of population, flora and fauna and international cooperation for mitigating consequences' took place in Tashkent on March 12 this year on the initiative of President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov.
The representatives of international and regional organizations, financial institutions, renowned scientists and experts on ecology, climate change and water resources management from 20 countries around the world, including from the states of Central Asia, Germany, Israel, India, China, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan, participated at the conference.
Nowadays the millions of people suffer from the deficit of pure water on our planet. Especially, it is felt in the countries with dry climate. The worsening of ecological situation in the area adjacent to Aral has led to imbalance of ecological system in the region as well as increased the water resources deficit. This negatively affects the social and economic development of the region, life conditions and people's health, biodiversity. Therefore, the problem requires consolidation of cooperation of states in the region as much as international organizations.
The hasty economic activity in the past, as well as the climate change and other natural processes have served as major reasons of ecological crisis related to drying up of the Aral Sea. As a result, the water area of the Aral Sea for over the last fifty years has decreased by over four times, the water level decreased by 24 meters and its volume has diminished by ten times.
President Islam Karimov has not once drawn the world community's attention for the need to take the complex measures to improve the situation, firstly, provide for the joint and concerted management of limited water resources of the Aral Sea basin by states of the region in the interests of all countries in Central Asia and taking into consideration of ecological requirements.
While speaking at the meeting of heads of the SCO member-states in Bishkek in August 2007 the Uzbek Leader has clearly enunciated Uzbekistan's position based on this principle on the use of transboundary watercourses of the region.
Those who spoke at the Tashkent conference have underscored that the problems related to ecological crisis in the area adjacent to Aral could not be addressed by the efforts of just one country. At the same time, the forum has called for the need to better the system of management and use of water resources of the Aral basin in the framework of interstate agreements. Such cooperation must be developed while taking into account the universally recognized international norms and rules. This will be promoted by joining of all states of the region to international pacts on protection and use of resources of transboundary watercourses and lakes.
The international conference has resulted in adoption of Tashkent declaration.
During the conference the participants discussed the reasons and consequences of today's tragedy of the Aral Sea and opportunities of surmounting its serious consequences on the gene pool of population, flora and fauna of area adjacent to Aral. Some of the delegates to the conference shared their opinions and impressions.
Thus, noting the high level of organization of conference Momoko Chiba, the professor of International University of Health and Welfare of Japan, has said that subject of the conference has had a global nature and existing problems had to be resolved in a global scale. 'The ratification of international conventions cited in the address of President of Uzbekistan to the participants of the conference as well as the rational use of waters of transboundary rivers of Amudarya and Syrdarya by all states of the region are very important,' - Ms. Chiba has further said.
The participants of the conference have also dwelled on the importance of further improvement of system of managing and using the water resources of the Aral basin in the framework of existing interstate agreements with taking into consideration the universally accepted international norms and regulations.