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  • Baier Clara

    Water consumption of a Paulownia plantation in an arid climate in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia

    Year: 2025

    Collections: Scientific Publications

    Topics: Water, Climate

    Authors: Thevs Niels, Aliev Kumar, Baier Clara

    Countries: Kyrgyzstan

    Source: water-ca.org

    Recently, Paulownia spec. has been introduced to Central Asia in a number of small plantations. Paulownia yields timber of high quality for applications such as furniture, house construction, boat construction, and surf boards, or skis. Thus, Paulownia might offer a much-needed raw material for this region and beyond. However, Central Asia is largely occupied by drylands so that Paulownia needs irrigation. Against the background of frequent water stress across the region, this study aimed at assessing the water consumption and water productivity of that tree, using a 6-year-old plantation as study site. Trees were planted in May 2017 and cut back to their stumps in 2018. Daily crop evapotranspiration was calculated after the Penman-Monteith approach, whereby the crop coefficients were inherited from actual evapotranspiration values which stemmed from the remote sensing approach S-SEBI. Water consumption per tree was 1741 l, 4461 l, 4500 l, and 4407 l over the growing seasons 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. The water productivity for the stem wood over the whole time-span from planting in 2017 until 2023 was 1.59 g l-1 and 5.65 ml l-1. Given the high quality of its timber and its range of high-value applications, it can be concluded that the water consumed by Paulownia enables higher value timber and timber products than other trees that grow in comparable areas of Central Asia.



  • Barakbayev T.R.


  • Barakov R.Т.

    Morphological variability of Cyprinus Carpio Linnaeus, 1758 in water bodies of the Balkash-Alakol basin

    Year: 2024

    Collections: Scientific Publications

    Topics: Water

    Authors: Barakov R.Т., Sharakhmatov S.Е., Isbekov К.B., Nurtazin S.Т.

    Countries: Kazakhstan

    Source: https://water-ca.org/

    The article presents the results of investigating the morphological variability of carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758) in three large reservoirs of the Balkash-Alakol Basin – Lake Balkash, Lake Alakol, and Kapshagay Reservoir. Morphological differences in several features (counting and plasticity) were found in three carp samples. The study included the examination of 24 plastic and 14 counting features. The method of digital image processing (Morpho J) was applied to analyze the differences of the target fish species specimens by body shape. The application of the principal component analysis (PCA) method allowed determining the main loadings on the studied morphological traits of carp. The statistically reliable differences revealed allow to confirm the formation of morphological changes in carp caused by
    the duration of adaptive radiation, environmental factors of water bodies and annual artificial stocking of young fish.



  • Barinova S.


  • Beatrice Marti

    Water Tales from Turkistan: Challenges and Opportunities for the Badam-Sayram Water System under a Changing Climate

    Year: 2024

    Collections: Scientific Publications

    Topics: Water, Climate

    Authors: Aidar Zhumabaev, Hannah Schwedhelm, Beatrice Marti, Silvan Ragettli, Tobias Siegfried

    Countries: Kazakhstan

    Source: https://water-ca.org

    The Badam River, a tributary to the Arys River located in the Syr Darya basin, is a crucial natural resource for ecological, social, and economic activities in the semi-arid region of southern Kazakhstan. The river basin is heavily influenced by manmade water infrastructure and faces water scarcity, particularly during summer, highlighting the importance of understanding its hydrological processes for effective water resource management. In this study, a semi-distributed conceptual hydrological model of the Badam River was implemented using the RS MINERVE hydrological software to evaluate the impacts of climate change on hydrology and to test the resilience of the water system. Connected HBV models were implemented for each of the hydrological response units that were defined as altitudinal zones. The hydrological model was calibrated using daily time steps between 1979 and 2011, and the resulting flow exceedance curves and hydrographs were used to assess the potential impacts of climate change on the basin, using CMIP6 precipitation and temperature scenarios. Future climate scenarios for the 2054 – 2064 period demonstrate that the peak discharge will be shifted to spring/late spring compared to the current early summer with no significant decrease in average discharge per day of the year. The insights gained from this hydrological-hydraulic model can be used to effectively manage the water system and inform future hydropower design decisions and serve as a blueprint for similar studies in the region and elsewhere.



  • Beishenaly Nazik

    Development of agricultural cooperatives in Kyrgyzstan: who are the lead actors?

    Year: 2021

    Collections: Scientific Publications

    Topics: Agriculture

    Authors: Beishenaly Nazik, Dufays Frédéric

    Countries: Kyrgyzstan

    Source: Central Asian Journal of Water Research


    Development of agricultural cooperatives in Kyrgyzstan: who are the lead actors?

    Year: 2021

    Collections: Research Paper

    Topics: Agriculture

    Authors: Beishenaly Nazik, Dufays Frédéric

    Countries: Kazakhstan

    Source:



  • Benjamin Pohl

    The Rise of Hydro-Diplomacy: Strengthening foreign policy for transboundary waters

    Year: 2014

    Collections: Scientific Publications, Reports, Review article

    Topics: Water diplomacy, Water, Water law, Water governance

    Authors: Benjamin Pohl, et al.

    Countries:

    Source: Adelphi

    Water is a fundamental precondition for human life. No substitute for freshwater exists, and it is scarce in many regions. Simultaneously, much of it transcends state borders via shared river and lake basins or groundwater aquifers. The resulting political, economic, social and environmental interdependencies give water resources the crucial potential to either foster cooperation or exacerbate conflict. The significance of access to water is growing as demographic and economic drivers as well as deteriorating water quality interact with climate change that will regionally increase water scarcity and variability.



  • Bjørn-Oliver Magsig

    The Multi-track Water Diplomacy Framework A Legal and Political Economy Analysis for Advancing Cooperation over Shared Waters

    Year: 2016

    Collections: Scientific Publications, Research Paper, Review article, Concept paper

    Topics: Water, Sustainable Development, IWRM, Water law, Water diplomacy, Water governance

    Authors: Patrick Huntjens, Yumiko Yasuda, Ashok Swain, Rens de Man, Bjørn-Oliver Magsig, Shafiqul Islam

    Countries: N/A

    Source: The Hague Institute for Global Justice

    This publication is part of the project Water Diplomacy: Making Water Cooperation Work, led by The Hague Institute for Global Justice, in collaboration with Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), UNESCO Category II Centre for International Water Cooperation (ICWC), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Uppsala University, University of Otago, University College Cork and Tufts University Water Diplomacy Program.



  • Bobocholov Asliddin

    Exploring the interlinkages between water and energy use in the lift irrigated agriculture of Uzbekistan

    Year: 2025

    Collections: Scientific Publications

    Topics: Water, Energy, Agriculture

    Authors: Hamidov Ahmad, Bobocholov Asliddin, Sonoko Dorothea Bellingrath-Kimura

    Countries: Uzbekistan

    Source: water-ca.org

    The water, energy, and food (WEF) nexus is being promoted as a conceptual idea for achieving sustainable development, that describes the interconnections and interdependencies between those three sectors. The main objective of this article is to operationalize the WEF nexus concept in lift-irrigated areas of Uzbekistan through involving local stakeholders, to investigate the WEF nexus within the lift-irrigated agriculture of the Kashkadarya region, an area heavily reliant on the Karshi Canal system. The study is grounded in the urgent need for sustainable development, with a focus on enhancing intersectoral cooperation between water, energy, and food sectors. A case study methodology was employed, incorporating semi-structured interviews with experts, alongside local farmers and scientists. Data were analysed using the qualitative analysis software, Atlas.ti. The results indicate significant challenges to intersectoral cooperation in the WEF nexus, including lack of trust, communication barriers, differing priorities, and insufficient political will. However, the findings also highlight the potential benefits of improved cooperation, such as enhanced resource efficiency, reduced operational costs, and mitigated risks from environmental stressors like drought. The study concludes that, according to stakeholders’ opinions, while the WEF nexus presents critical opportunities for advancing sustainable development in Uzbekistan, substantial barriers must be addressed to realize these benefits. Recommendations include promoting sustainable agriculture to reduce water dependency, improving energy security by diversifying energy sources, and raising awareness of the WEF nexus’s importance. Furthermore, fostering stronger stakeholder cooperation is crucial for achieving Uzbekistan’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.



  • Bobojonov Ihtiyor

    Current challenges in Central Asian water governance and their implications for research, higher education, and science-policy interaction

    Year: 2025

    Collections: Scientific Publications

    Topics: Water, IWRM

    Authors: Gafurov A., Ziganshina Dinara, Assubayeva A., Nodir Djanibekov, Abdullaev Iskandar, Bobojonov Ihtiyor, Dombrowsky Ines, Hamidov Ahmad, Herrfahrdt-Pähle Elke, Janusz-Pawletta Barbara, Ishangulyyev Rovshen, Kasymov Ulan, Mirkasimov Bakhrom, Petrick Martin, Strobehn Katrin

    Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

    Source: water-ca.org

    Political tensions over water management in the Central Asia region have intensified since the Soviet era, as ecological issues like the drying Aral Sea and seasonal hydropower disruptions impact downstream countries. The paper discusses the region’s water governance challenges, including climate-induced uncertainties, water resource demands, and the limited capacity of local research institutions. While Central Asia’s governments have initiated reforms, including new infrastructure and agreements, resilience in water management remains underdeveloped. The paper also explores the role of higher education institutions in fostering capacity-building for sustainable governance, emphasizing the need for local expertise and regional collaboration. The proposed establishment of a Central Asian water research platform aims to enhance science-policy integration, promote sustainable water governance, and support informed regional cooperation on transboundary water issues.



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