PEER NAS USAID Grant

PARTNERSHIPS FOR ENHANCED ENGAGEMENT IN RESEARCH (PEER) Cycle 5

• The project title: Integrated water resources management and strategic environmental assessment of Kabul and Amu Darya rivers
• Principal Investigator: Zheenbek Kulenbekov (kulenbekov@gmail.com), American University of Central Asia.
• U.S. Partner: Forrest Melton, California State University Monterey Bay, and the NASA Ames Research Center Cooperative for Research in Earth Science and Technology.

In December 2016, the AUCA Environmental Management and Sustainable Development program (former name of ESCS) received a PEER NAS grant from USAID for a project related to sustainable water resources management and strategic environmental assessment of the Kabul and Amu Darya rivers. 

The principal investigator was Zheenbek Kulenbekov, and his partner was Forrest Melton from California State University Monterey Bay, and the NASA Ames Research Center Cooperative for Research in Earth Science and Technology. 

The introductory seminar was held at AUCA from March 10 to 11. Among the presenters at the seminar were students of the EMSD program and Bard College students. The workshop was also attended by participants from Afghanistan and Tajikistan, the local USAID office, the Kyrgyz office of CAREC, local IWRM experts and members of the Kyrgyz project implementation team. 

Afghanistan emphasized the importance of improving water management as a first step towards rebuilding rural communities and improving people's health. Food security in Central Asia and Afghanistan is also a serious and worsening problem. The agricultural sector will be an important focus for upgrading human capital skills, given the size of the rural population. The aim of this research project is to lift Afghanistan out of the identified knowledge gap on its water resources and remove existing barriers to sustainable integrated water resource development and management (IWRM) in the Amu Darya Basin, as well as promoting strategic environmental assessment. At the same time, the project is expected to provide transparency on the potential impact of integrated water resource development plans and ongoing projects to downstream riparian states, as well as the donor community. Because of its international position, American University of Central Asia will take the lead in data generation and analysis and will collaborate with research and implementing agencies in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.In many ways, the Kyrgyz Republic is ahead of its neighbors on issues associated with the effective use of water resources, and through successful implementation of this project the country could serve as a positive example for the region. Providing qualified training to local communities and universities on IWRM issues in the project area is critical to advancing future research. 

In the Amu Darya basin, approximately 30 million people depend on irrigated agriculture for their livelihoods. Past wars and civil conflicts have prevented the coastal state of Afghanistan from developing its agricultural sector. The current international focus on promoting sustainable development and poverty reduction in Afghanistan is likely to increase water use in its transboundary basins and may therefore have a negative impact on livelihoods in downstream riparian states. Like many regions of the world, Central Asia and Afghanistan are looking for ways to make the best use of limited water resources. The purpose of this research project is to close the knowledge gap about water resources and potential irrigated areas in three sub-basins of the Amu Darya basin in Afghanistan, and to help determine Afghanistan's legal obligations to its riparian neighbors.

Within the Amu Darya Basin, about 30 million people depend on irrigated agriculture for their livelihoods. Past wars and civil conflicts have hindered the upstream riparian state Afghanistan from developing its agricultural sector. The current focus of the international community on facilitating sustainable development and poverty reduction in Afghanistan is likely to increase water utilization within its transboundary basins and therefore might have a negative effect on livelihoods in downstream riparian states. Like many regions across the world, Central Asia and Afghanistan are seeking ways to make the best use of limited water resources. The purpose of this research project is to close the knowledge gap on water resources and potential irrigated areas within three sub-basins of the Amu Darya Basin within Afghanistan, as well as to help determine the legal obligations of Afghanistan to its riparian neighbors. The closure of this gap should help Afghanistan and the donor community to plan their sustainable water development and environmental assessment strategies and projects.

The project research team will assemble a data set on water availability, changes in irrigated areas, and the irrigation potential in the three target sub-basins. They will also develop a model of impacts of ongoing rehabilitation projects in Afghanistan on lower provinces within the tributary basins, as well as riparian states within the Amu Darya Basin. They aim to provide an array of cost-effective tools to agricultural producers in the three sub-basins of the Amu Darya River Basin to assist them with optimizing irrigation scheduling and maximizing crop yields with the water available each year. In addition, they will provide new tools for quantifying and forecasting irrigation demand to water managers in order to help schedule water deliveries to growers effectively. The project implementation period is from current year to 2019. The budget of the project is around $300,000 for three countries for three years.

Meerim Derbisheva, sophomore student of Applied Geology Department:
"This summer me and my group mates had the great opportunity to take part in the research expedition under the USAID project in Chon-Alay. It was an incredible experience. We were learning how to use different types of equipment, doing measurements of water, and analyzing the results.

Our professors explained how to do measurements properly, and how to analyze the quality of water through bioindicators. We were also visiting the circle shaped meteorological stations and moreover set our own ones. We had a lot of fun.

The beautiful nature of South Kyrgyzstan with breathtaking views of mountains impressed me so much. I could see the legendary peak of Lenin with my own eyes! The air was so fresh compared to the polluted one in Bishkek. We were walking a lot, having organic food, so I think my health is thankful now. This field trip included not only the field work but also the excursion to the Sulaiman-Too in Osh, which is actually part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. It was very interesting to climb this mountain and get into the caves. Such an unbelievable view! Thanks to this field trip, we got priceless knowledge, which we can use in our job in the future."