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Manual and Guideline of Water Assessment in Central Asia

Year: 2025

Collections: Manuals

Topics: Water, IWRM

Authors: Kogutenko Larissa, Safiya Asalbekova, Michael Walther

Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

Source: Journal of MOLARE Research Centre (MRC)

Why water monitoring and assessment are important?

Water quality assessment is one of the crucial scientific and practical analyses to identify the possibility of water consumption for different human needs and nature/ecosystem conservation for future generations. Water quality can be measured and monitored in rivers, springs, creeks, swamps, estuaries, wetlands and lakes what is called aquatic systems. Quality parameters, such as biological, chemical and physical indicators identify the combination of values that influence the composition of water. Monitoring and comparison of different water habitats (macro invertebrates) in biological monitoring provides an information of water quality and allows to make a quick assessment.


Pathways to water conflict transformation: Comparing North Crimea Canal and Kabul River Basin

Year: 2025

Collections: Scientific Publications

Topics: Water

Authors:

Countries: Afghanistan

Source: https://water-ca.org

This study explores pathways to transformation through a focus on water relations among states, examining the intersection of water resources management, political conflicts, and historical grievances: (1) Ukraine and Russia regarding North Crimea Canal; and (2) Afghanistan and Pakistan in Kabul River Basin. Using these cases to support water conflict prevention, this study explores water interactions (disputes, arrangements, and agreements) from the time of respective sovereign statehoods: Afghanistan (1919), Pakistan (1947), and Ukraine and Russia (1991) through to 2022. The design of this study incorporates the Transboundary Waters Interaction Nexus (TWINs) framework to assess past water interactions; with the Four Stages of Water Conflict Transformation framework, used to assess 2022 state-level relations to determine collaborative skills to cultivate water transformation. Findings indicate that while Ukraine- Russia water relations are adversarial, and Afghanistan-Pakistan are in the reflective negotiation stage—territorial disputes and political economic dynamics hamper cooperation, though points of leverage (such as neutral third-party mediation, shared environmental and economic interests, and water diplomacy and legal frameworks) exist. This research provides value through broadening preventative and transformative strategies in politically sensitive and geopolitically unstable regions—showing that water can be a catalyst for equity and regional securitization.


Изменения повторяемости атмосферных блокингов над регионами Казахстана в зимние месяцы 1960–2020 гг. и их влияние на температурные режимы

Year: 2025

Collections: Scientific Publications

Topics: Climate

Authors: Наурозбаева Ж. К., Холопцев А.В.

Countries: Kazakhstan

Source: water-ca.org

Изучены особенности пространственной и временной изменчивости повторяемости атмосферных блокингов над территорией Казахстана в зимние месяцы, а также вариаций ее температурного режима для зимних месяцев. При обнаружении атмосферных блокингов в качестве фактического материала использована информация об изменениях над территорией Казахстана среднечасовых значений атмосферного давления, которые приведены к уровню моря, а также аналогичных значений геопотенциала, соответствующих изобарическим поверхностям 850, 500 и 300 гПа. При оценке влияния атмосферных блокингов на термический режим регионов Казахстана как фактический материал использованы результаты его мониторинга, проводившегося на расположенных в них метеостанциях Казгидромета, а также информация из архивов и электронных ресурсов. Предложена методика обнаружения атмосферных блокингов, обобщающая процедуры, которые традиционно используются для решения рассматриваемой задачи, что позволило снизить вероятности возникающих при этом ошибок. Для различных секторов территории Казахстана для всех зимних месяцев оценены средние значения повторяемости атмосферных блокингов за 1960–2020 гг., продолжительность которых не менее 5–10 суток, тенденции ее межгодовых изменений на отрезках времени, соответствующих различным частям современного климатического периода. Определены климатические нормы повторяемости таких блокингов для современного климатического периода и их изменения по отношению к базовому климатическому периоду (1961–1990 гг.). Также изучено влияние рассматриваемых атмосферных блокингов на термический режим различных регионов Казахстана, который характерен для зимних месяцев. Выявлены регионы Казахстана, где в периоды рассматриваемых атмосферных блокингов возникали наибольшие изменения их термического режима.


Visible light photocatalytic degradation of HDPE microplastics using vanadium-doped titania

Year: 2024

Collections: Scientific Publications

Topics: Water

Authors: Esther Mbuci Kinyua, George William Atwoki Nyakairu, Emmanuel Tebandeke, Oghenekaro Nelson Odume

Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan

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

Efficient strategies are necessary to effectively remove microplastics (MPs), which are widely present in the environment. Among various techniques, photocatalysis using visible light has emerged as a promising ap-proach to tackle the growing concerns surrounding microplastic waste.


Impact of climate change on migration trends in rural Central Asia

Year: 2024

Collections: Scientific Publications

Topics: Climate

Authors: Nina Miholjcic-Ivkovic

Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

Source: Central Asian Journal of Sustainability and Climate Research

Central Asia is considered a region highly vulnerable to climate change impact and susceptible to climate-induced migration. Rural populations throughout the region are particularly at risk of experiencing adverse effects of climate variability and (im)mobility due to increased exposure to environmental hazards and distress that can severely affect agricultural productivity. This paper explores how climate change impacts migration trends in rural areas of Central Asia with an aim to contribute to the research on climate mobility in the region focusing on most vulnerable inhabitants. By examining the ongoing region's environmental degradation with increased aridity and retreating glaciers that affect local agriculture, water and food security, this paper suggests possible outcomes of such effects on rural mobility trends across five Central Asian countries.


Климатическая уязвимость в Центральной Азии: Университеты и актуализация политики

Year: 2024

Collections: Policy Briefs

Topics: Climate

Authors: Жакенова Салтанат, Тлеппаев Арсен, Джанибеков Нодир, Крылова Виктория

Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

Source:

Университеты и академическое сообщество в Центральной Азии играют важнейшую роль в борьбе с последствиями изменения климата, включая повышение температуры, сокращение водных ресурсов и увеличение частоты экстремальных погодных явлений, угрожающих сельскому хозяйству и средствам к существованию. Приоритетным направлением академических усилий должны стать исследования стратегий адаптации, способствующих повышению устойчивости и стабильности. Однако, исследования в области изменения климата в Центральной Азии представлены недостаточно, что подчеркивает настоятельную необходимость расширения исследовательской деятельности


Водные истории из Туркестана: вызовы и возможности для Бадам-Сайрамской водной системы в условиях меняющегося климата

Year: 2024

Collections: Scientific Publications

Topics: Water, Climate

Authors: Айдар Жумабаев, Ханна Шведхельм, Беатрис Марти, Сильван Раджеттли, Тобиас Зигфрид

Countries: Kazakhstan

Source: https://water-ca.org

Река Бадам, приток реки Арыс, входящая в состав Сырдарьинского бассейна, представляет собой важнейший природный ресурс для экологической и социально-экономической деятельности в зоне полузасушливого климата Южного Казахстана. Существенное влияние на речной бассейн оказывает искусственная водная инфраструктура. Бассейн также сталкивается с дефицитом воды, особенно летом, что подчеркивает важность понимания гидрологических процессов, происходящих в его границах, для эффективного управления водными ресурсами. В рамках настоящего исследования с целью оценки воздействия изменения климата на гидрологию и анализа устойчивости водной системы на базе гидрологического программного пакета RS MINERVE была создана полураспределенная концептуальная гидрологическая модель р. Бадам. Связанные модели HBV были реализованы для каждой из гидрологических единиц реакции, которые были определены как высотные зоны. Гидрологическая модель была откалибрована с использованием дневных временных интервалов за период с 1979 по 2011 гг. Полученные кривые вероятности превышения стока и гидрографы были использованы для оценки потенциального воздействия изменения климата на целевой бассейн с использованием сценариев осадков и температуры CMIP6. Будущие климатические сценарии на период 2054-2064 гг. указывают на смещение пикового стока на весенний/поздневесенний период по сравнению с текущим ранним летом без значительного снижения среднесуточного стока в течение года. Созданная гидрологико-гидравлического модель и результаты моделирования могут быть использованы для обеспечения эффективного управления водной системой и обоснования будущих гидроэнергетических проектов, а также могут служить основой для проведения аналогичных исследований в регионе и за его пределами.


Assessing water quality in a distribution network based on hydraulic conditions

Year: 2024

Collections: Scientific Publications

Topics: Water

Authors: Tomperi J.

Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan

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

Abnormalities in hydraulic conditions inside a water distribution network are strongly related to the deterioration of drinking water quality.


Climate change and health in Central Asia: a literature review

Year: 2024

Collections: Scientific Publications

Topics: Climate

Authors: Susan Legro

Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

Source: Central Asian Journal of Sustainability and Climate Research

Countries in Central Asia, which are highly vulnerable to climate change, experience a variety of health-related impacts to which they must adapt. At the same time, climate mitigation interventions in the health sector in the form of reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may also generate co-benefits. This article briefly outlines current understanding of the relationship between climate change impacts and human health in Central Asia and establishes a scope of inquiry based on climate and health linkages as identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It then identifies and summarizes existing research and reporting on this topic in the region as presented in published literature, country reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and gray literature, including policy literature and documentation of donor-funded development interventions in the region. This review, which attempts to summarize and appraise those efforts, has found that both peer-reviewed and grey literature on this topic must be used with caution. The most frequent problems with peer-reviewed and grey literature resources involved confounding bias, and—to a lesser extent—self-reporting bias. The use of an appraisal framework for grey literature sources can frame these diverse resources in the proper context, identify potential shortcomings, and gain insights into current priorities and future direction for research on climate change and health in the region.


Reflections on transboundary water conflict and cooperation trends

Year: 2024

Collections: Scientific Publications, Review article

Topics: Water, Climate, Water governance

Authors: Susanne Schmeier, Alexandra Turgul, Melissa McCracken, Zoe H. Rosenblum, Lynette de Silva, Aaron T. Wolf

Countries:

Source: Water International, 49(3-4), 274-288

This article explores major findings and evolutions in understandings of transboundary water conflict and cooperation over the last three decades, focusing on the trends emerging from the Transboundary Freshwater Diplomacy Database. It is found that since the 1940s, countries tend to cooperate over shared water resources, in contrast to media portrayals of 'water wars'. Water conflicts, which have increased slightly since 2000, are mostly fuelled by water quantity disputes or unilateral infrastructure developments. Institutions play a role in facilitating cooperation and reducing conflict over shared waters, but their growth and adoption have slowed over the last few decades.


Coal mine methane in Kazakhstan: economic and environmental case study

Year: 2024

Collections: Scientific Publications

Topics: Climate, Energy

Authors: Sergey Vassilyev, Galym Iskakov

Countries: Kazakhstan

Source: Central Asian Journal of Sustainability and Climate Research

The study aimed to evaluate the economic and financial viability of a coal mine methane (CMM) utilization project in Central Kazakhstan, demonstrating a methodology for similar initiatives. The analysis was based on the 2013 project proposed by the US Environmen-tal Protection Agency (EPA) that intended to capture methane emissions from six coal mines for electricity generation, yet was never implemented. The study’s relevance stems from Kazakhstan's 2030 methane pledge, recent progress in the country's climate change-related policy, mineworker mortality in 2023, and the shift of mines ownership. Building upon the technical specifications of the 2013 US EPA project, this research em-ployed standard financial and economic cost-benefit analysis (CBA). The financial model utilized a traditional discounted free cash flow approach, while the economic model in-corporated additional factors like the value of statistical life (VSL), shadow pricing, as well as benefits associated with mitigating ozone health impacts, crop damage, mine ex-plosion risks, and CO2 emissions. The economic model has indicated a positive net pre-sent value of $243 mln and 42% internal rate of return. The financial analysis also sug-gests potential profitability under fair electricity and carbon pricing market conditions. To assess project robustness under varying economic and financial assumptions, the study included a sensitivity analysis. The research has likewise leveraged prior CMM-related studies in Kazakhstan and provides valuable guidance for analyzing similar projects. In addition, it also highlights the need for certain adjustments in the current legislation to incentivize such projects, as well as to promote environmental sustainability and social development by mitigating methane emissions, which aligns with Kazakhstan's climate goals.


Морфологическая изменчивость сазана Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1758) в водоемах Балкаш-Алакольского бассейна

Year: 2024

Collections: Scientific Publications

Topics: Water

Authors: Шарахметов С., Бараков Р.Т., Исбеков К.Б., Нуртазин С.Т.

Countries: Kazakhstan

Source: https://water-ca.org

В статье приведены результаты изучения морфологической изменчивости сазана (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758) в пределах трех крупных водоемов Балкаш-Алакольского бассейна – оз. Балкаш, оз. Алаколь и Капшагайского водохранилища. По трем выборкам сазана обнаружены морфологические различия по ряду признаков (счетные и пластические). При анализе внешних признаков были изучены 24 пластических и 14 счетных признаков. С применением метода обработки цифровых изображений (MorphoJ) проанализированы различия сазана по форме тела. Применение метода главных компонент (PCA) позволило определить основные нагрузки на изученные морфологические признаки сазана. Выявленные статистически достоверные различия позволяют говорить о том, что формирование морфологических изменений сазана было вызвано длительностью адаптивной радиации, средовыми факторами водоемов и ежегодным искусственным зарыблением молодью.


Assessment of lake Markakol’s physical and chemical condition with consideration of eutrofication

Year: 2024

Collections: Scientific Publications

Topics: Water

Authors: Azamat Madibekov, Laura Ismukhanova, Askhat Zhadi, Botakoz Sultanbekova, Serik Zhumatayev, Alibek Karimov, Sergei Fokin

Countries: Kazakhstan

Source: https://water-ca.org

The study was conducted in 2023 and comprised a comparative assessment of the state of Lake Markakol’s aquatic ecosystems in surface and bottom water strata. The analysis of bottom water temperatures showed correlation between this parameter and dissolved oxygen concentrations, indicating that pollution caused by organic impurities leads to lake eutrophication, in turn, pro-pelling the extinction of aquatic life. Although the main water physicochemical parameters of Markakol Lake correspond to the oligotrophic type, the shifts in dissolved oxygen and phos-phate content, as well as growth of aquatic vegetation indicate its transition to the mesotrophic type. Higher phosphate content in water is a consequence of pollution disturbing the biological balance, as well as stimulating the reservoir’s eutrophication and increased biological productivity, i.e. algal bloom. In addition, phosphate ions serve an informative indicator of Hazard Class 3 (organoleptically hazardous) anthropogenic pollution. Based on the correlation factor (r), two statistical models were considered for the target lake: 1) Water Pollution: nutri-ent concentrations depending on surface and bottom water temperatures (Model 1); and 2) changes in Water Pollution Indices (biogenic, heavy metals, mean) because of air temperature growth due to global warming of 0.25°C/decade (Model 2).


Производство водорода в Казахстане и Транскаспийская транспортировка водорода.

Year: 2024

Collections: Policy Briefs

Topics: Energy

Authors: Кобзев Алексей, Мануэль Андреш, Абылайхан Солтанаев, Нурбек Есетов

Countries: Kazakhstan

Source:

Энергетический переход продолжается с беспрецедентной скоростью и масштабом, требуя новых технологий с низким уровнем выбросов углерода. Зеленый водород рассматривается как часть решения для достижения декарбонизации промышленности, что потребует согласованных действий со стороны промышленности и правительства для того, чтобы Казахстан смог получить выгоды.


Water saving based on moisture observations: scheduling drip irrigation regimes for tomatoes under greenhouse conditions in Tajikistan

Year: 2024

Collections: Scientific Publications

Topics: Water, Climate, Agriculture

Authors: Nazar Nurzoda

Countries: Tajikistan

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

This study aimed to examine the efficiency of different drip irrigation regimes in spring film greenhouses for early tomato harvesting. The field (small-plot) experiment included designing and testing the watering technology suitable for rural Tajikistan. Irrigation, soil moisture, and tomato growth were followed for several seasons under four irrigation pilots. The experiments showed that the most effective drip irrigation regime for Elpida hybrid tomato was carrying it out while regulating soil moisture within 75-85%, with the irrigation demand of 4,978 m3/ha and irrigation norm of 99.0 m3/ha, also contributing to better water efficiency. The volume of irrigation water for the production of one unit of tomato crop in the second experiment was 5.73 m3/ha, i.e. 14.18% less than in the control plot. The study showed that the tomato evapotranspiration coefficient tends to increase as the threshold of soil mois-ture before and after irrigation grows. The maximum net yield amounted to 1,342 thou. Somoni/ha – 1.9 times or 52.7% higher compared to the control plot. The research findings can guide individual farmers and production facilities, as well as the overall development of agrarian economies like Tajikistan.


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