Hydraulic bureaucracies and Irrigation Management Transfer in Uzbekistan: the case of Samarkand Province

Since the 1990s, Irrigation Management Transfer has been considered the world over to be a policy aimed at rolling back state influence in water management according to a neo-liberal approach. The initiative was endorsed by international organizations as a way of reforming the water sector in developing countries. Reflecting on this process, the role of hydraulic bureaucracies in driving reforms oriented towards IMT has often been neglected in academic debate. This article discusses the logic of IMT implementation and the establishment of Water Users' Associations (WUAs) in Uzbekistan, specifically in Samarkand province. These dynamics have been analysed over the last 10 years showing different trajectories within Uzbekistan. Data were collected through extensive fieldwork in three districts in Samarkand province. The evidence acquired shows that, on the one hand, WUAs were established to be a new structure for state control over water and agriculture, in conflict with IMT rationale, and, on the other, that WUAs were created in the province as a result of a local initiative promoted by the hydraulic bureaucracy and accepted by the national authorities due to influential power relations.     

Integrated Water Resources Management in the Republic of Uzbekistan

Abstract

The Uzbek socio-economic structure is characterized by the transition from a centrally-planned to a market-orientated economy, with a shifting from agricultural production to industrial development. However, the agricultural sector continues to play a significant role in a general economy of the country. The major water sector strategy is to decrease the dependence of agricultural production on climate by introducing advanced irrigation techniques and water saving methods to achieve future sustainable socio-economic development and environmental protection. Water management policy should be flexible enough to adapt to new demands. The regulation of consumption through demand management tools, such as appropriate pricing policies, has recently received greater attention in Uzbekistan. The main thesis of this paper is that allocation of water resources cannot be separated from ecological and economic considerations. The establishment of development objectives and the identification of constraints are also discussed. In the coming years, special attention will need to be paid to the control of water pollution and land salinization, water resources conservation, and acknowledging that actions to increase water productivity are as important as finding additional sources of water.     

Organizational Problems of Water Distribution in Khorezm,Uzbekistan

Abstract

The paper addresses problems of water resource management on the district and provincial level in the Khorezm province, Uzbekistan. The district water organizations are responsible for equitable water distribution to the agricultural users. These organizations do not have the necessary logistical capacities to manage the water resources nor to control water utilization at the local level. Over-extraction and the lack of control are leading to common pool resource problems at the district level. Furthermore, the concept of administrational management of water resources at the district level, instead of hydrological management increases the problems of equitable water distribution on the provincial, national, and international level.     

乌兹别克斯坦水资源变化及其对供给压力的影响

梳理文献资料,结合农业、遥感和气象水文产品数据,分析乌兹别克斯坦水资源变化及水资源供给压力。分析表明:自1980年以来,乌兹别克斯坦年平均取水量由59亿m~3增至102亿m~3,灌溉农业消耗了90%以上的水资源;尽管1992年以来耕地面积总体呈下降态势(200km~2/a),且高耗水作物种植比重下降(-3.24%),但受气候变暖的影响(0.31℃/(10a)),单位面积作物需水量持续增加(3.27mm/a),导致总的需水量仍呈增加态势(2.75亿m~3/a);与此同时,上游来水量减少以及上游国家用水的增加,将进一步加剧区域水资源短缺及供给压力。为应对水资源问题,乌兹别克斯坦需加强水管理,改进灌溉技术,提高用水效率,同时,需寻求完善跨境河流水资源分配与管理的途径。该研究有助于增进对乌兹别克斯坦水资源问题的认识,并为应对该问题提供科学依据,以及为"一带一路"合作发展提供支撑。     

Books

The environmental impact assessment (EIA) system in Uzbekistan was inherited from the USSR and is centred on state environmental review, a procedure for reviewing the impacts of proposed activities by environmental authorities. This is proving to be a less effective tool of environmental protection in the new political and economic conditions. Since the collapse of the USSR, the Uzbekistani EIA system has undergone gradual reform but the national EIA system remains almost identical to the ‘socialist’ system. At the same time, some elements are similar to those of EIA systems used in developed countries. The shortcomings of the system include unclear screening provisions and lack of public participation. The paper analyses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the development of EIA in Uzbekistan, taking into account various political and economic factors.     

费尔甘纳盆地高温超高密度聚磺复合盐水钻井液技术

乌兹别克斯坦费尔甘纳盆地卡拉吉达构造带主要目的层为N1下部和E上部,深度为5 700～6 500 m,具有高压(地层压力系数在2.2左右)、高产(产量超过500 t/d)、高含硫(5％～6％)、高盐(5％～27％)、超深的“四高一超”的特点,事故多发生在盐层和盐下油气层段.研制出2套抗温分别为150～180℃、180～200 ℃的超高密度聚磺复合盐水钻井液体系,密度可在2.0～2.4 g/cm3范围内调节,具有好的悬浮稳定性和流动性,在抗温达180～200℃的体系中使用了单剂抗温可达200℃的磺酸盐抗盐降滤失剂DSP-2和抗温可达240℃的超小分子高温高盐聚合物降滤失剂PFL-H;同时提出了2套体系的现场配制、维护处理的技术措施和工艺流程,现场操作性强.室内评价和现场应用结果表明,2套体系都能满足该油田深层高温高压盐膏层、高压盐水层井段的钻井施工.     

Conflict over a hydropower plant project between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Central Asian countries struggled to reach an agreement on the use of their shared fresh water resources. The conflict between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan regarding construction of the Rogun Hydropower Plant in the Amu Darya Basin seems deadlocked at present, despite copious efforts made by donor agencies. Therefore, this paper examines each country’s position using the numbers featured in the media.     

乌兹别克斯坦矿产资源投资前景分析

乌兹别克斯坦在中亚地区具有重要的地缘战略地位和较为丰富的矿产资源，“一带一路”倡议的实施为中乌两国的矿业合作提供了良好的契机。本文通过分析乌兹别克斯坦的资源禀赋、市场需求，得出未来乌兹别克斯坦油气、铀、金投资前景良好；通过介绍乌兹别克斯坦的地质工作程度、经济社会、政策法律等方面，分析了有利和不利的矿业投资环境。文章最后提出中国在乌兹别克斯坦矿业投资构想，为中国企业“走出去”提供参考。     

A thorough analysis of renewable hydrogen projects development in Uzbekistan using MCDM methods

The energy supply system of Uzbekistan is not well positioned to meet the rapidly rising domestic energy demand of this country. Uzbekistan's current energy supply system is outdated and has very low diversity, as most of its energy comes from natural gas. In addition to producing immense amounts of greenhouse gas and environmental pollution, this situation is untenable considering the eventual depletion of fossil fuel reserves of this country. Uzbekistan's renewable energy sector is highly undeveloped, a situation that can be attributed to the lack of coherent policies for the advancement of renewable power and the low price of natural gas. However, this country has significant untapped renewable potentials, especially wind energy, that can perform a significant performance in the country's power generation plans. Also, producing hydrogen from renewable power can provide a good alternative to fossil fuels and help meet the needs of the Uzbek industrial sector, especially oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. In this study, the suitability of 17 regions in Uzbekistan for wind-powered hydrogen production was analyzed in terms of 16 sub-criteria in four categories of technical, economic, social, and environmental factors. To obtain robust results, the ranking was performed using a hybrid of BWM and EDAS, as well as WASPAS, ARAS, and WSM techniques. The weighting results exhibited the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH), and Annual Energy Production (AEP) to be the most important sub-criteria for this evaluation. Nukus, Buhara, and Kungrad were introduced as the top three most appropriate locations for hydrogen development from wind plants. It was estimated that using 2000 kW turbines, a wind-powered hydrogen production plant built in the Nukus region can achieve an annual power output of 4432.7 MW and annual hydrogen output of 71.752 tons.     

乌兹别克斯坦矿产资源现状与投资环境分析

乌兹别克斯坦是"一带一路"倡议的重要支点国家,成矿条件好,金、银、铀等矿产资源丰富,但开发程度低,市场潜力大。本文介绍了乌兹别克斯坦主要矿产资源开发利用现状、地质工作程度及发展规划,分析了矿业投资的有利条件和不利因素,并提出了建议,为我国企业在乌兹别克斯坦进行矿业投资提供参考依据。