E708 Volume 3 Tacis Joint Environmental Programme JEP-ll : South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Drain Project, Uzbekistan: Volume I: Environmental Impact Assessment Report January 2003 (Prepared in support of the Drainage, Irrigation and Wetland Improvement Phase - I Project) - -A 10-11MORME EC Tacis/World Bank Joint Environmental Programme JEP 11: South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Drain Project, Uzbekistan Volume I: Environmental Impact Assessment Report (Prepared in support of the Drainage, Irrigation and Wetland Improvement Phase - I Project) January 2003 Reference 6536.11 For and on behalf of Environmental Resources Management Approved by: Kurt A. Lonsway Signed: Position: Technical Director Date: January 2003 This report has been prepared by Environmental Resources Management the trading name of Environmental Resources Management Limited, with all reasonable skill, care and diligence within the terms of the Contract with the client, incorporating our General Terms and Conditions of Business and taking account of the resources devoted to it by agreement with the client We disclaim any responsibility to the client and others in respect of any matters outside the scope of the above. This report is confidential to the client and we accept no responsibility of whatsoever nature to third paries to whom this report, or any part thereof, is made known. Any such party relies on the reporn at their own nsk. In line with our company environmental policy we purchase paper for our documents only from ISO 14001 certified or EMAS verified manufacturers. This includes paper with the Nordic Environmental Label This report has been prepared by Environmental Resources Management, the lead contractor for the EC Tacis-funded Joint Environmental Programme. For further information please contact: John Horberry George McDonnell JEP Project Director JEP Team Leader Environmental Resources Management Environmental Resources Management 8 Cavendish Square Visverkopersstraat 13 London WlG OER B-1000 Brussels Tel: +44 (20) 7465 7238 Tel: +32 (2) 550 0285 Fax: +44 (20) 7465 7350 Fax: +32 (2) 550 0299 Email: jh@ermuk.com Email: gm@ermbelgium.be ERM 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 ADMINiSTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS This report has been prepared by Environmental Resources Management (ERM) jointly for the Government of Uzbekistan and the World Bank, under funding provided by EU TACIS (European Union Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States), through their Joint Environmental Programme (JEP). The studies reported here were conducted between November 2000 and December 2002. They concern the environmental impacts of the South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Drain, which forms a part of the Drainage, Irrigation and Wetlands Improvement Project, under consideration for assistance by the World Bank. 1.2 OUTLINE OF THE PROJECT Rainfall in Uzbekistan is meagre, so 90% of the cultivated area (4.3M ha) is irrigated. About 2.3M ha are situated in the basin of the Amu Darya river and a significant part of this area has become salinised. Water logging is an associated problem, as large volumes of water are allocated to leach salts from the soil profile and the present drainage systems are inadequate to evacuate excess water. High consumption of water in irrigation has led to various environmental and social problems, especially in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya Basin where water has become scarcer and less reliable in recent times. The shrinkage and salinisation of the Aral Sea is the most notorious of these effects. The South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Drain project is located in the western part of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, which includes part of the Aral Sea to the north. The Amu Darya is virtually the only source of fresh water in Karakalpakstan. There are about 100,000 ha of irrigated land in South Karakalpakstan, which is on the east (right) bank of the Amu Darya. These irrigation systems are in the districts of Turtkul, Ellikala and Beruni, and draw water from the river, either by gravity from the main-stream Tuyamuyun Dam which was made operational in 1981, or by direct pumping from the river. The region has a long history of small-scale irrigated agriculture, but much of the land has been equipped for modern irrigated agriculture in the past 20 years. During this time, problems due to inadequate drainage rapidly became severe. Water- tables have risen, allowing capillary evaporation from the soil surface, and consequent deposition of salts in the upper layers of the soils. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK I Two large drainage-pumping stations, Beruni and Kyzyl-kum, were installed in the early 1980s, but have not been able to stop the advance of salinity in the irrigated lands of South Karakalpakstan. The Core Project discussed in this report envisages closure of these pump-stations, and replacement with a single, long drain in which water would flow by gravity, without pumping, for a distance of about 300 km, towards the Aral Sea. The project envisages use of two extinct natural channels, the Akcha Darya and Jana Darya, former distributaries of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya deltas respectively. These channels have not conveyed water in recent times, but in the past they flowed into each other and linked the two major deltas. The project plans to use the old channel of the Akcha Darya, to deliver the drainage water to the Jana Darya, which would convey it into the Aral Sea. Thus, the intended end result of the project is to deliver drainage water from South Karakalpakstan to the Aral Sea. This drain would originate near to the right bank of the Amu Darya, about 40 km north of the town of Beruni. The first 100 km of its route follows the downstream (northern) boundary of the irrigated lands of South Karakalpakstan. After 100 km, the route enters the old Akcha Darya channel, and turns northward. For the remaining 200 km, the route crosses a part of the Kyzyl-kum desert, which is used by livestock herders from both North and South Karakalpakstan as an area of sparse grazing. In this area, the project envisages formation of a number of new artificial wetlands, in which fish production would be promoted. The drain will deliver water into the Jana Darya. The point at which it will enter the Jana Darya is about 130 km from the present shore of the Aral Sea. Works in the Jana Darya are not proposed in this project. The project is envisaged to terminate where the drain enters the Jana Darya. Parts of the drain have already been built, but the depth of the drains in the segment near to the irrigated areas is inadequate for effective drainage of those lands. Farther north, in the area where livestock-herding is the main human activity, some artificial channels have been excavated. These new channels form part of the proposed project, and continue at present up to some 70 km north of the herders' village of Chukurkak. Four administrative districts of Karakalpakstan - Beruni, Elhikala, Turtkul and Takhtakupir - will be directly affected by the project, as it crosses their territories. The irrigated land is located in Beruni, Ellikala, and Turtkul districts. The livestock herders affected by the collector are in all these districts, but predominantly in Takhtakupir and Ellikala. The principal benefits expected from the project are: o to improve the drainage of the irrigated lands of South Karakalpakstan; ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPuBLIC O UZBERISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK nI * to reduce the salinity of water in the lower Amu Darya; * to reduce the expenditure of the government on energy and other costs associated with the existing large pumping stations. The major hydraulic effects of the proposed design would be: * Water would cease to flow from the Beruni Pump Station into the Kok Darya and thence into the Amu Darya. K Water would cease to flow from the Kyzyl-kum Pump Station into Lake Ayazkul. Since there appears to be no source of natural replenishment of the lake, it would be expected to dry out gradually, over a few years. * Wetlands would be formed in a number of areas, between km 0 and 220, which are now, or were until recently, dry. 1.3 FEATURES OF THE PROJECT AREA The project involves two areas where human use of the land is very different. In South Karakalpakstan irrigated agriculture is the main economic support of the population. Drainage water derived from these lands will be carried across lands that are in or on the edges of the Kyzyl-kum desert, where water is scarce and vegetation is sparse. In these lands, a nomadic style of animal husbandry, based on sheep primarily but with significant numbers of cattle, horses and camels, has been practised for many centuries. Agricultural productivity in the irrigation systems is reduced by the high water table, and the consequent evaporative salinisation of the surface soils. The water-table is too near the land surface in about 85% of the area, and soil salinity is medium or heavy in over 35% of the area. About 10% of the equipped area is not now cultivated due to these effects, and the loss of land is continuing. The construction of a deep main drain is a necessary first step towards remedying these effects by a general lowering of the water-table. It will have to be accompanied or followed by deepening and intensifying the drainage facilities within the irrigation systems. Water availability for the irrigation systems is highly variable. In dry years, the flow in the river in the main irrigation months is less than 15% of what it is in wet years. Water management is focussed on dealing with problems of water scarcity. In wet years, delivery of water into the irrigation systems is high, substantially exceeding the requirements of the crops, and contributing to the maintenance of a dangerously high water-table. Effluent water from the irrigation systems has high salinity, which is picked up from the irrigated land. At present, about half of this salinised drainage water is returned to the Amu Darya by the Beruni Pump Station, lowering the ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK III quality of the water that is used for domestic and agricultural purposes in North Karakalpakstan. The livestock areas will be affected by the new drain. It will bring saline water into these areas, and if this water is allowed to spread across the land, existing plant communities which support the animals may be replaced by others, or prevent plant growth entirely if salinity becomes too high. Movement of livestock and migration routes of wild animals will be impeded. The primary grazing lands tend to lie in the lower depressions of the landscape, where seasonal accumulations of snowmelt and rainwater favour better plant density; such low-lying areas lie along the obvious routes selected for the drain. The livestock herders have experienced serious negative consequences from the existing partially-built drain, which has unfortunately caused flooding of extensive areas. Herders complain of losses of animals' lives due to increase of diseases, and due to animals becoming stuck in heavy mud around the fringes of the temporary ponds formed by such spillage. Among the issues that give rise to environmental concern in this project are: o The Baday Tugai forest, which is the largest of the few remaining patches of the formerly extensive flood-plain forests of the Amu Darya; o Lake Ayazkul, which is maintained by drainage water and supports local fisheries and bird-life, including some species for which this is the only suitable habitat in the region; o The route runs through areas that are historically and archaeologically significant. The most visible of these cultural sites is a series of imposing fortresses, about 2,000 years old, which lie along the first part of the collector's route, starting at Kyzyl-kala near the town of Beruni. Older archaeological sites, of the Bronze and Iron Ages, lie in or near the northern part of the route. 1.4 EXPECTED IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT The following is a summary of the expected principal impacts. Amu Darya downstream: The closure of Beruni Pump Station will cause a reduction of water flow in the lower Amu Darya, by about 1.1 % on average. It will also cause a reduction in the salinity of the water in the river, by about 7.7 % on average. Baday Tugai: The closure of Beruni Pump Station will cause the Kok Darya channel to become dry for part of its length. This will lead to a reduction of the water-table elevation under the reserve. The northern one-third of the reserve, near the Kok Darya, will principally be affected. It is likely that the ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZEEIESTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK IV water-table there will fall to levels too low for the trees to extract water adequately. Lake Ayazkul: The closure of Kyzyl-kum Pump Station will cause Lake Ayazkul to become dry. This will have several consequences: there will be no fishery; breeding birds and migrating birds will not be able to use the lake; and the lake bed will be a salty area, of which the outer parts can be re- vegetated with certain available species, but the deeper parts are likely to be covered with a sheet of crystallised salts where nothing will grow. Wetlands along the Ayazkalinski Collector (Wetlands I and II): These wetlands will receive increased flows of water. They will be larger than at present, and may experience greater variations than at present. Akcha Darya Passage: The existence of unconstrained wetlands, approximately parallel to the formal collector channel, has already caused significant amounts of grazing land to be unused. This process could continue. New arrangements would be required for managing and exploiting the proposed fishery in these wetlands. Akcha Darya Delta: Any flow into depressions, either intentional or unintentional ,to form wetlands, could cause further inundation of depressions in wet years. These depressions are probably the best locations for grazing lands in the existing system. Significant amounts of water are likely to flow in wet years into the north-western arm of the Delta, and could thus escape from the formal collector and will not be delivered to the Jana Darya. Along or near to the expected route, in the northern part of the Delta, there are archaeological sites which have not yet been explored, and whose artefacts are likely to be completely lost if they are inundated with saline water from the collector. In the Akcha Darya Passage and the Akcha Darya Delta, the route proposed as the Core Project in the Feasibility Report follows alignments that have already been excavated over the past decade. In some stretches of the route these alignments do not appear to have been well chosen, and there is a need to reconsider them in order to reduce undesirable impacts such as excessive seepage and accumulation of saline water in depressions. Kurgashin-kala: A recently excavated part of the route of the collector runs close to the south side of this 2,000-year-old fortress site. 1.5 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MrTIGATION OF IMPACTS The report recommends several measures to mitigate the impacts of this project: Ways should be sought for constraining and reducing the input of water to the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems, particularly in wet periods (Section 4.2.5). ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK o The preceding recommendation can be implemented only if there are adequate facilities for measurement of the amounts of water delivered to users. The existing facilities at district and farm level are in many cases needing repair, and more such facilities would be required (Section 4.2.5). o There should be a separate study to identify better ways of managing the supply / demand balance, in co-operation with the Tuyamuyun Dam Organisation and the Karakalpakstan Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management (Section 4.2.5). o A further study should be made, to investigate whether the discharge constraint below Takhiatash, due to inadequate capacity of channels, can be removed or reduced (Section 4.1.5). o To preserve the Baday Tugai forest, and its ecology, including endangered species such as the Bukhara Deer, the Khiva Pheasant and the White-backed Woodpecker, it is essential that a new source of fresh water be used to re-supply the Kok Darya, after the closure of the Beruni Pump Station. The preferred option for this is to re-open the whole length of the Kok Darya so that a small natural flow from the Amu Darya can again pass through it, at least during the high-flow months. Seed germination in the forest should be promoted by wild flooding from one or two floating pump stations in the Kok Darya during the critical period of July-August (Section 4.3.3). o If further studies indicate that this preferred option is not feasible, the next best option for preserving Baday Tugai is to install a fixed pump station on the Amu Darya bank, at the south-east corner of the reserve, and pump water from the river across the reserve, by pipeline or canal, into the Kok Darya (Section 4.3.3). o Measures should be taken to ensure the preservation of the castles and other archaeological monuments along those parts of the route between Kyzil-kala and Kurgashin-kala (Sections 4.4.2, 4.5.4 and 4.6.2). o Lake Ayazkul should be kept in existence by the installation of a pump station and a channel that would connect its south-western corner to the collector drainage system, enabling a flow of drainage water to be pumped into the lake. The expected benefits from this strategy are the retention and expansion of the present eco-system, including birds and fish, especially the globally threatened Pygmy Cormorant, and the locally endangered Great White Pelican and Glossy Ibis; reduction of the amount of water flowing to the Akcha Darya; and avoidance of the problems of residual salinity in the lake bed, which may otherwise cause local difficulties such as crop damage by wind-blown salts reaching the Irrigation Systems (Section 4.5.3). ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK VI * Additional survey of the north end of Wetland m should be made, in order to assess the possible benefits of retaining this as a wetland rather than forming a confined channel through it (Section 4.7.3). * There should be fresh consideration of the alignment of the first 40 km north of Chukurkak (km 90 to 135, approximately) where some parts of the route appear to pass through sandy areas that are likely to be more permeable. Imagery of the area suggests that a better route may be available to the west of the existing line. * In the Akcha Darya Delta and the northern part of the Akcha Darya Passage, the design should be based on confining the drainage water within a continuous channel, rather than on allowing or encouraging formation of new wetlands along the route (Sections 4.7.2, 4.7.3, and 4.8.4). As well as protecting the sparse grazing lands, this will protect against further loss of habitats and migration routes for various bird and mammal species. * The proposal to develop fisheries, and to facilitate these by constructing small retaining weirs and fish passes between wetland zones, seems unlikely to succeed and should be abandoned (Section 4.8.4). * Bridges should be provided across the Collector, for the transit of animals. The locations of these should be selected in consultation with the herders (Section 4.8.4). * Collection of data on flows in the existing Main Collector should be continued, in order to obtain better estimates of the maximum flows that are likely to be delivered into the Collector from the irrigation systems. In particular, the assumed maximum flow rate of 40 m3/s needs to be verified (Section 4.1.3). * All existing ground-water sources (boreholes or shallow wells) that lie within 10 km of the route of the Main Collector should be protected against the possibility of inundation, by surrounding them with low bunds, or other measures as may be appropriate (Section 4.8.4). * Archaeological sites in the Akcha Darya Delta are not expected to be at risk of direct impacts by the construction of the Collector, as their siting is not generally in the depressions where the Collector will run. There is some risk, however, that such sites would be affected by saline water, if it escapes from the Collector by overtopping or by seepage. To reduce this risk, there should be a full inventory and scientific study of sites within the potentially affected zone; and there should be arrangements for archaeological monitoring, both during construction and during the early years of operation (Sections 4.8.2 and 4.8.4). * A mathematical model of flow in the Collector should be developed, and used to predict the extent, continuity, and range of variation of ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIOSTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK VII flow in the Collector, from about km 197 to km 0. Such a model should be made available as a management tool for the organisation that will be responsible for operation and maintenance of the Collector (Sections 4.8.3 and 4.8.4). o Calculations should be made to assess whether the drainage water will reach the Aral Sea with sufficient frequency to ensure that there will not be a large accumulation of salts retained in the soils of the grazing lands of the Akcha Darya Delta. o Management of the South Karakalpakstan Main Collector will require a strong institutional base, with an organisation that possesses the capacity to maintain the channel in a good, clean condition and prevent overtopping or breaching of the banks. This organisation should also be responsible for monitoring the performance of the system, for managing the proposed new pumping station that would maintain a flow of water through Lake Ayazkul, and for relationships with the livestock herding community about their concerns such as access, crossings and seepage. It would require some initial capital expenditure for maintenance equipment and one or perhaps two base camps along the project route. These capital needs should be considered as part of the capital required for implementing the project. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEJISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANi< VIII TABLE OF CONTENTS I DESCRIPTION OF THE SOUTH KARAKALPAKSTAN AlIN COLLECTOR DRAIN PROJECT 1 1.1 LOCATION OF THE PROJECT 1 1.2 OBJECTIVES 3 1.3 PROJECT PROPOSED BY THE DESIGN CONSULTANTS 4 1.4 PRINCIPAL ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED 6 1.5 SITUATION WITHOUT THE PROJECT 7 1.6 OTHER REPORTS 8 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT'S ENVIRONMENT 15 2.1 PHYSICAL LAYOUT 15 2.2 HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT 20 2.3 WATER RESOURCES 23 2.4 DRALNAGE 30 2.5 AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK AND LAND RESOURCES 34 2.6 ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY 40 2.7 SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTAND STRUCTURES 57 2.8 CULTURAL HERITAGE 60 3 POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK 121 3.1 WATER MANAGEMENT 121 3.2 AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT 127 3.3 DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT 131 3.4 LIVESTOCK MANAGEMENT 131 3.5 FOREST AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 131 3.6 FISHERIES MANAGEMENT 132 3;7 CULTURAL HERITAGE 132 3.8 WORLD BANK'S SAFEGUARD POLICIES 133 4 ASSESSMENT OF PROJECT-SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND POSSIBLE MITIGATION MEASURES 139 4.1 INTRODUCTION 139 4.2 AMU DARYA AND TUYAMUYUN DAM 141 4.3 SOUTH KARAKALPAKSTAN IRRIGATION SYSTEMS 148 4.4 BADAY TUGAI 154 4.5 BERUNI COLLECTOR AND LAKE AKCHAKUL 164 4.6 LAKEAYAZKUL 165 4.7 KYZYL-KUM AND AYAZKALINSKI COLLECTORS 175 4.8 AKCHA DARYA PASSAGE (TO CHUKURKAK) 176 4.9 CHUKURKAK AND THE AKCHA DARYA DELTA 181 5 5 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PHYSICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS 247 5.1 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PHYSICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS250 6 PROPOSED PLAN OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENTAND MONITORING ACTIVITIES 254 LIST OF MAPS Map 1.1 Project location Map 1.2 Project area Map 1.3 Administrative districts Map 1.4 Core project route Map 2.1 Existing irrigation systems Map 2.2 Existing drainage systems Map 2.3 Farms Map 2.4 South Karakalpakstan irrigation systems Map 2.5 Sampling/observation points Map 2.6 Location of archaeological sites Map 4.1 Location of gauging stations on the lowerAmu Darya Map 4.2 Depths to groundwater in the irrigation systems Map 4.3 Soil salinity in the irrigation systems LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1 Districts of South Karakalpakstan Table 2.1 Monthly rainfall in Urgench 1990-1999 Table 2.2 Monthly evaporation at Urgench 1990-1999 Table 2.3 Annual Climatic Data: Urgench and Turtkul Table 2.4 Monthly mean discharges of the Amu Darya downstream of Tuyamuyun Dam, 1981 - 2002 Table 2.5 Monthly mean discharges of the Amu Darya at Kipchak, 1981 - 2002 Table 2.6 Depth to water-table, Turtkul district, 1981 - 2000 Table 2.7 Depth to water-table, Ellikala district, 1981 - 2000 Table 2.8 Depth to water-table, Beruni district, 1981 - 2000 Table 2.9 Summary of risk of soil salinisation due to high water-table levels. Based on average water-table observations, 1991 - 2000 Table 2.10 Salinity in the Amu Darya at Tuyamuyun Table 2.11 Salinity in the Amu Darya at Kipchak Table 2.12 Monthly averages of salinity in the Pakhta-arna Canal, 1998- 2000 Table 2.13 Salinity of ground-water, Turtkul district, 1981 - 2000 Table 2.14 Salinity of ground-water, Ellikala district, 1981 - 2000 Table 2.15 Salinity of ground-water, Beruni district, 1981 - 2000 Table 2.16 Evapotranspiration at Urgench Weather Station according to Penman-Monteith method Table 2.17 Specimen computation of gross water requirements, cotton crop. Based on weather data of Urgench station Table 2.18 Inputs of water to the irrigation systems Table 2.19 Monthly irrigation water supply to districts of South Karakalpakstan, 1999-2000 Table 2.20 Estimated quantities of water drained from the South Karakapalkstan irrigation system, 1998 - 1999 Table 2.21 Quantities of dissolved salts entering the irrigated area in irrigation water Table 2.22 Removal of salt in drainage water Table 2.23 Distribution of soil salinity in the irrigated areas of South Karakalpakstan Table 2.24 Distribution of soil salinity in farms in Ellikala district, October 1999 Table 2.25 Crop patterns planned in South Karakalpakstan, 2000 Table 2.26 Production of cotton and rice, 1997-1998 Table 2.27 Crop yields and production in farms in Turtkul district, 1999 Table 2.28 Crop production, Turtkul district, 2000 Table 2.29 Characteristics of herders' co-operatives Table 2.30 Sampling site locations and salinity measurements Table 2.31 Salinity in canals and collectors Table 2.32 Concentrations of pesticides and heavy metals in plant samples Table 2.33 Concentrations of heavy metals in bed sediments Table 2.34 Morphological data on Lake Akchakul Table 2.35 Bird species observed at Lake Akchakul Table 2.36 Salinity/conductivity measurements at Lake Ayazkul Table 2.37 Selection of birds observed at Lake Ayazkul, June 2001 and September 2002 Table 2.38 Birds observed at Wetland I and II Table 3.1 Comparison of limits and actual usage of Amu Darya water, April -June 2001 Table 4.1 Changes in the storage of water in Tuyamuyum Dam, 2002 Table 4.2 Flow rates in Amu Darya at Tuyamuyun and Kipchak, during high flow period in 1998 Table 4.3 Daily discharge of Location A (outfall from Beruni Pump Station), August 2001 to August 2002 Table 4.4 Daily Discharge of Location B (between Kyzyl-kum Pump Station and Lake Ayazkul), August 2001 to August 2002 Table 4.5 Daily discharge of Location C (Ayazkalinski Collector, downstream of Lake Ayakzul), August 2001 to August 2002 Table 4.6 Daily discharge of Location D (collector VST 1, upstream of its outlet), August 2001 to August 2002 Table 4.7 Daily discharge of Location E (collector VST2, upstream from its outlet), August2001 to August 2002 Table 4.8 Daily discharge of Location F (Akcha Darya, downstream of VST 2), August 2001 to August 2002 Table 4.9 Inputs and outputs of water in the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems, August 2001 to August 2002 Table 4.10 Ratio between water drained to Main Collector and irrigation inputs Table 4.11 Summary of key water-table statistics, 1981 to 2000 Table 4.12 Effects of leaching on soil salinity Table 4.13 Depth to water-tables in observation wells at Baday Tugai, August-September, 2001 Table 4.14 Depth to water-table in observation wells in Baday Tugai, October-December 2001 Table 4.15 Depth to water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, January-March 2002 Table 4.16 Depth to water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, April-June 2002 Table 4.17 Depth to water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, July-August 2002 Table 4.18 Elevation of water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, August-September 2001 Table 4.19 Elevation of water-table in observation wells atBaday Tugai, October-December 2001 Table 4.20 Elevation of water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, January-March 2002 Table 4.21 Elevation of water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, April-June 2002 Table 4.22 Elevation of water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, July-August 2002 Table 4.23 Salinity of ground-water at Baday Tugai, August 2001- August 2002 Table 4.24 Relation of water-level to discharge, Tuyamuyun gauging station, 1987-1999 Table 4.25 Area and volume of Lake Ayazkul Table 4.26 Analysis of twelve water samples take from Lake Ayazkul, October 2002 Table 4.27 Salt quantities in Lake Ayazkul Table 4.28 Estimation of the rate of salt removal from Lake Ayazkul, under different input pumping rates Table 4.29 Chemical analysis of water entering Lake Ayazkul, August 2001-August 2002 Table 5.1 Summary of expected impacts of the Core Project and three principal alternative strategies Table 5.2 Environmental management and monitoring plan LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Variations of mean water-table elevation in each of the three districts, 1981-2000 Figure 2.2 Variations of mean water-table salinity in each of the three districts, 1981-2000 Figure 3.1 Organisational Structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekistan Figure 4.1 Baday Tugai Reserve Locations of Observation Wells Figure 4.2 Baday Tugai Reserve: Depths from ground surface to water- table, 16 August 2001 Figure 4.3 Baday Tugai Reserve: Depths from ground surface to water- table, 16 August 2002 Figure 4.4 Baday Tugai Reserve: Elevations above Baltic Sea Datum, 16 August 2001 Figure 4.5 Baday Tugai Reserve: Elevations above Baltic Sea Datum, 16 August 2002 Figure 4.6 Baday Tugai Reserve: Salinity of water-table, August - October 2001 Figure 4.7 Baday Tugai Reserve: Salinihy of water-table, June - August 2002 Figure 4.8 Baday Tugai Reserve: Cross-sections of water-table Figure 4.9a,b,c Budyony Canal cross-sections Figure 4.10 Koksu Canal cross-sections Figure 4.11 Stage-discharge relationship at Tuyamuyun Gauging Station, 1998 Figure 4.12 Positions of cross-sections surveyed in Lake Ayazkul in October 2002 Figure 4.13a Lake Ayazkul bed cross-sections (Section 1) Figure 4.13b Lake Ayazkul bed cross-sections (Section 2) Figure 4.13c Lake Ayazkul bed cross-sections (Section 3) Figure 4.14 Lake levels along proposed route of new canal to supply Lake Ayazkul DESCRIPTION OF THE SOUTH KARAKALPAKSTAN MAIN COLLECTOR DRAIN PROJECT LOCATION OF THE PROJECT The South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Drain project 1 is located in the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, which lies in the western part of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and includes part of the Aral Sea to the north. Map 1.1 shows where the project is located within Uzbekistan, and its position near the downstream end of the Amu Darya river. The Amu Darya is an internationally shared river, with a complicated path involving five countries. Its main source areas and its upper course are in Tajikistan. It forms part of the international boundaries of between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, and between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Some parts of its lower course are wholly in Uzbekistan, and other parts are wholly in Turkmenistan. The final, downstream part of its course is in Karakalpakstan, where it forms a delta, and flows into the Aral Sea. Kazakhstan, as a coastal state of the Aral Sea, is also affected by the state of the river, as the Amu Darya's flow is a major factor in determining changes in the level of the Aral Sea. The Syr Darya, also shown in Map 1.1, is the other main contributor of water to the Aral Sea. It also has a complex international pathway. The annual discharge of the Syr Darya is about half that of the Amu Darya. It enters the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. The Amu Darya and the Syr Darya carry large amounts of sediment and have high variability of flow rates, because their sources are in very mountainous zones. Historically, the rivers and their deltas have changed their positions over wide ranges, especially in the case of the Amu Darya. The present project involves use of two channels, the Akcha Darya and the Jana Darya (Map 1.2), which are former distributaries of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya deltas respectively. These channels have not conveyed water in recent times, but in the past they flowed into each other and linked the two large deltas. Karakalpakstan contains two main areas of irrigated land. South Karakalpakstan, which is on the east (right) bank of the Amu Darya, draws irrigation water from the Tuyamuyun Dam and from some pump-stations on the riverbank. In North Karakalpakstan, the delta of the Amu Darya and (1) The termnology used to characterise this project has evolved over a penod of time, from the term "Beruni Gravity Collector Dram", to "South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Dram" and more recently "South Karakalpakstan Drainage Disposal " It is understood by this consultant that the South Karakalpakstan Main Collector feeds into the Akchadarya Main Dram, thus the term "South Karakalpakstan Mam Collector Drau" (SKMCD) project will be retained and used in this report ENVIRONMENTAL REsOuRCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKtSTAN / EU TACIs/WORLD BANK 1 some areas on either side of the delta are irrigated; the principal water-control structure there is the Takhiatash Barrage, near the apex of the Amu Darya delta. The two irrigated areas of South and North Karakalpakstan are separated from each other by about 100 km of semi-arid land. There are now about 100,000 ha of irrigated land in South Karakalpakstan. Much of this is of recent development, having been equipped for irrigated agriculture in the past 20 years. During this time, problems due to inadequate drainage have rapidly become severe. Water-tables have risen, allowing capillary evaporation from the soil surface, and consequent deposition of salts in the upper layers of the soils. Two large drainage pumping stations were installed in the early 1980s, but have not been able to stop the advance of salinity in the irrigated lands of South Karakalpakstan. These pump-stations, and other parts of the existing drainage arrangements for the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems, are shown in Map 1.2. The Core Project discussed in this report envisages replacement of these pump-stations with a single, long drain in which water would flow by gravity, without pumping, for a distance of about 300 km, towards the Aral Sea. The route of this proposed South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Drain, and the main places associated with it, are shown in Map 1.4. The project plans to use old channels of the Akcha Darya, to deliver the drainage water to the Jana Darya, which would convey it into the Aral Sea. Thus, the intended end result of the project is to deliver drainage water from South Karakalpakstan to the Aral Sea. This drain would originate near to the right bank of the Amu Darya, about 40 km north of the town of Beruni. The first 100 km of its route follows the downstream (northern) boundary of the irrigated lands of South Karakalpakstan. After 100 km, the route enters the old Akcha Darya channel, and turns northward. For the remaining 200 km, the route crosses a part of the Kyzyl-kum desert, which is used by livestock herders from both North and South Karakalpakstan as an area of sparse grazing. The drain will deliver water into the Jana Darya. The point at which it would enter the Jana Darya is about 130 km from the present shore of the Aral Sea. Works in the Jana Darya are not proposed in this project. The project is envisaged to terminate where the drain enters the Jana Darya. Parts of the drain have already been built, but the depth of the drains in the segment near to the irrigated areas is inadequate for effective drainage of those lands. Farther north, in the area where livestock-herding is the main human activity, some artificial channels have been excavated along old courses of the Akcha Darya. These new channels form part of the proposed project, and continue at present up to some 70 km north of the herders' village of Chukurkak (Map 1.2). The effect of these partially-implemented works has ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLICOF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 2 been to carry drainage water into the livestock areas in significant quantities, but as the collector does not yet reach its ultimate destination in the Jana Darya, the water it carries remains in these livestock areas. Water from the partially built collector is capable of inundating large tracts of land along the route. Four administrative districts of Karakalpakstan - Beruni, Ellikala, Turtkul and Takhtakupir - will be directly affected by the project, as it crosses their territories. The locations of these districts are shown in Map 1.3. The irrigated land is located in Beruni, Ellikala, and Turtkul districts. The livestock herders affected by the collector are in all these districts, but predominantly in Takhtakupir and Ellikala. Among the issues that give rise to environmental concern in this project are: * The Baday Tugai forest, which is the largest of the few remaining patches of the formerly extensive flood-plain forests of the Amu Darya, and * Lake Ayazkul, which is maintained by drainage water and supports local fisheries and bird-life, including some species for which this size of lake is the only suitable habitat in the region. These places are located on Map 1.2. The route runs through areas that are historically and archaeologically significant. The most visible of these cultural sites is a series of imposing fortresses, about 2,000 years old, which lie along the first part of the collector's route, starting at Kyzyl-kala near the town of Beruni. Older archaeological sites, of the Bronze and Iron Ages, lie in or near the northern part of the route. These latter sites have been little studied, due to their remoteness from modern settlements and transportation routes. 1.2 OBJECTIVES The project can be considered as having multiple objectives. Different groups of people have different reasons for wanting it. Major objectives are: * to improve the drainage of the irrigated lands of South Karakalpakstan; * to reduce the salinity of water in the lower Amu Darya; * to reduce the expenditure of the government on energy and other costs associated with the existing large pumping stations. These irrigated lands suffer at present from reduced productivity, attributed to salinisation of the soils. The salinisation is promoted by the general presence of a high water-table, which approaches near to the land surface, thus allowing the capillary fringe of saline ground-water to reach the land ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKIS7AN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 3 surface. Water then evaporates from the soil surface, leaving a salt residue that accumulates in the soil near the surface. This process of damage to the land has proceeded quite rapidly. Much of the irrigated area was developed around 20 years ago, but already it appears that more than 10% of the nominal irrigable extent of 99,000 hectares is not being cultivated, due to soil salinity and / or water-logging. The primary objective of the project is therefore to arrest and reverse this trend, by deepening the drainage system, removing excess water from the vicinity of the irrigation systems, and thereby lowering the water-table. Some of these beneficial effects will not happen unless there is also improvement of the internal drainage facilities within the irrigated areas. However, work to improve those facilities cannot be effective until there is a main collector drain capable of carrying the excess water away. The construction of a deeper and more effective main drain is therefore considered as a necessary first step towards raising the productivity of these agricultural lands. For North Karakalpakstan the major benefit is the reduction of river salinity. At present, much of the drainage water from the irrigation systems is salty, because it collects salt from the soils of the irrigated lands. This aggravates the general problem of high salinity in the lower Amu Darya and the Amu Darya delta, as well as in Turkmenistan, which also receives some water from the lower Amu Darya. People in North Karakalpakstan have therefore sought the closure of the Beruni Pump station which delivers this salty water to the river, and there is also an inter-state agreement under which Uzbekistan is required to reduce such drainage return flows. It is envisaged that some of the water drained from the irrigation systems will ultimately be delivered to the Aral Sea. In view of the very large reduction in the water volume of the Sea over recent decades, this can also be viewed as a potential benefit of the project. However, it is not an objective, and at present there is no prediction of how much (if any) of the water that will flow in the new drain will reach the Aral Sea. The intended direct beneficiaries of the project are people in the three districts of Turtkul, Ellikala, and Beruni, which constitute South Karakalpakstan. Some basic characteristics of these three districts are shown in Table 1.1. 1.3 PROJECT PROPOSED BY THE DESIGN CONSULTANTS This section outlines principal features of the project, as defined in the Feasibility Report of August 2002 by the design consultants, Mott MacDonald - Temelsu - Uzdavmeliosuvloyiha (MMTU). This will be referred to in the present report as the Core Project. In the next section, three principal modifications of the Core Project are described. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZDEKISFAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 4 Locations of places mentioned in these sections can be found in Maps 1.2 and 1.4. Positions of places are sometimes referred to in this report by their distances, measured backwards along the proposed route, from a zero point at the proposed outfall into the Jana Darya, to 297.2 km at the head of the drain at the existing Beruni Pump Station. These distances are also indicated in Map 1.4. The size of the drain would be designed for conveyance of 25 cubic metres per second (m3/s) as the normal flow, at the point where flow rates maximise, just downstream of the final contributing collector VST 2, which enters at km 197.1. The maximum expected discharge at that point would be 40 m3/s. The design will allow for freeboard (height of banks above water surface) to be 0.75 m at normal flow, and 0.45 m at maximum flow. The design discharge will reduce below the above normal and maximum figures, both upstream and downstream of km 194. The channel dimensions will be designed for an expected roughness (Manning's coefficient, n) of 0.028. Under these conditions, typical cross-sections of the channel are expected to have widths in the order of 35 - 40 m at normal water surface level, and depths of 3 - 4 m. Under the Core Project, the following works would happen: * The existing Beruni Pump Station, which now pumps drainage water from the Beruni district and part of the Ellikala district, into the Kok Darya (a minor channel flowing into the Amu Darya), would be closed. * The Beruni Collector, which at present conveys drainage water westward towards the Beruni Pump Station, would be reversed in its gradient and direction of flow. It would flow eastward, from a point near the present Beruni Pump Station to a point near the Kyzyl-kala fortress (north of Lake Akchakul), where it would merge into the existing Kyzyl-kum Collector. * The Kyzyl-kum Pump Station, which at present pumps drainage water from the Kyzyl-kum Collector into Lake Ayazkul, would be closed. * The drainage water in the Kyzyl-kum Collector would flow by gravity along a new channel, south of Lake Ayazkul. This channel would deliver the water into the existing Ayazkalinski Collector. * The drainage water would flow in the Ayazkalinski Collector until it enters Wetland I (see Map 1.2). It would flow through Wetlands I and II, either in natural or artificial channels, or possibly a mixture of both depending on discharge rates, bringing it into the north-oriented Akcha Darya Passage, which begins at the point where the drain VST 2 enters the Main Collector (km 197.1). ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACis/WORLD BANK 5 * In the Akcha Darya Passage, from km 197.1 to the herders' village of Chukurkak (about km 132) there would be a combination of artificial channels and wetlands. The channels would flow predominantly on the eastern side of the Passage, and wetlands would be encouraged to form on the western side. * Just south of Chukurkak, the Akcha Darya emerges from a relatively confined, single channel course, into its ancient delta. Three major old courses can be discerned, oriented approximately north-west, north and north-north-east respectively. It is proposed that the route follows generally the northerly or middle course, to the Jana Darya (so-called Blue Route). * All of these channels would be constructed with locally-available materials, essentially as unlined earthen channels. e Wetlands would be encouraged to form along the route north of Chukurkak, until near the Jana Darya. The positions of some of these are specified, and others have not yet been defined. * Seven small weirs would be installed, at the outlets of wetlands, in order to stabilise the water regimes of some of these new wetlands. It is envisaged that the wetlands would be stocked with fish, and fish passes would be installed to allow fish movement between the new wetlands. The weirs would be placed at km 88, 90, 129,141, 152, 167,174, and possibly others will be added to this list. The major hydraulic effects of the proposed design, as compared with conditions existing at present, would be: o Water would cease to flow from the Beruni Pump Station into the Kok Darya and thence into the Amu Darya. o Water would cease to flow into Lake Ayazkul. Since there appears to be no other source of natural replenishment of the lake, it would be expected to dry out gradually, over a few years. o Wetlands would be formed in a number of areas, between km 0 and 220, which are now, or were until recently, dry. 1.4 PRINCIPAL ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED In the northern part of the route, the feasibility study identifies three possible alternative alignments, designated Blue, White and Green routes. Of these, the Blue route, following a northward alignment to the Jana Darya, is preferred by the designers. The White route (which separates from the Blue near km 62 and is then aligned north-north-west) is dropped from ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 6 consideration by the design consultants, and the Green route (which leaves the Blue in a north-westerly direction near km 139) is deferred by them to some later stage. These two alternatives therefore are not considered in the present report, and the Blue route is accepted as the Core Project. We consider here three main alternatives to the proposals contained in the Feasibility Report. These will be designated as Alternatives A, B and C, and are as follows: * Alternative A: The Beruni Pump Station would be rehabilitated and kept in operation, delivering drainage water to the Kok Darya. * Alternative B: Lake Ayazkul would be kept in existence, and prevented from further salinisation, by excavating a channel to bring drainage water into its western end, most probably from the existing Collector EK-2. This would require construction of a new pump station, part-way along the new channel, to lift water into the lake. * Alternative C: In most of the Akcha Darya Passage and the Akcha Darya Delta, the drainage water would not be encouraged to form wetlands, but would be confined within an adequate single channel to bring it to the Jana Darya. One or two lakes might be formed along this route, within confining banks, if consultations with the users of those areas reveal that they are in favour of that. Each of these three main strategic alternatives can be realised under various local sub-options. These sub-options are discussed in sections 4.3, 4.4, 4.7 and 4.8. They can also be combined with each other in various ways. In this report, the impacts of all possible combinations are not assessed. However, the sections on analysis of impacts compare the impacts of each of the three strategic alternatives, against the impact of the Core Project. Recommendations for some changes, which should improve the impacts of the Core Project, are given in Chapter 5. 1.5 SITUATION WITHOUT THE PROJECT It is usual in this kind of assessment to include the "without-project" situation as one possible alternative; that means, to consider the consequences of not implementing the project. That presents a special difficulty in this case. Large parts of the project exist already. The drain has been excavated from its head at km 297.2 down to about km 65. These excavations are in many places not large enough, and in some places in the Akcha Darya Passage and Delta they seem to be unsatisfactorily aligned, and they may need to be repositioned. However a channel exists that is capable of taking water as far as km 65, and this constitutes 78 % of the entire proposed route. If there is no project, and if the Government of Uzbekistan cannot find sufficient resources to complete these works, the result will be that water will ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCESMANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK '7 reach km 65 and then will spread uncontrolled over an area around that point. Experience during 1998, when the channel had reached about km 90, showed that the drainage water delivered in a wet year could cause formation of an unplanned wetland of at least 20 - 30 km2, causing loss of pasture for local livestock and complaints from herders which are detailed in the Social Impact Assessment. Further, if there is no project, the Beruni and Kyzyl-kum Pump Stations, which are in a deteriorated state, will cease to function after some years. The Beruni Pump Station in particular is already unable to perform its function at times of large drainage flow, and water sometimes accumulates on its upstream side as a large, unplanned lake. The failure of these pump stations, and the failure to complete the channel to the Jana Darya, would cause so many adverse results, that the "without- project" situation seems clearly not viable. 1.6 OTHER REPORTS The present report is one of several prepared in connection with the request by the Government of Uzbekistan to the World Bank, for funding of this project. The principal other reports which will be referred to here are: * Preparation study of the Uzbekistan Drainage Project Phase II. Final report, March 1999. Mott MacDonald, Temelsu International, and Uzgipromeliovodkhoz. This was a study of several potential drainage projects along the right bank of the Amu Darya, from which the South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Drain emerged as a favoured candidate for early consideration. Annexes of the report contain valuable collated data. For brevity this report is referred to here as the Preparation Study. o South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Drain: Baseline Study (Stage I), June 2001. Environmental Resources Management, for JEP / TACIS. This report gives the findings of the first stage of the present study, on the environmental and social impacts assessment of the proposed project. It is referred to here as the Baseline Study. * South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Drain project: Field Mission Interim Report (Stage 2), September 2001. Environmental Resources Management, for JEP / TACIS. This gives further interim information on environmental aspects, collected during the cropping season of 2001. It is referred to here as the Interim Report. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISrAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 8 * South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Drain project: Social Impact Assessment Final Report (Stage 2), January 2003. Environmental Resources Management, for JEP / TACIS. This is the final report on social impacts of the project, and was undertaken in parallel with the present studies. It is referred to here as the Social Impact Assessment. * Uzbekistan Drainage Project: South Karakalpakstan Drainage Disposal Project: Feasibility report, August 2002. Mott MacDonald, Temelsu International Engineering Services, and Uzdavmeliosuvloyiha. This report gives the present state of the engineering design of the project. It is referred to here as the Feasibility Report. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 9 50 0 50 100 150 km 1:5 000 000 _ ~~~~N Lake Balkhash S _, } } % Kazakhstan 8 Project: Environmental Assessment of lrrgation and Drainage in the Amu ( S e < Darya Basin - Phase II, Stage el z-51's'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o Ag ricubjlt°ufrue abndjWater Resources Prepared By: Republic of Karakalpakstan -I , , _ __ _ ERM Projecf Area j;,% L\ _ tTakhiatash r Tuyamrn I ._- ItJurgench Uzbekistan \ash;ent Kyrgyzstan Samarkand ** S aarkand i _ _ ...~ ~ >_., j(,,r' t ...................Legend: Turkmenistan 9.*. ~ X , A Intemational Boundary Tajikistan Republic of Karakalpakstan / Boundary |) City Project Area Water Body _ "- K i g /{ W / { f t /~ Jana Darya Dry Watercourse Iran Afghanistan PakistanPj Map 1.1 10 0 10 20 30 40 km ProJect -~~~ ~ ~ ~ . -- _____- ~~~~~~~~~ Environmental Assessment of Irrigation and Drainsge in the Amu 1t1 000 000 Darya Basin - Phase-II, Stare 11 N ~~~~~~~~N South Ksrakslpasktan Msin Colliector N ~~~~~~~~Client: N, $ w--rzr- of Agnculture and Water Resources / = *, XtX S Prepared By: v ''. \~~~~~~~~~~~~~.. _ ___________ 4 :,' '. ~~~~~~~~~~ERM -. . Daiw - - Kazakhstan Republic of .- Karakalpakstan v.... (proposed) Akcha Daryra 0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Delta Q sTakhtakupir (partially constructed) !.. Existing Main Collector Drain Uzbekistan ChukurkakD 'N _ Nukus Akch: Takhiatash Passage Barrage X ~~^ 7 ~Kok rLake Darya Ayazkul Baday Tugali Akc Reserve Acau Turkmenistan .., -X .t Me ___ S X. Legend: /I 'International Boundary Urgench ®r Main Town o Village A Pump StationTua yn -Water Body River ,\/ Jana Darya Dry Watercourse \ / Collector Drain (proposed) N. A. Collector Drain (partially constructed) ° * \/9Existing Main Collector Drain co X A/Akcha Darya Passage a Q Reserve T N Republic of Karakalpakstan ; Main Irrigation Area Akcha Darya Delta 10 0 10 20 30 40 km Project: - -t s - Environmental Assessment of n > 1:1 000 000 Irigation and Drainage in the Amu 1:1 000 000 Daaa ~~Basin - Phase-III, Sae1 N South Karakalpakstan Main Collieotor Client: N ~~~~Republic of Uzbekistan, Ministry of Agrculture and Water Resources / , ,, - - ' \~~~~~~~~~~~~...... Prepared By: / . \~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~N ERM ffi :^ Darya . . \. Kazakhstan Republic of . ., Karakalpakstan Takhtakupir Takhtakupir ... ....... I , . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.... ... Chukurdak Nukus Ellikala BadayTugal , Reserve 4, Beruni . - , . Turkmenistan ;. "s >, s ~~~~~Bostau,n.. ; ., ' _ , .', Benrni / , Turtkul Urgench Turtkurl Legend: 3 ./\' International Boundary B Main Town s Village Water Body -..,.... ,V River J xw,. Jana Darya Dry Watercourse -. :'. .: District Boundary nReserve .4--- \i Main Irrigation Area i' F Republic of Karakalpakstan uyamu'ua I I 'N 10 0 10 20 30 40 km Project: - '< ,Environmental Assessment of '*, 1:1 000 000 DIrrigation and Drainage in the Amu N: 0 0 South Basin - Phase III, Stage 11 ., > N South Karakalpakstan Main olilector Client: 2Republic of Uzbekistan, Ministry * , W- rE of Agrculture and Water Resources Prepared By: 4 , ro 'j ~~~~~~~~~~ERM -. ,¢ Da/ya f t < Kazakhstan V ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~., ..--.-. ..... .1N Republic of ' Karakalpakstan - , ' %20 km 40km = ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~60 km Cs CsD Takhtakupir 80 km Akcha Darya Wetland V 100 km |Akcha Darya Wetland IV 20km Chukurkak 140 km Nukus Akcha Darya Passage 160 km s__- " - * ................. 0( sX > ~~~~Kok rLake 180 kmt j I \ Darya Ayazkul Bada\ Lake \ -ff AkLha Darya etland III Reserve Akchekul 200 krn . 197.1 km I 220 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~Darya Wetfland~ II --:,Bern s 2m AkhDaaWeldI Turkmenistan '3 . S 2 Legend: . /.'International Boundary '. Km Along Route o Main Town o Village Urgench * Pump Station Ugnh.. * Wetland Water Body River o :/ n, 'Jana Darya Dry Watercourse 0 Alternate Routes .UE , a Blue Route p81 X Green Route -0 - j~White Route .-. 1 0 / Existing Main Collector Drain Reserve . .,: Main Irrigation Areas 0D Republic of Karakalpakstan W ~rvoir Table 1.1 Districts of South Karakalpakstan Population Total area (ha) Irrigated area (ha) Turtkul 157,200 400,000 32,000 Ellikala 119,200 640,000 33,000 Beruni 146,200 540,000 33,500 All 422,600 1,580,000 98,500 Source. South Karakalpakstan District Autilonties, 2000 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 14 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT'S ENVIRONMENT 2.1 PHYSICAL LAYOUT The Core Project is a collector drain, nearly 300 km long. This drain will receive all drainage water from a group of adjacent irrigation systems, which supply water to about 100,000 ha of agricultural land in three districts (tumans) of South Karakalpakstan. Map 1.4 shows the entire area over which the proposed drain may possibly cause some effects. The area extends from the main intake of the irrigation system at the Tuyamuyun dam in the south, to the Amu Darya delta in North Karakalpakstan, and to the Jana Darya in the north-east. The existing irrigation systems are shown in Map 2.1, and the main existing drains of the systems are shown in Map 2.2. The kilometre numbering system used in this report for referencing specific positions along the route is defined in Map 1.4. This system has its origin or zero point at the place where it is proposed that the new Main Collector will enter the old course of the Jana Darya. The proposed route is not considered final in all respects, so these distances may be found to vary from those quoted in other reports. All position references in the present report should be understood to refer to Map 1.4. The project can be considered as having two major parts, which can be regarded as collection and conveyance zones respectively: * From km 298 to km 197, the route runs approximately from west to east, following the northern edges of the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems, and gathering water from a number of large collectors that run northward out of those irrigation systems. * At km 197.1, the last such collector drain, called VST 2, enters. At about the same point, the Main Collector's course turns northward, conveying the water to the Jana Darya. It then uses the old course of a former distributary of the Amu Darya, called the Akcha Darya. It flows in or parallel to channels of the Akcha Darya from km 197 to km 0 on the Jana Darya. These two zones of the collector's route relate to two different types of human use of land. In the collection zone, the water to be collected is derived from irrigation activities in the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems. In the conveyance zone, the proposed drain will carry this water across semi-desert land where at present the principal economic activity is semi-nomadic herding of animals. These areas are described briefly below, and in more detail in Section 2.5. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 15 2.1.1 Collection zone The irrigation systems are drained at present in two opposite directions. Drainage water from the western parts of the systems (Beruni district, and part of Ellikala district) goes into the Beruni Collector, which conveys it under gravity to the Beruni Pump Station, by which it is lifted into the Kok Darya, a minor channel of the Amu Darya. This water is then conveyed in the Amu Darya, to North Karakalpakstan. The remainder of the drainage water is taken at present towards the north and east, and is disposed of in inland depressions. Water from the central parts (the remainder of Ellikala district, and some of Turtkul) goes to the Kyzyl- kum Pump Station, which lifts it into Lake Ayazkul. Some water evaporates in that lake, and some leaves the lake by gravity through the Ayazkalinski Collector. The Ayazkalinski Collector then flows eastward, gathering more water from Turtkul district through the collectors VST 1 and VST 2. Under the proposed project, the Beruni and Kyzyl-kum Pump Stations will cease to operate. The flow direction in the Beruni Collector will be reversed, and it will take water by gravity eastward, connecting into the Kyzyl-kum Collector near the Kyzyl-kala fortress. The Kyzyl-kum Collector in turn will flow by gravity into the Ayazkalinski Collector, by-passing Lake Ayazkul. Thus all the present three large collectors that form the northern edge of the irrigation area will become joined as a single channel, the South Karakalpakstan Main Collector, flowing eastward under gravity. This channel will have to be enlarged at various places, but will generally follow routes very similar to the present, except to the south of Lake Ayazkul. The entire zone that is to be drained was formerly a delta of the Akcha Darya. Section 2.8 provides a short account of how the Akcha Darya, now an extinct river and delta system, has evolved over the past 2,000 to 2,500 years. 2.1.2 Conveyance zone After km 197.1 the Main Collector takes in no more drainage water. The Akcha Darya was formerly a substantial river, but it does not appear to have carried natural flows in recent times, probably for several centuries. From km 197 to about km 140, it has a meandering course (see Volume 3 - Map Sheets 5 and 6), in which it appears to have worked over many different pathways within an overall band of the order of 3 - 5 km. This part is referred to as the Akcha Darya Passage. At about km 140, the Akcha Darya's course becomes less clearly determined. It appears (see Volume 3 - Map Sheets 3, 4 and 5) to divide into a delta, with ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZEEIGSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 16 three principal channels. The Core Project route follows the middle one of these. The Jana Darya will receive the outflow of the Main Collector Drain. The Jana Darya is an extinct distributary, but of the Syr Darya delta, not the Amu Darya. Its course runs towards the old shore-line of the Aral Sea. Since it has apparently not been carrying flow in the period since the shore-line began to retreat in the past 40 years, it has not developed a course that reaches the present shore (see Volume 3 - Map Sheets 1 and 3). Improvement or modification of the Jana Darya channel is not considered to be part of the present project, so the project is understood to end at km 0. Channels have been excavated from about km 174 to km 65. Work has been continuing in the past year at a rate of about 10 km/year, by the Aralvodstroy organisation, an entity of the Karakalpakstan Government which undertakes water-related construction in this region. The adequacy of these channels is not clear, and (particularly in the Akcha Darya Passage) the completeness and integrity of these channels seems to be uncertain. The Feasibility Report envisages that much of the route in the Akcha Darya Passage and the Akcha Darya Delta will not be in a confined channel. Wetlands will be encouraged to form along the route, and a number of small weirs will be built to help the retention of water-levels in these new wetlands. The wetlands are viewed as a resource for fish production, with fish passes being constructed around the weirs so that, from the fish viewpoint, these wetlands would form an inter-connected system. 2.1.3 Irrigated areas The irrigation systems are spread over the districts of Beruni, Ellikala, and Turtkul. They are managed by local divisions of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources in each of these districts. The amounts of irrigated land in each of the three districts are approximately equal, each district having between 30,000 ha and 35,000 ha of land developed for irrigation. Of this, about 4,000 ha to 5,000 ha in each district are now abandoned due to salinisation, so the actual extent now cultivated is about 25,000 ha to 30,000 ha in each district, or 85,000 ha to 90,000 ha in all. The systems receive water from two kinds of source. The major source is the Tuyamuyun Dam on the Amu Darya, a large main-stream dam with a nominal gross capacity of about 7.8 Mm3. From this dam, the Tuyamuyun Right Bank Canal (Map 2.1) feeds the eastern (Turtkul and part of Ellikala) irrigated areas. The canal has a capacity of 80 m3/s. The outlet gate from Tuyamuyun has however been constructed for an outlet capacity of 200 m3/s, and work is in hand at present to enlarge the canal's carrying capacity to that level. Areas nearer to the Amu Darya, in Beruni district and part of Ellikala, are supplied by pump stations on the Amu Darya, of which the three main ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS!/WORLD BANK 17 stations are Dustlik, Qalchimak and Neyman-Beshtam. These pump stations are managed by a separate organisational unit, the Department of Pump Stations for South Karakalpakstan, based at Beruni. Secondary canals (generally called inter-farm canals) are, like the Main Collector, almost all unlined. It is frequently stated that the seepage out of secondary and tertiary canals is large, but we have not seen recent measurements to support this. Figures for the conveyance efficiency used in Ellikala district, for example, are 0.84 for the main canal and 0.71 for secondary canals. This implies that, of the water entering the head of the system, only 60% reaches the farm boundaries. Since distribution efficiency in tertiary units of irrigation systems is usually no better than in the higher levels, this would seem to mean that the amounts of water delivered into fields are in the order of 40% of the amounts taken in at the headworks. Irrigation in the fields is by surface flow, in furrows or basins according to the crop. However, as the land is flat, with low gradients in the range of a few centimetres per kilometre, irrigation canals are in many cases too low to supply by gravity into the fields, so there are numerous low-lift pumps which bring water up from the supply canals. Drainage of the irrigated areas is also by surface flow, to open drains which conduct water to a system of collectors and ultimately to the three main collector drains which will form the Main Collector under the project. There are no tile drains or other sub-surface drains. All drainage water must reach the drainage system either by overland flow or by nearly horizontal seepage flow. Field drains are typically about 400m apart. The primary open field drain channels are not very deep, typically about two metres. 2.1.4 Livestock grazing areas The grazing areas are nearly arid and are thinly vegetated. Animals must be permitted to range over considerable areas in order to forage for their requirements. Three co-operative farms in Takhtakupir district, and one in Ellikala district, manage most of the grazing animals. The principal formal settlement for herders is at Chukurkak in the northern end of Ellikala district, near km 132 of the proposed Main Collector route (Map 1.4). The herders have had some experience of drainage water recently. The ongoing construction of the Main Collector has been proceeding slowly in a downstream direction, as noted above. In 1998, large amounts of excess water came down this partially completed channel, and inundated several areas, especially south and south-west of Chukurkak, and near the place where the channel then ended, about 40 km north of Chukurkak. This experience, causing damage to pasture lands and various problems to the animals, appears to have caused the herders to feel strongly averse to further delivery of drainage water into their areas. These points have been explored in the Social Impact Assessment, and are described in more detail below in Section 2.5. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC Or UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 18 2.1.5 Otherfeatures Along the former courses of the Akcha Darya there are numerous archaeological sites, reflecting distinct historical periods. These are widely varied, including many large and imposing fortresses of the order of 2,000 years in age, temples from the period when this was a major focus of the Zoroastrian religion, and sites of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages which are largely not visible above ground. The introduction of irrigation and drainage water, especially if it is saline, has already caused significant permanent losses of cultural material from such sites. The Amu Darya runs in a slightly raised course, due to sedimentation. It has no tributaries in this region; on the contrary, water from the irrigated areas does not flow naturally back to the river, but follows the gentle gradients leading away from the river. Numerous lakes have formed in recent years, due to the accumulation of drainage water in depressions. The largest of these are Lake Ayazkul and Lake Akchakul. The exact origin and development of these lakes is not completely clear, but old maps support the view that they were formed recently and are maintained by drainage water. Lake Akchakul was in existence earlier, and is shown in maps from the 1960s; this appears to be because the area from which it receives water, in the Beruni district, was the first to receive irrigation in modem times. In a map from 1928, it is shown to be a part of a larger water body extending to the Amu Darya. Lake Ayazkul existed in the 1970s, probably receiving water then from an earlier pumping station, called Ayazkala Pump Station, which was replaced around 1980 by the present (larger) Kyzyl-kum Pump Station. Lake Ayazkul is much the larger of these two lakes, covering about 40 - 50 km2 (varying according to its current water-level), whereas Lake Akchakul is about 10 km2. Lake Ayazkul consists of two portions, east and west, which are partially separated by a small rise of the land. The drainage water delivered by the Kyzyl-kum pump station enters the eastern part, and flows on out of the eastern end of that part into the Ayazkala Collector, which starts about 4 km from the delivery point of the pump station. Thus, there is a constant circulation and exchange of water in the eastern part. The western part on the other hand is stagnant, and acts only as an evaporating basin, receiving a small input from the eastern part to recharge whatever is lost to evaporation. Its salinity has therefore increased steadily, and is now approaching the salt concentration levels of the oceans. There are systems of meandering wetlands, east of Lake Ayazkul, which have formed in parts of the Akcha Darya channel. Within, or between, the irrigation systems, other wetlands have emerged, especially in Turtkul district and on each side of the Turtkul - Ellikala boundary. All of these seem to be ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 19 produced by drainage water, and their size seems to be unstable. Some of these areas can be seen in Volume 3 - Map Sheets 6 and 6A. Their area is believed to vary, according to the water conditions of the year. Satellite imagery suggests that in wet years the total area of ponds within and between the irrigation systems is similar to, or exceeds, the area of Lake Akchakul. At the north-western extremity of the irrigation systems, there is a special feature, the Baday Tugai forest reserve. This is the largest remaining area, in the Amu Darya basin, of the tugai forest, a type of flood-plain forest that is peculiar to the river-basins of Central Asia. This type of forest and its related eco-system has undergone drastic reduction in recent decades, due to felling of trees, and also due to reduction of flood water-levels in the rivers of the region. The reserve, which covers about 60 kM2, lies on a former island that used to be enclosed between the Amu Darya and a branch of it called the Kok Darya (Map 1.4). The Kok Darya was closed, about 10 km from its upstream end, by a small dam, apparently about 20 years ago, and cannot now receive Amu Darya water. The Kok Darya now is supplied only by the drainage water pumped by the Beruni Pump Station, which flows through the Kok Darya to the main Amu Darya channel. 2.2 HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT The proposed route of the South Karakalpakstan Main Collector, and also the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems, whose excess water it will carry, all lie within the physical landforms associated with the Akcha Darya. This river, although it is now practically extinct as a conveyor of natural water discharges, was in the past an important companion system of the Amu Darya. The Akcha Darya system is on the right bank of the Amu Darya. It stretches north and north-east from Turtkul, crosses the Kyzyl Kum desert and then extends toward the Aral Sea. It can be divided into three parts: * the Southern Delta (which is the area now occupied by the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems), * the Akcha Darya Passage, and * the Northern Delta. The Southern Akcha Darya Delta was formed in the 4th century BC. During the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, it existed as an internal-drainage delta. At that period the main flow of the Amu Darya went through the Sarakamish depression into the Uzboy channel and further to the Balkhan Gulf of the Caspian Sea. In the beginning of the 2nd century BC the main flow of the Amu ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBERISTAN / EU TACIS /WORLD BANK 20 Darya went into the Aral Sea depression through the Akcha Darya. The flow through the Sarakamish-Uzboy gradually ceased. The Akcha Darya Passage and the Northern Delta began forming at that time. At the end of the 2nd century BC, the Pre-Aral or Contemporary delta of the Amu Darya began to form, and natural flow through the Akcha Darya gradually ceased. Irrigation canals were then constructed in the Southern Delta. The source area for the proposed Main Collector was therefore irrigated in historic times, but those systems fell into disuse. In modern times, intensive development of irrigation in the Khorezm oasis (Amu Darya left bank) began in the 1920s. Works to improve the water intake on the Amu Darya Right Bank in the southern districts of Karakalpakstan were started in 1926. The evolution of modem irrigation in South Karakalpakstan after 1926 is described in the following paragraphs. Key locations and canals can be identified in Maps 2.1 and 2.2. The process can be understood as following three main phases, during which development gradually accelerated: * The first phase was based on gravity flow from the Amu Darya, through the Pakhta-arna Canal (1920s) feeding mainly the lands in Beruni district, relatively near to the river; and later (1940s) branching into the Kirkkiz Canal and feeding Ellikala district. * About 1970 large pump stations were installed on the Amu Darya bank. These made irrigation activities less dependent on the variable height of river flow, and thus more stable. * During the 1970s the Tuyamuyun Dam was constructed. Filling of it began in 1981. This storage capacity made possible a large augmentation of the irrigated areas, especially in the eastern (Turtkul) side of the present system. In 1926-1927 the Bozyab, Kunyabagayb, Amirabad, Keltiminar, Sarabiy and other inter-farm canals were linked to the Charahan Canal, renamed as the Pakhta-arna Canal in 1928. This canal drew water from a gravity intake on the left bank of the Amu Darya river, and ran parallel to the river, irrigating land predominantly in the Beruni district. This was the main irrigation area up to 1970. The capacity of the Pakhta-arna Canalwas about 60 m3/s. The Pakhta- arna Canal now forms part of the modern irrigation system, but its direct gravity intake from the Amu Darya has been closed. In 1941-1942 the Neyman and Beshtam Canals were linked to the Pakhta-arna Canal. The first stage of the Kirkkiz Canal was completed in August 1941, and the development of new lands of the Kirkkiz massif was started. As a result of these works the large Bogyab-Kirkkiz system with a total length of irrigation network of 40 km was created. ENVIRONMENTIAL RFSOURCES MANAGEMENF REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS /WORLD BANK 21 In the early 1950s the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, Uzbekgidrogeologya, SANIIRI (Central Asian Scientific Research Institute for Irrigation) and other organisations started detailed scientific investigations, experiments and regular hydro-geological, geological and soil surveys. In the early 1970s three new pump stations were built, downstream of the Pakhta-arna intake, to supplement the water supply. These were (in order from south to north) the Dustlik, Qalchinak and Neyman-Beshtam pump stations, with capacities of 5 - 10 m3/s for the first two and 30 m3/s for the last. These raised the total installed supply capacity to about 105 m3/s and allowed some expansion of the irrigated area into Ellikala district. To improve the water intake from the Amu Darya River into the Pakhta-arna Canal the construction of the intake channel of 20 km length along the Tuyamuyun alignment was begun in 1946. In the post-war period the main attention was given to the reconstruction of the Pakhta-arna Canal system to extend the cotton area. The Tuyamuyun Dam on the Amu Darya upstream of the Pakhta-ama intake was completed in 1980. This has a gross capacity of about 7.8 km3, of which about 5.3 km3 is active or usable storage. A canal 30 km long was built to connect it to the Pakhta-arna Canal, and the former Pakhta-arna intake was then abandoned. This enabled a substantial augmentation of the irrigated areas, especially in the Turtkul and Ellikala districts. The lined Kirkkiz Canal was built in the 1980s, to irrigate about 15,000 ha in Turtkul district, and irrigated area in Ellikala district also grew by about 15,000 ha in the same period. The system reached its present size, nominally about 99,000 ha, in the early 1990s. About half of this area developed for irrigation has been brought into the system since 1980. At the beginning of these developments, before about 1980, excess water from the irrigation system drained eastward, apparently converging towards local depressions and the old channels of the Akcha Darya. The rapid pace of development after 1970, following the installation of the three large pump stations and then the canal from Tuyamuyun, produced growing difficulties with drainage water disposal. Lakes such as Lake Akchakul began to form near the northern limits of the system. Land began to suffer from increasing soil salinity, as ground water levels approached too near to the land surface and capillary rise of water above the water table allowed evaporation from the water table to occur, thus causing a vertical upward flow of salts which were deposited in the surface soil layer. These problems were especially acute in the northern parts of the system. In the early 1980s the two major drainage pump stations, Beruni and Kyzyl- kum, were installed. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 22 The Kyzyl-kum station created a further environmental change: the formation of Lake Ayazkul in the depression to which that station pumps water. This is now the largest lake in the region. Transfer of drainage water through the Akcha Darya Passage appears to have begun in the early 1990s. No site for lake formation was identified. By 1998 partially built channels extended to about 40 km north of Chukurkak. 2.3 WATER RESOURCES This section of the report describes the sources of the water which is to be drained by the South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Drain. A major problem in the design of this Main Collector Drain is the question of the normal and maximum flows which it should be designed to convey. Because of the great length of the Collector's route, any reduction of its design discharge would permit a substantial reduction in its excavation costs, as well as mitigating various impacts. At present, the irrigation systems seem to take in considerably more water than they would normally be expected to need. These questions are addressed further in Section 4.9. The analysis offered in this section and in 4.2 depends mainly on secondary data sources, as the period of our studies has coincided with two unusually dry years. Unfortunately there has not been an opportunity to observe conditions of above-average flow, which would be desirable as these are the flows that determine drain capacity needs. 2.3.1 Hydrology South Karakalpakstan receives little direct rainfall. Rainfall and evaporation records for the station at Urgench, in Khorezm province, are shown in Tables 2.1 and 2.2. This station is about 70 km from the centre of the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems. These tables show that the mean annual rainfall in the 1990s was 100.6 mm, with a standard deviation of 45.1 mm, or 44.8%. This means that the area is arid, and the arrival of even this small amount of rain is highly variable from year to year. Moreover, only 38% of this rain arrives during the principal months of irrigation requirements (April to September). The mean annual evaporation, on the other hand, (Table 2.2) was 1,230 mm, with a standard deviation of only 5.0%, and 82% of this evaporation occurs during the main irrigation months, maximising usually in June with rates that can exceed 8 mm/day. These figures show why food production here must rely completely on either river water or ground-water. Mean rainfall in the period 1 May to 30 September is only 22.2 mm, while mean evaporation at that time is 899 mm. In these circumstances, agriculture is totally dependent on irrigation. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACS/WORLD BANK 23 Some other climatic parameters for Urgench and Turtkul are summarised in Table 2.3. Table 2.3 Irrigation water is drawn from the Amu Darya river, which is the only source of surface water. Discharge data for the river are shown in Tables 2.4 and 2.5, for two stations, Tuyamuyun and Kipchak. The locations of these stations are indicated on Map 4.1. These are the only regular gauging stations on the Amu Darya between the Tuyamuyun Dam and Takhiatash Barrage. The Tuyamuyun gauging station is situated a short distance downstream from that dam, so the values shown in Table 2.4 represent all water released into the river channel by the dam managers. This water has to be shared among four major user areas: South Karakalpakstan, North Karakalpakstan, Khorezm province of Uzbekistan (left bank of the river) and Tashauz province of Turkmenistan (which receives water through canals that cross Khorezm). The river flow at Tuyamuyun is normally lowest about January or February, and highest about July. The average total annual volume passing Tuyamuyun, over the past 20 years, has been about 28.98 km3/year, and at Kipchak it has been about 18.66 km3/year. That means that about 64% of the water released from Tuyamuyun reaches Kipchak. The river flows are highly variable and difficult to predict. The relative standard deviation of the annual flow at Tuyamuyun is about 41%, and at Kipchak it is 49%. Years of higher or lower flow tend to occur in groups. From 1981-1989, the mean annual volume passing Kipchak was 16.79 km3/year, from 1990-1998 it improved to 23.48 km3/year, but the years 2000 and 2001 showed the lowest flows in these records, averaging only 5.69 km3/year. Table 2.4 illustrates the context in which the studies reported here were conducted. At the beginning, in 2000, the effects of the year 1998 were still fresh in people's memories. This was the second wettest year since the building of Tuyamuyun Dam, and caused some serious drainage disposal problems which are discussed later. Thereafter, however, the two very dry years of 2000 and 2001 followed, each bringing less than half the normally expected amounts of water, and causing irrigation supply difficulties, while drainage activity became temporarily insignificant. 2.3.2 Groundwater The shallow geology of South Karakalpakstan is characterised by Quaternary alluvial deposits. These range in thickness between 15 m and 30 m along the northern edge of the irrigated area, and between 50 m to 70 m near the Amu Darya The deposits consist of clays, loamy clays, loamy sands and sands (UI, 1990). ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZEEiSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 24 The Quatemary alluvium is underlain by Tertiary clays, sand and sandstone deposits. Along the northern fringe of the irrigated area, Tertiary sandstones form ridges in the landscape. The topography of South Karakalpakstan slopes away from the river, indicating that sedimentation processes elevate the Amu Darya above its own river valley. Ground-water flow in South Karakalpakstan is described below based on: * Investigations by Uzgipromeliovodkhoz in July/August 1988; and * Data of the Hydrogeological Survey of Karakalpakstan for October 1998, 1999, 2000. The ground-water flow in South Karakalpakstan is directed northward, following the topographical slope. The average slope of the water-table in the area is around 0.0003 (30 cm/km). Along the southern boundary, river water from the Amu Darya appears to infiltrate. Further north infiltration from canals and deep percolation from irrigated fields adds to the groundwater flow. Towards the north of the irrigated area the slope of the water-table decreases. This indicates either increasing transmissivity of the aquifer, or that horizontal flow decreases due to evaporative losses from the shallow water-table and drainage by collectors. There is no evidence of the first, so the latter is the more likely explanation. The groundwater that does not evaporate eventually drains to the collector network. Groundwater flow north of the existing collectors is negligible. Based on a slope of 0.0005, a transmissivity of 100 M2 to 300 m2/day for the Quatemary deposits, and a width of 60 km of the zone of groundwater flow, we calculate that natural groundwater flow cannot contribute more than 0.1 million to 0.2 million m3/year to the drainage system. This is negligible in comparison with the drainage flows that are in the range of 700 million m3/year. Available data on water-table depth in both July-August 1988 and October 2000 indicate that the depth to water-table in South Karakalpakstan ranges between 0 and 3 m from the ground surface. In irrigated lands of the type found in South Karakalpakstan the depth from land surface to water-table is a parameter of critical importance. There is always, above any water-table, a partially wetted, unsaturated zone called the capillary fringe, where thin columnns of water are supported within the soil mass by surface tension. If the water-table approaches the land surface, the capillary fringe above it can reach the surface, and a connection is established between the water-table and the external atmosphere. Water then evaporates from the surface, and as it evaporates any dissolved salts in that water are left ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 25 as a deposit at the soil surface. The process of evaporation causes more water to rise up from the water-table, and so an upward flow is established, from the water-table to the land surface, within the capillary fringe. This flow brings a continuous supply of salts, which accumulate in the topmost few centimetres at the soil surface. In rainy climates this process would be counteracted by some downward flow of water, and re-entry of the salts into solution, after rain. But in the almost rainless conditions of Karakalpakstan, that effect is small. A major objective of drainage is therefore to ensure that the water-table, under the irrigated field, is kept low enough, so that the evaporative processes described above do not become established. In the loamy soils that cover substantial parts of South Karakalpakstan, capillary rise of groundwater is possible from a depth of more than 3 m. But the capillary flow reduces with increasing depth. The critical water table depth at which significant salinisation begins to occur is in the region of 2 m below ground-level. Water-tables nearer than that to the surface have to be considered as a threat to agriculture; and water-tables higher than 1.5 m are very dangerous. Trends in water-table depth are available for the entire irrigated area between 1980 and 2000. Results are presented in Tables 2.6 to 2.8. These tables show that the problem of a high water-table is most severe in the Beruni district, where the average water-table depth over the past 20 years has been 1.61 m, and the area where water-table is lower than the critical value of 2.0 m is only 8.4% of the irrigated area. Figure 2.1 shows how the mean depth to water-table has varied over the past 20 years. There are only weak signs of any trends of change in the water-levels since 1981. The conditions seem to have been at their best about 1989 -1990, and have deteriorated slightly since then. The effect of dry years, such as 1989 - 1990, and 2000, can be clearly seen in Tables 2.6, 2.7 and 2.8, which show that in such years the water-table drops by amounts in the order of 0.2 m to 0.6 m. Map 4.2 shows how the water-table depth varies over the irrigated areas. This map refers to conditions in 1989. Table 2.9 summarises the average extent of high water-tables in each district, through the 1990s. The situation in Beruni district is particularly unsatisfactory. Only 5% of the irrigated area in that district is generally found to be at an acceptably low level of risk from soil salinity. In Ellikala and Turtkul districts, the average water-table depths are respectively 1.83 m and 1.88 m, and the proportions of area where the water-table is deeper than 2.0 m are 20.5% and 21.2%. These conditions are not as bad as in the Beruni district, but they are not at all satisfactory. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIaSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 26 2.3.3 Water quality Salinity, as just noted, is a major problem of these irrigation systems. It is also a significant aspect of the South Karakalpakstan Main Collector Project as a whole. Salinity is quite high in the lower Amu Darya generally, and especially in the delta (North Karakalpakstan). The water drained from the South Karakalpalstan Irrigation Systems contributes to this, as it carries higher concentrations of salinity. The following sections review the degree of salinisation at different points, in the progress of the water into and through the irrigation systems. The fate of salts emerging from the systems is summarised later (Table 2.22). The salinity of the river water, during the cultivation season, is generally somewhat less than 1 gram/litre. Tables 2.10 and 2.11 show the recorded monthly variations in this, at Tuyamuyun and Kipchak. These data are incomplete, but they indicate that the monthly salinity follows a pattern opposite to the pattern of the discharge rates: the salinity is highest during the winter months, and lowest at the period of high flows around July. Salinity at Kipchak, which lies downstream from the irrigation system, is generally slightly higher than at Tuyamuyun, the difference being usually in the order of 10%. Presumably the reason for this increase of salinity between these stations is that saline drainage flows are returned to the river, from the Beruni Pump Station and from other drain outfalls along this reach. According to these data, it appears that the salinity of irrigation water at Tuyamuyun, during the cultivation season (April to September, for most of the crops) averages about 0.83 g/l, and at Kipchak it is about 0.90 g/l. Table 2.12 gives values of salinity observed in recent years in the Pakhta-arna Canal, which is the supplier of irrigation water to much of this irrigation system. The canal does not obtain its water directly from the river, but from the Tuyamuyun Dam. These values are somewhat higher than those shown for the river, averaging about 1.01 g/l in the cropping season, but the differences are probably within the range of measurement error. The salinity of groundwater under the irrigated areas is significantly higher than the salinity of the irrigation water inputs. This reflects in part the earlier history of the site, before modern irrigation was introduced. In that time, evaporation from the high water table, with little or no downward flow of fresh water from the surface, and slow flows in the aquifer due to very low gradients, would probably have caused long-term accumulation of local salinity in the water-table. Tables 2.13, 2.14 and 2.15 show the distributions of groundwater salinity measurements over the past 20 years. In almost all years, the majority of the observations have lain in the range 1- 3 g/l. Figure 2.2 shows the variations of average groundwater salinity in each of the districts over the past 20 years. There are few signs of any trend of change in the salinity levels, except in the Ellikala district where conditions seem to have ENVIRONMENIAL RESOURCES MANAGEMFNT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIGSTAN / EUTACIS/WORLD BANK 27 become less saline over the past few years. The average degree of groundwater salinity in the three districts seems rather similar, generally in the range 2 - 3 g/1. The Beruni district has generally shown the lowest levels of groundwater salinity, and the Turtkul district the highest, but the range of difference is not great. The slightly better conditions in the Beruni district are probably due to its position near to the Amu Darya. The data recorded in Tables 2.13, 2.14 and 2.15 and Figure 2.2 refer to samples taken from observation wells in the irrigated areas. These observation wells are six metres deep, so they are sampling the shallow aquifer which is immediately in contact with percolating irrigation water, and which participates also in the exchange of water with the root zone of irrigated crops. These data do not refer to wells in the livestock areas of these three districts, farther to the north and east, and the data do not refer to the deep aquifer. The quality of water in the collector drains is discussed below, in Section 2.4. 2.3.4 Demandfor irrigation water The demand for irrigation water at the field level depends on the areas actually planted, the crops planted, and the rates of evapotranspiration and seepage. Crop patterns are discussed in Section 2.5. Farmers do not have a strong role in determining the demand for irrigation water. The amounts required are determined by calculations, based on standard norms for each crop. These calculations are made in the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources. For example, the cotton crop in South Karakalpakstan, which is the most important crop, is generally planted in the second half of April, and harvested from late September to mid-November. The evapotranspiration needs of such a crop at this time, computed by the FAO "CROPWAT" programme, which uses the Penman-Monteith method of estimating evapotranspiration, amount to 637.3 mm, which is equivalent to 6,373 m3/ha. Other crops have similar water needs. Crop water requirements for satisfying evapotranspiration, calculated in this way for some other crops, are shown in Table 2.16. The amounts calculated in Table 2.16 refer to the consumption of water by the plants for their own physiological needs. The amounts of canal irrigation water that should be supplied are different from this, and are calculated after taking other factors into account. Table 2.17 gives a specimen calculation, for the needs of the cotton crop. This calculation refers to the amounts of water required to be delivered at the farm boundary. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIGSTAN / EU TACIS/ WORLD BANK 28 In this calculation, two factors are introduced which reduce the water requirement, and two other factors are introduced which increase the requirement. The factors reducing the requirement are the assumptions that: * A part of the plants' water requirement will be satisfied from soil moisture storage * Another small part will be satisfied from rainfall. These contributions are represented by the lines Gr and R& in Table 2.17 The calculation also assumes that extra water must be provided for these reasons: * to leach salts from the upper soil layer by ensuring a net downward flow of water (the leaching fraction, Lr), and * part of the canal water delivered will be ineffective, due to inefficient delivery and distribution (the irrigation efficiency, ). The year is conventionally divided into two seasons, * the cropping season, which coincides with warmer weather, and is from April to October, and * the leaching season, which runs from November to March. These divisions are not exact: for example, the winter wheat crop is in the ground throughout the leaching season. Leaching is generally performed in two steps: a smaller application of water in November or early December, and a larger amount in late February or March, which also serves as a pre- watering of the soil to prepare for crop planting in April. Not all fields are leached each year. A leaching plan is prepared by the Hydro-geological Survey, based on the measured salinity of soil samples which are taken at the beginning of October each year. The mode of calculation used in Table 2.17 is unusual, and appears to produce high quantities of water for leaching. Under this schedule, the water delivered to the farm boundary, for fields that are growing cotton, would be 11,183 m3/ha/y. Of this amount, only 4,295 m3/ha/y is consumed by the cotton plants. Losses to seepage, percolation and runoff to drains amount to 4,138 m3/ha/y (2,522 m3/ha/y in the cropping season and 1,615 m3/ha/y during the leaching season), and 2,750 m3/ha/y is used in the unproductive leaching season, when its final destination is unclear. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 29 2.3.5 Supply of irigation water The amount of irrigation water supplied into the system is a critical parameter, as it is the main factor determining how much water the proposed new South Karakalpakstan Main Collector will have to deal with. The responsibility for measuring water inputs is divided among a number of organisations, including the Tuyamuyun Dam Organisation, the Beruni Department of Pump Stations, and the three operation and maintenance offices in the districts. Data are collated by the Karakalpakstan Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management. Table 2.18 shows the total amounts delivered into each district, for the six years 1994 - 1999. This indicates that the amounts supplied have been approximately stable, at slightly under 1.5 km3/year (1,500 Mm3/y), but the amounts per cultivated hectare have been increasing, as land has been falling out of use due to salinisation of the soils. The year 1999 showed an average of 16,330 m3 / ha / year. These district totals are based on measurements at pump stations and at the points where the major incoming gravity canals enter the districts. The amounts that would be delivered at farm boundaries would be less than these, due to further seepage losses in the main canals. The monthly distribution of supplies through two recent years is shown in Table 2.19. In this, it should be noted that the year 2000 was agriculturally an unsuccessful year in this area. Water supplies had been expected to be adequate, and in the first five months of the year that was the case. However after May the available water was much reduced, and by August the amount provided to the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems was further reduced, causing widespread failures of crops. The year 1999 was a more normal year. Even in that year there were very sharp changes, from one month to the next, in the amounts of water delivered to districts. The data in Table 2.19 suggest that the management system of water limits (see below, Section 3.1.6) does not succeed in stabilising the water distribution. Table 2.19 indicates that only about 64% of the water supply is given during the principal cropping months, April to September. 2.4 DRAINAGE 2.4.1 Flows of drainage water At present, all excess water draining from the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems follows one of these three routes: * through the Beruni Pump Station into the Amu Darya, ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIOSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BA.NK 30 * through the Kyzyl-kum Pump Station into Lake Ayazkul, or * by gravity to the Akcha Darya, through the Ayazkalinski Collector. Some water percolates to the water-table, but since the level of the water-table is not rising significantly (see Figure 2.1 - already cited previously), this amount is sufficient only to replace any water removed from the water-table by evaporation or evapotranspiration. Under the core project (and assuming that present water supply quantities do not change), the South Karakalpakstan Main Collector will have to carry an amount of water equivalent to the amount at present exported from the system by the existing pump-stations and major collectors. This amount may increase in future, if present plans to augment the Tuyamuyun Right Bank Canal, and to increase the areas irrigated, are implemented. The water pumped by the Kyzyl-kum Pump Station goes into Lake Ayazkul, where some of it evaporates, and some flows on into the Ayazkalinski / Akcha Darya collector. The total amount of water exported from the system at present therefore can be calculated as the amount pumped to the river by the Beruni Station, the amount flowing by gravity to the Akcha Darya, and the amount evaporating from the surface of Lake Ayazkul. (This neglects any possible seepage from Lake Ayazkul, about which we have no information.) Table 2.20 summarises the available information about these quantities, for the years 1998-1999. The estimation of amounts pumped by the Beruni pump station is difficult, as in the main cropping season of wet years that station is unable to deal with all the drainage water. Excess water accumulates in a temporary lake beside the pumping station. It appears from Table 2.20 that the total amount of water removed by the surface drainage collectors in these two years averaged 730 million m3/year. Referring to the data of Table 2.18, for water inputs and cultivated areas in these two years, it appears that these drainage outflows amounted to on average 8,030 m3/ha/year, and were equivalent to 49% of the incoming water supplies. There is doubt about the accuracy of data in Table 2.20 for the months of June - August 1998. In those months we understand that large flows of drainage water entered the Akcha Darya Passage, but such abnormal flows do not appear in the data. The 1998 flows are an important factor in understanding the drain's impacts, and are discussed further in Chapter 4. There are therefore some reasons for doubt about the quality of available data on the quantities flowing in the drains, especially in the gravity drains. For this reason, a special programme of field monitoring was instituted during the present studies. Unfortunately, since the period of the studies coincided with ENviRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 31 two unusually dry years, the drainage flows monitored during this programme have not been typical. The findings of this programme are presented and discussed in Section 4.9. 2.4.2 Salt movements The movement of salt into and out of the irrigation systems is critical to several environmental aspects of the project. The drainage water is known to have rather high concentrations of salinity. This can have impacts on * Downstream users of Amu Darya water, in North Karakalpakstan * Forest survival in Baday Tugai * Fisheries in Lake Ayazkul * Bird and plant life at Lake Ayazkul and other wetlands * Livestock along the Akcha Darya * Human users of shallow wells near the Main Collector * Historical sites near the Main Collector. Salts are transported into the irrigation systems in solution in the irrigation water. Salts are transported out of the irrigation systems by the following routes: * Some salts are pumped out to the Amu Darya by the Beruni Pump Station. * Some salts accumulate in Lake Ayazkul. * Some salts are transported into the Akcha Darya. In addition, there is an internal balance in the soil and associated shallow ground water. The amounts of salts stored in these may increase, or decrease. In this section we review data about these movements. Table 2.21 Quantities of dissolved salts entering the irrigated area in irrigation water In Table 2.21, the data on irrigation water inputs (from Table 2.19) and salt concentrations (Table 2.12) are combined in order to estimate how much salt is entering the systems. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANS 32 From this, we can estimate that the mass of dissolved salts brought into the irrigation system by the incoming water was about 1.57 M tonnes in 1999, and 1.35 M tonnes in 2000. Salt removal from the irrigation system can be estimated in a similar way, using data on drain flows and their associated salinity concentrations. This is shown in Table 2.22. The amount of salt that is retained each year in Lake Ayazkul can be estimated from the concentrations of dissolved salts in the water pumped to the lake from the Kyzyl-kum Pump Station, since all the water that evaporates from the lake surface must leave in the lake whatever quantity of salt that it has brought into the lake. Table 2.22 indicates that at present about 2.55 M tonnes of dissolved salts per year, on average, are removed from the irrigation system in drainage water. Of this total, about 1.29 M tonnes/year (51% of the total) are returned to the Amu Darya by the Beruni collector, 1.11 M tonnes/year (44%) are delivered to the Akcha Darya, and 0.15 M tonnes/year (6%) are retained in Lake Ayazkul. The amounts of water and salt delivered to the river by the Beruni pump- station have been decreasing in recent years. Calculations similar to those above, with the data of the five years 1990 - 1994, show that in those years the Beruni station's average annual outputs of water and salt were respectively 0.41 M m3/year of water and 2.17 M tonnes/year of salt. The present rates shown in Table 2.22 are respectively about 69% and 59% of these previous rates. This reduction of the Beruni pump-station flow is presumably due partly to the reduced capacity of the pumps as they grow older, and partly to the construction of a link between the Beruni and Kyzyl-kum collectors. In recent years this link has allowed some of the water draining from Beruni and Ellikala districts, which formerly went back to the river, to be diverted eastwards to Lake Ayazkul and the Akcha Darya. Thus, the amount of salt entering the irrigation system appears to be about 1.46 M tonnes/year (Table 2.21), while the above calculations show that the amount removed is 2.55 M tonnes/year (Table 2.22). This means that about 1.1 M tonnes/year of salts are being removed from within the irrigated area. This is equivalent to about 12 - 13 tonnes/year per cultivated hectare. The source of these additional salts is not certain, but the most probable explanation seems to be that these are salts which have risen from the water- table in upward capillary flows. Ultimately, it seems likely that such upward flows of salt would diminish, as any lateral inflow of new salt is likely to be relatively slow. There are however no indications that the salinity of the water-table is reducing (see Tables 2.13 to 2.15, and Figure 2.2), so it should be assumed that a substantial amount of salt is still stored in the ground-water, and that current land-use practices are permitting these salts to rise to the surface. We should therefore assume that a quantity of the order of 2.5 M tonnes/year of salts will continue to enter the drainage system. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 33 This could change, if the system of irrigation management is changed. This is discussed later, in Section 4.9. A major objective of the drainage system is to reduce the salinisation of soils in the agricultural areas of South Karakalpakstan. Soil salinity is a growing problem in these areas. The current distribution of salinised soils in the three districts is shown in Table 2.23. According to this table, at the end of the 1998 cultivation season 8,250 ha, or about 8.4% of the irrigated areas, was classified as heavily or very heavily saline, on the basis of laboratory analyses of soil samples. Officials in the field expressed the opinion that the extent of land which has been abandoned for cultivation had reached about 10,000 ha - 12,000 ha in 2000. Land is classified as "highly saline" if the salinity of the saturated extract exceeds 6 grams/litre, or has electrical conductivity (EC) more than 9.4 dS/m. At this level, even relatively salt-tolerant crops such as cotton or wheat show yield decreases of 25% or more. "Very highly saline" soils have salinity exceeding 10 g/l, or ECe greater than 15 dS/m. Lands in these categories cannot be economically cultivated, and lands in the "medium" salinity category are suitable only for relatively tolerant crops. Nearly 40% of the irrigated land is now in these categories. The present distribution of soil salinity in the irrigated areas is shown in Map 4.3. This is based on the annual farm soil survey, performed by the Hydro- geology Survey of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The map shows that, although there is some tendency for the most saline areas to be located downstream, near the tail ends of the canals, this tendency is not very strong, and highly saline lands may be found in all parts of the irrigation system. This is also indicated by Table 2.24, which shows the distribution of soil salinity in each of the 14 collective farms in Ellikala district. The table shows that there are general similarities in the levels of salinity throughout the district. In the whole district, 66.2% of the land had salinity in the two lower categories. In nine out of the 14 farms, the level was within 10% of this, and only one farm registered below 50%. The boundaries of these collective farms are shown in Map 2.3. Map 2.4 shows the irrigation systems of South Karakalpakstan including irrigation and drainage canals, and farm and district boundaries. 2.5 AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCKAND LAND RESOURCES Irrigated agriculture is the source of the water which is expected to enter the proposed collector drain. In this section we review briefly the irrigated agricultural activities that depend on this water. Karakalpakstan is in a transitional period of political, socio-economic and ecological changes, which have been accompanied by a general decrease in the productivity of irrigated land and in the volume of agricultural production. Certain agricultural ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS /WORLD BANK 34 reforms, affecting the country's economy and policies, have been achieved of late. The Land Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, legislation on new forms of private and semi-private farming, agricultuvral co-operatives and other measures have been adopted. The effects of such changes are not yet complete, and other reforms are under consideration, so the situation cannot be regarded as stable at present. 2.5.1 Land The total land resources of South Karakalpakstan constitute 1.684 M ha. The lands suitable for irrigation are estimated to be about 250,000 ha, of which about 99,000 ha are now equipped for irrigation. The remaining 1.433M ha are pastures, sands, exposed rock, and other lands. The irrigated areas are not naturally drained lands. They have impeded inflow and outflow of groundwater of different salinisation, requiring artificial drainage. According to the classification used in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the soils of the territory under study are sub-divided into grey- brown, takyr-like, meadow-takyr, sandy desert soils, takyr, and others. The main features of these soils are low humus content (0.1% - 0.5%), low organic matter (no more than 1%, more frequently 0.3 - 0.7%), and liability to natural and secondary salinisation. These soils have a low exchange capacity (3 - 8 mg/ 100 g) and a high carbonate content. Inside the former irrigated oases there are old irrigated meadow and takyr-meadow alluvial soils with high humus content (1.5 - 2.0%) having easily soluble salts in the profile. Salinisation of the soils varies greatly, sulphate-chloride and chloride salinisation being predominant. 2.5.2 Irrigated agriculture As described in section 2.2, modern irrigated agriculture began in these districts in the 1920s. In the 1970s and 1980s it expanded considerably. Most of the land is therefore relatively newly developed. Most of it grows a single crop each year, since the growing season is restricted by severe winter conditions to only about six to seven months. The current crop pattern is illustrated in Table 2.25. This table shows the plan for each district for the year 2000. Such plans are developed each year, in a process that involves interaction among the heads of co-operative farms, the district offices of land and water resources, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Karakalpakstan, and submitted to Tashkent in about November each year as the basis for negotiations and decisions about water allocations for the following year. According to this example, the principal crop, cotton, would be planted on 43.4% of the land, fodder crops on 21.8%, cereals on 16.9%, orchards on 3.4%, and vegetables on 9.8%. In addition, 9.8% of land would be used for the families' household plots, where each family may choose their own crops. 1.6% was scheduled to be under reclamation activities. ENviRoNMENrAL REsouRcEs MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 35 Some of this information does not seem to correspond with the field situation. The plan envisages crops on almost all of the irrigated land, but (as noted in section 2.4.2) about 10% - 12% of the available land is heavily salinised, and is no longer in use. The cropping system can generally be characterised as producing one crop per year. However, where winter wheat is planted, it is harvested in May, allowing a further crop to be planted on that land. Yields are generally disappointing, but vary widely, perhaps due to differing soil and salinity conditions. Table 2.26 shows averages for two of the major crops, cotton and rice, in 1997 and 1998, in the three districts, and Table 2.27 shows production data at collective farm level in Turtkul district in 1999. Cotton yields appear to be generally about 1 - 1.5 tonnes/ha, and cereal yields 1.5 - 2.5 tonnes/ha, although there are also several farms recording above or below these ranges. The difficult financial situation is said to have caused a sharp reduction in the use of chemnical fertilisers, which may be a contributing factor for the low yields. There may be large differences between the crop plans and the actual events in the field. Table 2.28 shows a comparison between the plan and actual crop patterns, in Turtkul district in the year 2000. In this year there were widespread crop failures, due to insufficient water in the Amu Darya and the Tuyamuyun reservoir in the summer months. However, at the time of sowing, this comning shortage of water was not yet known. It appears that, although the plan called for 26,339 ha to be planted with cotton, cereals, and other annual crops, the actual area planted was only 20,895 ha, or 79.3% of the plan. Of this, only 13,632 ha (51.8% of the plan) could be brought to harvest, after failures due to lack of water in August. Yields obtained on the harvested area were, on average, about 62% of the planned yields. 2.5.3 Livestock The route of the Main Collector in the Akcha Darya Passage, the Akcha Darya Delta, and in the eastern 30 km of the Ayazkalinski Collector, is entirely in terrain where the keeping of livestock is virtually the only human economnic activity. This amounts in all to about 230 km, or more than three-quarters of the whole route. The area is at the edge of the Kyzyl-kum desert, and is arid. Grazing is sparse. Water is obtained principally from wells, mostly deep boreholes, many of which are artesian; there are also some shallow wells. In the winter months, some rain water harvesting is done and water can be collected in ponds in certain depressions for use in the early part of the following season. Boreholes may be as deep as 400 m. The Geological Institute is generally responsible for drilling these and maintaining them. In recent times its ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC Or UZBEMSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 36 capacity to do this has been reduced due to financial constraints. Users are now supposed to pay a fee for use of the pumped boreholes, but generally have difficulty in doing so. Until recently, all livestock herders were organised as employees of co- operative farms. That is still the majority mode of operation, but it appears to be changing or breaking down under various current stresses, and some herders are now private. There are four farms, three (Mulik, Konratkul and Jana Darya) in Takhtakupir district and one (Bukhan Merei) in Ellikala district. Some salient details are given in Table 2.29. There are a total of some 66,000 animals, more than 90% of them sheep or goats, ranging over about 1,000,000 ha, implying 15 ha per animal. However, the land is not uniform, and its suitability as pasture varies widely. Depression lands, where water gathers in the winter months and provides some residual soil moisture thereafter, are understood to be the best. The total numbers of people employed by the farms amount to about 1,200. Not all of these are herders. The farms all have irrigated lands: Bukhan Merei in the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems, and the other three in the vicinity of Takhtakupir, in North Karakalpakstan. An important role of these irrigated areas is to produce winter fodder. Taking account of family members, the total population directly dependent on livestock herding seems to be in the region of 5,000, with another similar number dependent in ancillary roles. The only substantial settlement for these people, within the grazing areas, is the village of Chukurkak, which is in the territory of Bukhan Merei farm and is adjacent to the Main Collector route. Chukurkak has at present about 60 families. Herders do not generally live in settlements, but move around the grazing lands semi-nomadically, living in yurts, and following some customary seasonal patterns of movement. Over the past five years or so, the economic returns for these herders have been poor, and the numbers of people involved have been declining. The reasons for this seem to include: * Breakdown of the relationships on which the system of collective farms was based, leading to many employees receiving no cash wages, and some reporting that they even receive nothing in kind either. * Lack of cash, leading to other effects such as inability to pay for repairs of equipment, especially borehole pumps. * Deteriorating living conditions: for example, the electricity generator at Chukurkak appears to have been unrepaired for some years. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTI AN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 37 * Effects related to the Collector, which include permanent loss of some grazing lands along the Akcha Darya Passage. * The Collector's flood of 1998 (described in Section 4.9.2) which caused other temporary but damaging results, including drowning of some animals, loss of grazing, and deaths of animals which became stuck in heavy mud in the periphery of wetted areas, as the water retreated. * Increasing incidence of animal diseases, which in turn may be due to weakening of the animals' resistance, as well as to enhanced breeding of water-related vectors such as mosquitoes and snails. A contributory factor in weakening the general condition of the animals may be that they must migrate over longer distances than in the past, due to loss of grazing after the partial construction of the Collector in the Ellikala district. * Increased preying by wolves, which may also be related to general physical weakening. The combination of these effects has reduced the populations of people and of animals. A result of this is that some private herders have entered, and also the demarcation of areas between the farms has relaxed. It is said that this is because, with reduced animal populations, there is not so much pressure on the available grazing. Some of these statements seem inconsistent: for example, that private people want to enter an activity that is in such economic distress, or that loss of pastures to Collector water is a problem when pastures are said to be more than required. However, the economic distress is linked to the failure of the established system of the collective farms and its associated financial relationships with the state; this collapse leaves the participants without any source of capital, or even cash for ordinary needs. The loss of pastures due to the Collector has impacted the Ellikala district only, as yet, and so the three Takhtakupir farms have a different perspective. The Collector seems also to have interrupted the former migratory patterns followed by the herders, and increased the distances that animals must walk, in Ellikala district. This has been a factor in weakening the animals, and therefore in making them more vulnerable to diseases. Herders in the Bukhan Merei farm have identified five areas of grazing land, amounting in all to 50 kM2, along the Akcha Darya Passage between Bukhan Merei itself and Chukurkak, which were formerly available to them but have been lost due to overflows of water from the Collector. Two specific actions in the past development of the Main Collector appear to have had severe effects on the herders, and made them feel apprehensive about the future. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIQSFAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 38 * The early construction of the Main Collector in the Akcha Darya Passage was evidently inadequate to contain all the flows that came into it. This appears to have been partly due to a deliberate policy of letting water flow into extinct natural channels where these were available, and partly due to unsatisfactory construction or maintenance that has led to occasional breaches of embankments. Consequently, water has been able to inundate grazing areas. * The flood of 1998 was a specific catastrophe for the herders, leading to loss of a substantial number of animals. These losses happened farther north, especially near to the point where the channel then ended; at this point two large new wetlands formed, and the dangers associated with these caused herders to change their routes further to avoid it completely. This event appears to have been caused by sudden delivery of an unusually large amount of water through the drainage system, perhaps for the objective of relieving flood problems in the Amu Darya and at Tuyamuyun Dam. These actions have amounted to treating the grazing areas as a dumping ground for the excess water of the irrigation systems and even of the river. In these circumstances, it is difficult to assess what will be the effects if the Main Collector is designed and built to transport water across the grazing areas in a confined channel. The attitudes of herders towards the Main Collector are at present quite negative, for reasons that derive from the two kinds of action just described, and also because they are already under great stress due to reasons that are unconnected to the Main Collector. The aridity of the region means that its plant species are drought-resistant, and may be unable to withstand flood. They are also generally slow-growing. Therefore, the effect of an inundation, even if it is only a single event, may take many years to rectify and overcome. Linkages of animal diseases to the Collector are also complex. Among the diseases mentioned by herders, fasciolosis (liver flukes) has a clear relationship to water, as the parasite uses snails as hosts. This affects sheep and cattle. Horses and camels may be affected by a form of trypanosomiasis, which is fly-borne, and therefore may also increase when wetlands form. Theileriosis (called teleroz in interviews reported in the Social Impact Assessment) is a tick-borne disease not connected with water. This, and some other diseases, have probably increased due to some of the other problems mentioned above, specifically reduction of vaccination due to lack of money to pay for it, and weakening of animals due to several reasons, of which loss of grazing due to pasture-inundation is one component. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 39 2.6 ENVIRONMENTAND ECOLOGY 2.6.1 Introduction The floodplain of the Amu Darya and the desert plains of the Kyzyl-kum Desert form the natural conditions in the project area. Due to the development of irrigation in South Karakalpakstan described in Section 2.2, a number of new aquatic habitats have developed, together with a number of transition zones between the aquatic habitats and the natural desert habitats. The development of the modern irrigation systems and the use of water from the Amu Darya have altered the hydrological regime of the river. The decreasing levels of water in the Amu Darya (and Syr Darya) have caused shrinking of the Aral Sea and increase in salinity of the sea. The result has been a serious decline in the natural plant and animal life, with a number of species and subspecies now extinct or on the verge of extinction. The description of habitats is structured as follows: * Irrigation and drainage system * Lakes and other wetlands * Tugai forest (Baday Tugai) * Akcha Darya Passage * Akcha Darya Delta These habitats are described according to their physical and chemical conditions, vegetation, fish and birds using available information. The present condition is assessed where possible. 2.6.2 Methods Physical and chemical conditions in aquatic habitats were investigated by measuring temperature and salinity using field conductivity meters and salinity meters during several fieldtrips; water samples were collected and analysed in a certified laboratory. Pesticides and heavy metals were measured in samples of water, plants and sediments using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. The results were compared to World Health Organisation Standards for drinking water and EU directives for maximum acceptable content in foodstuffs (for further details refer to the Baseline Study - Section 4.6.8). Aquatic and terrestrial vegetation and birds were investigated during field trips carried out at the end of November 2000, end of June 2001 and end of ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBERISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 40 September 2002. However, only short visits were possible at each locality. The information obtained from field trips was complemented with information from previous reports and investigations from the area, and information from national and international red data books on endangered species. Sampling sites and observation points are shown in Map 2.5. Table 2.30 gives sampling site locations and salinity measurements made during several field visits at various sites and along the proposed collector route. 2.6.3 Irrigation and drainage canals The location and extent of the system of irrigation and drainage canals are described in Section 2.1. Physical and chemical environment Table 2.31 shows representative salinity measurements in canals and collectors. Salinity ("mineralisation') in irrigation canals ranged from about 0.7 to 1.5 g/l In the Beruni collector salinity was measured at 3.2 - 6.5 g/l. Salinity in the Kyzil-kum collector upstream of the Kyzyl-kum pumping station varied between 4.5 and 6 g/l. Salinity in the outlet of Lake Ayazkul was 5 to 6 g/l. Salinity levels in the Kyzil-kum collector downstream from Lake Ayazkul could reach as high as 10 - 20 g/l. This could be due to influence from temporary wetlands. The salinity in this part of the collector system may vary considerably depending on the amount of drainage water coming in. Nitrogen, measured as nitrate, in irrigation canals was 1.8 - 2.0 mg N/1, rising to generally between 10 and 20 mg N/l in collectors, reflecting leaching from cultivated areas (see Feasibility Report- pg. 3-26). Phosphorus, measured as phosphate, showed concentrations from 0.01 to 0.07 mg P/1, which is rather low. The levels of measured nutrients were so low that there will only be a relatively low risk of causing eutrophication of lakes and rivers. BOD. and COD were measured at low concentrations (0.6-0.7 mg/l BOD and 3.2 mg/l COD) in canals. In collectors concentrations were found to be significantly higher, about 2.7 mg/l BOD and 55 mg/l COD, respectively (see Feasibility Report - pg. 3-26). These values generally indicate a low or negligible influence from wastewater. Overall, the water was found to be clear in both canals and collectors (not including suspended matter). Toxic chemicals Samples of water, bottom deposits and plants were collected during the period 18-22 November 2000 in both irrigation canals and drainage collectors (for further details refer to the Baseline Study - Section 4.6.8). The samples were analysed for following substances: ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISIAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 41 * Metals: As, Se, Ba, Sr, Ni, Cr, Pb, Mn, Fe, Zn (Atomic Adsorption Spectrophotometry) * Organo-chlorine pesticides: DDT, DDD, DDE, a-HCH, 1-HCH and y-HTH. Results The results in full, together with the highest permissible concentrations (based on World Health Organisation (WIHO) standards for drinking water) can be found in Razakov (2000). Here only the principal results are shown. Water samples: For the metals As, Ba, Ni, Pb, Mn and Zn, no value of the content in water samples exceeded the highest permissible concentrations for WIHO standards for drinking water. For Se, Sr, and Cr, significantly higher values were found in a few samples, or example the Kyzyl-kum (Ayazkala) collector downstream of Lake Ayazkul. Organochlorine substances were absent with the exception of y-HITH, which occurred in very low concentrations. Prior to the sampling listed in the Feasibility Report, water samples from canals and collectors were analysed for the heavy metals Cr, Pb, Mn, Fe and Zn. None of the results exceeded highest permissible concentrations by WHO. Also levels of organochlorine substances were low or absent in these analyses. Plant samples: Table 2.32 gives representative concentrations of pesticides and heavy metals in plants samples taken from the project area. Plant samples comprised Phragmites and Typha angustifolia, together with some submersed plants. The results can be assessed from the point of view of suitability as fodder for cattle and from the position of bioaccumulation in the ecosystem. In the following table, the results of heavy metals and pesticides analyses of plant materials are compared to the maximum acceptable content in foodstuffs according to EU directive 1999/29/EC of 22 April 1999, on undesirable substances and products in animal nutrition. Compared to the average levels in dry plant biomass,' the levels of most heavy metals were found to be high, for example As, Se, Ba, Cr, Ni, Pb. The reason for this is unclear, but could be due to the practice of irrigation and leaching, which delivers large amounts of water into the area. Concerning the use of water plants as foodstuff, the concentration level of heavy metals did not reach alarming levels (based on the limits in the EU directive, although it should be noted that a number of substances are not listed in the EU- directive). Sediments: Table 2.33 gives representative concentrations of heavy metals in bead sediments taken from the project area. Sediment samples were collected near the banks of irrigation canals and drainage collectors. Values required (1) Kabata-Pcndias, A. & Pendcas, H, 1989 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 42 for comparison are weak and somewhat varied concerning permissible or recommended values. However, it appears there are elevated levels of As, Se, Ni, and Cr and to a lesser degree Pb in the sediments. Maximum permissible concentrations are compared to the Danish government notice 49 of 20 January 2000. Generally, the levels of heavy metals and organochlorides in water samples were lower than the highest permissible concentrations. In sediments and aquatic plants, elevated levels of some heavy metals were found. Aquatic plants The presence of aquatic plants in canals and collectors was usually limited to the slopes of the canal or collectors. Where regular canal cleaning or maintenance was deficient aquatic plants were also found along the canal bottoms. Submerged vegetation consisted of Potamogeton pectinatus, Myriophyllum sp., Batrachium circinatum and the Stonewort (Chara sp.). Green thread-like algae and growth of periphyton (attached algae) were also frequent. Most often a fringe of reed, consisting of Phragmites australis and Typha angustifolia, lined the border of the canals and collectors. All the mentioned species are widely distributed and have broad ecological amplitude. They appear to be able to survive salinity levels up to about 20 g/l. Fish The fish fauna found in canals and collectors belongs to the fauna of the low reaches of the Amu Darya, which again belongs to the fauna of the Aral Sea Basin. Most of the original species have declined severely in population size due to the altered hydrological regime of the Amu Darya and the shrinking of the Aral Sea. At least six known species and subspecies endemic of the Amu Darya (e.g. big and small shovelnose) and the Aral Sea Region are now extinct or on the verge of extinction (see Baseline Study - Section 4.6.1). In the early 1960s, new species were introduced into the Amu Darya basin, of which Silver Carp (Hipophtalmichtys molitrix), White Amur (Aristichtys nobilis) and Snakehead (Ophiocephalus argus) are the most prolific. It is estimated that about 50% of the commercial catch consists of introduced species. The composition of fish fauna in canals and collectors is expected to be similar to fish fauna found in the lakes (e.g. Lake Akchakul) although not as permanent, as water levels in canals and collectors are unstable. However, lake inlets and outlets do allow for the passage of some fish. The collectors and canals are of importance for the spawning and growth of fry, and as a feeding area during unfavourable conditions in the lakes. Likewise, canals and collectors can serve as passages between different lakes and wetlands ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 43 Most of the existing fish in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya can tolerate salinity levels of up to 10-12 g/l. The most salt-tolerant fish species appears to be the pike-perch, which tolerates salinity levels up to about 20 gll. Birds Collectors and canals are used as feeding and resting places by some migrating birds, and as corridors between lakes and wetlands. However, as breeding grounds for larger waterfowl they are of little importance (see Interim Report- Section 8.1). In collectors in general, Pygmy cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus) was frequently seen fishing and colonies of Green bee-eater (Merops superciliosus) nest in holes along the steep collector banks, particularly when collectors pass through uninhabited desert areas. 2.6.4 Lakes and other wetlands Lake Akchakul Physical and chemical environment Lake Akchakul is part of a larger water body that existed before recent irrigation and drainage expansion within the area started in the 1960s. Earlier descriptions of the lake date back to 1902, but the lake (or larger water body) probably existed many years before. It is believed that this lake dried up in the 1920s.1 The inlet to the lake is composed of two collectors, which merge about 0.5 km- 1 km before the inlet in the south-eastern corner. Reed swamps surround the lake, forming a 200-500m broad belt of reed mixed with patches of open water reed throughout the south-western side of the lake. At the north-eastern side of the lake the belt of reed is only 10-20m broad. The outlet is situated in the north-western corner of the lake. The morphological data of the lake are briefly summarised in Table 2.34 (based on information from local fishermen). The lake is of great recreational value, as there are several children's camps, rest houses and sanatoriums at its eastern shore. Conductivity Isalinity Conductivity/ salinity was measured at 3.9 mS!/cm with approximately the same values in the outlet (see Baseline Study - Section 4.6.2). This indicates that no significant increase of salinity takes place in the lake. (2) Joldasova, llya M Institute of Bioecology, Karalpak Branch of Uzbek Academy of Sciences, Nukus Personal communicaton, 2000. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMIENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIGSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 44 Aquatic plants including periphyton and phytoplankton The emergent macrophytes, primarily the reed Phragmites australis, grow in extensive beds at the inlet and along the western shore. Reeds can tolerate a wide range of salinity levels and may also reduce the content of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and organic matter of water flowing through them. Submerged macrophytes, primarily Stonewort (Chara sp.), covers about 75% of the bottom of the lake. From experience in more temperate regions it is known that Stonewort prefers waters with low content of nutrients, for example lakes in gravel pits. It is also known that most species can tolerate some water salinity. The extensive presence of Stonewort in Lake Akchakul at depths as great as seven metres, indicates good penetration of light at least in spring/early summer and autumn, together with a relatively low nutrient content. The Stonewort further serves as spawning grounds for fish, and provides food for both fish and waterfowl such as ducks. Another species can be found growing along with Stoneworts, a scattered growth of Potamogeton pectinatus, a species occurring in a wide range of aquatic habitats. The water in Lake Akchakul was clear, during both field visits in November 2000 and June 2001, indicating a low growth of phytoplankton. According to accounts by local fishermen, however, it is known that the lake can become unclear during summer. Fish The fish fauna of Lake Akchakul exhibit great diversity. In the 1980s, commercial catches included Roach (vobla) (Rutilus rutilus), Carp (Cyprinus carpio), Catfish (Siluris glanis), Pike-perch (Schizostedion lucioperca), Bream (Abramis brahma) and Crucian Carp (Carassius carassius). Silver Carp (Hypophtalmichtys molitrix) appeared in 1982, Snakehead (Ophiocephalus argus) in 1991 and Pike (Esox lucius) appeared in 1994-1995. Annual catch varied from 23.7 tonnes to 91 tonnes, an average of 47.3 tonnes/year during the period from 1981 to 1986. From 1988 to 1997 the fish catch appeared to be lower, with catches varying from 3.3 tonnes to 17 tonnes/year, an average of 11 tonnes/year. The reason for this decrease is not known, but possible explanations could be insufficient statistical data or change in fishing methods and equipment. The dominant species of fish catch is Roach (Rutilus rutilus), Wild Carp (Cyprinus carpio), Bream (Abramis brahma) and Goldfish (Carassius auratus). Fish catch data (see Baseline Study -Section 4.6.2, Table 4.31) indicates that the fish population of the lake is quite diverse, with a good proportion of predatory fish (Asp and Pike-perch accounting for 39% of the total catch). The ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISIAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 45 amount of small fish may have been underestimated due to the large mesh size used for fishing. Organisation offisheries The fisheries of Lakes Akchakul and Lake Ayazkul are managed by the fish farms in Beruni and Ellikala. In Karakalpakstan there are 21 fish farms, organised by 'Karakalpakbalik', which distributes licenses to the fish farms. Goskompriroda (the State Committee for Environmental Protection) rents the bigger lakes to Karakalpakbalik and decides the size of quotas on the advice of the Academy of Sciences. Smaller lakes (<25 ha) can be rented privately. The catch is sold to the farm at fixed prices. However, a significant part of the catch is sold through private channels. Officially, 22 or 23 fishermen are registered at the Ellikala and Beruni fish farms, but more than 100 people are estimated to fish the lakes without licences.' Birds Table 2.35 lists bird species observed at Lake Akchakul during field visits. Birds observed at Lake Akchakul included Crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), Pygmy cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus), which is in the international IUCN red list, Purple heron (Ardea purpurea), Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), which is in the national red book of Uzbekistan, Red-crested pochard (Netta rufina), Vanellochettusia leucura, Gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) and Long-billed reed-warbler (Acrocephalus stentorius). Lake Akchakul is a different type of lake compared to Lake Ayazkul and will not be able to compensate for the loss of biodiversity, should it be decided to dry out Lake Ayazkul. This is due to the fact that rare breeding birds like white pelican and glossy ibis are not presently breeding in Lake Akchakul, probably due to the high level of human activity in Lake Akchakul such as intensive fishery and recreational activities. It is assessed, that neither the project nor any of the proposed options will have significant influence on the bird life of Lake Akchakul and immediate surroundings. Lake Ayazkul Lake Ayazkul is not a natural lake. It exists because of the supply of drainage water. The lake is believed to have come into existence in the 1970s. At that time there was a pump station, called Ayazkala Pump Station, whose function was to pump drainage water from the irrigation systems into a depression north of the ridge on which the Ayazkala fortress stands. (3) Joldasova, Ilya M, 2000 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 46 At the beginning of the 1980s, as part of the expansion of irrigation and drainage systems that accompanied the construction of Tuyamuyun Dam, the Kyzyl-kum Pump Station was installed, to pump water into this depression. This led to the formation of the present Lake Ayazkul. The lake consists of two very different segments, which we shall call the Eastern Basin and the Western Basin. They are separated from each other by a narrow peninsula, which divides the lake almost completely. The two basins are connected by a small channel at the northem end of this peninsula. The configuration of Lake Ayazkul is shown in Table 4.25, which details how its area and volume increase with depth. The maximum depth is about 10 m. The bottom of the lake is narrow, with a rapid widening above the depth of 8 m. About half the volume of the lake is stored in the top 1 m. Drainage water from the Kyzyl-kum and other large collectors is pumped into the Eastem Basin, and flows across it eastwards, leaving it to enter the Ayazkalinski Collector. Its route across the lake is partially confined by banks, forming a channel. These banks are not in strong condition, and water can flow both over and through the banks to mix with the surrounding lake water of the Eastern Basin. The Westem Basin is not supplied by any extemal water source. It appears that its only input of new water comes from the Eastern Basin. As water evaporates from the Western Basin, inflow from the Eastem Basin occurs to replenish this. There is probably a certain amount of diffusion of water between the two basins, but this appears likely to be very weak. These flow arrangements create a variety of patterns of salinity in the basins. The basic pattem, under normal drainage inputs, is that the incoming drainage water brings in salinity of the order of 2 -3 g/l; the water of the Eastem Basin has salinity higher than this (since it is evaporating, and dilution by the incoming water is restricted by the partial channel), and may vary at different places in the range 3 - 10 g/l, with higher concentrations in the more stagnant area distant from the incoming water. In the Western Basin, where new salt is gradually brought in from the Eastern and cannot escape, salinity is in the 20 - 30 g/l range. Physical and chemical environment Lake Ayazkul is an artificial lake maintained by pumping water from the Kyzyl-kum Collector into a desert sink. From the Kyzyl-kum pump station, drainage water is pumped into the lake, which is divided into two basins by a peninsula. The western basin receives only small amounts of water and is significantly more saline than the eastem part. The outlet is located in the eastem basin, which is partly overgrown with reeds. Along the northern part of the eastem basin there are still some significant areas of open water. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/WORL) BANK 47 During a field visit in September 2002, the easternmost part of the lake appeared very dry with growth of grasses and bushes and cattle moving around and grazing. This is in direct contrast to the situation during field visits made in November 2000 and June 2001 when the lake contained much more water. Excess water from the lake is drained through a canal, which runs along its southern border. At a distance of about 2 km from the beginning of this drain, the gravity drain merges with the drain from the lake. The gravity drain is at present blocked about 500 m from the junction. The shore of the lake is quite irregular with bays, creeks and islands. The eastern basin is partly overgrown with reeds (see Volume 3 - Map Sheet 6A). Conductivity /salinity Table 2.36 gives representative salinity/conductivity measurements of Lake Ayazkul made during field visits. The western basin of the lake only receives water from the fresher eastem part of the lake through small openings in the peninsula in the middle of the lake and possibly also through seepage. Therefore, measured salinity was high in the western basin of the lake, about 20 g/l and conductivity was about 25 mS/cm. In the eastern part of the lake, which receives water from the Kyzyl-kum collector, salinity was measured at 4-5 g/l and conductivity at 6-7 mS/cm, which was about the same as measured in the Kyzyl-kum collector upstream of the Kyzyl-kum pump station. Aquatic plants including periphyton. The eastern part of the lake is partially covered by extensive reed beds. The reed beds are dominated by Phragmites communis (70%), Typha angustifolia (20%) and scattered Bolboschoenus maritimus. In the western basin reeds and Typha are very sparse or lacking. Near the lakeshore, desert vegetation is degraded, and only a Tamarix species was observed. Submerged macrophytes are Stonewort (Chara sp), Batrachium circinatum and Potamogeton perfoliatus, which appeared to be more dense at the inlet to the lake. Scattered growth was observed from the shore at the lake inlet. Stonewort and reed appear to be able to tolerate salinity levels as high as 20 g/l. Both species were absent in waters with salinity levels of more than about 20-25 g/litre, i.e. the western basin. The only type of vegetation found in the western basin was periphyton (small algae growing on solid surfaces). Periphyton was not investigated extensively during field visits, however in the western, more saline part of the lake, it was found to be the only aquatic vegetation growing. Earlier investigations' show (4) Talskikh, V, Gorelkrn, N and Goroshkov, N. 2000 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIKSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 48 that the ratio of freshwater species to brackish water species from 1990 to 1998 changed from 1.23 to 0.30, indicating a transition to more saline conditions during this period. Fish In November 2000composition of fish catch included Asp (Aspius aspius) and Carp (Cyprinus carpio) according to a representative of the local fishermen. Further, two young fishermen were observed with Carp (Cyprinus carpio) and Goldfish (Carassius auratus). The composition is much the same as in Lake Akchakul. Fishing was previously of great importance for the nearby fishing village. In the years 1983-1987, the catch was reported to be an average of 47 tonnes per year, but during the period 1988-1997 (excluding 1992-1993) the catch fell to 12 tonnes on average and in recent years the fish catch has dropped further according to local fishermen interviewed in September 2002. The reason for the decline in fish catch is probably due to a significant drop in the water level of the lake due to prolonged drought conditions and the increased overgrowing and shrinking area of water surface in the eastern part of the lake. Fish fry were observed along the shore of the western, salty basin in September 2002, indicating that some species of fish can tolerate salinity of about 20 g/l, which should be near the limit of tolerance for fish in the area. Birds Owing to the increasing desiccation of the Aral Sea, the importance of other water bodies supporting aquatic bird life in the Pre-aral Region is particularly important. Table 2.37 shows a selection of birds observed at Lake Ayazkul during two field visits in 2001 and 2002. During summer, the Lake Ayazkul ecosystem supports a significant number of fish-eating birds, waterfowl, and marsh birds. Most of the 38 species observed during July 2001 breed in Lake Ayazkul. Among the nesting bird species, Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus) is the most threatened species and is listed n the international IUCN red data list. Other threatened species are the Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onochrotalus) and Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), both listed in the National Red Book of Uzbekistan. Lake Ayazkul is the only water body in the southeast of Karakalpakstan where suitable conditions exist for nesting of the Great White Pelican. The Great White Pelican has bred in this location for at least 20 years (personal communication by the head of Kyzyl-kum pumping station). Other breeding birds include: Purple heron (Ardea purpurea), Great egret (Eg-retta alba), Egret (Egretta garzetta), Gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica), Caspian tern (Sterna caspia), White-fronted tern (Sterna albifrons), Vanellochettusia leucura, Red-crested pochard (Netta rufina), Motacilla citriola, Long-billed reed-warbler (Acrocephalus stentorius), Marsh harrier (Circus ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISrAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 49 aeroginosus). Three different species of grebes were observed feeding in the western basin of the lake, indicating the existence of aquatic life such as insects and crustaceans. The Crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) was also observed feeding and this is a fish-eating species. During periods of migration, the lake has great importance as resting and feeding ground for fish-eating birds, waterfowl, and marsh birds. Because it is situated on the traditional migratory route from Western Siberia and Kazakhstan to wintering grounds in the south of Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. During seasonal migration many birds rest here: grebes, pelicans, cormorants, flamingo, geese, ducks, herons, gulls, tems and waders. During winter this area serves as a hunting ground for white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and resting ground for ducks. Present situation Given the location of Lake Ayazkul to the Ayazkala archaeological complex which is an important cultural heritage site and frequently visited tourist site, this affords an opportunity to generate additional economic benefits for the region, and the possibility of developing ecological tourism. Easy access and viewing of the lake provides an excellent opportunity to bird-watch. The presence during different seasons of species such as the Great White Pelican, Pygmy Cormorant, Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, and migratory bird flocks are excellent attractions for bird-watchers. If the current decline in water levels is reversed in the lake, there is still a potential for developing and maintaining a significant fishery activity. Through comparison of satellite images from 1997 to the current situation, it is clear that the division between the two lake basins has grown considerably in size over the last few years. The reed beds have also increased considerably over the last four to five years, as confirmed by a local guide from the nearby village. These changes are undoubtedly due to a lowering of the water level. One way to improve conditions in the eastern part of the lake would be to intentionally raise the water level, which would hinder reed growth. Constructing a higher threshold at the outlet could do this, and if a continuing supply of water could be made available to sustain the lake. Other wetlands (including temporaryi wetlands) Physical and chemical environment As a result of diverting drainage water into the former water course of the Akcha Darya, a series of wetlands has formed. However, only two of these wetlands seem at the moment to be more or less permanent. The description of the basic ecology below, therefore, only covers these first two wetlands (referred to as Wetland I and Wetland II in earlier reports). These two wetlands are formed like elongated lakes with rather steep banks due to the topography of the former river bed of the Akcha Darya, and contain many peninsulas and islands covered by reeds. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPULBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 50 Reed beds fringe the wetlands. Along the western shore of the wetlands there is a by-pass collector, making it possible to divert water past the these areas to avoid water spreading into the desert causing floods, which could cause problems for grazing cattle. Conductivity was measured at about 6-8 mS/cm and salinity at 7-8 g/l. Aquatic plants The aquatic vegetation contained in these wetlands is similar to that found in Lake Akchakul and Lake Ayazkul, with a dominance of Phragmites australis (60%), Typha angustifolia (30%) and Bolboschoenus maritimus (5-7%). Submerged aquatic plants were dominated by stoneworts (Chara sp.), and scattered growth of Potamogeton pectinatus and myriophyllum sp.. In the coastal zone Tamarix hispida, T. ramoisissima, Kerelinia caspica and Alhagi pseudalhagi are found. The widespread occurrence of submerged macrophytes creates good conditions for the growth of fish and other kinds of food for cormorants, herons and ducks. The water level appeared to be rather low, as submerged macrophytes in 2001 were exposed at the lake shore at a distance of about 50- 100 m broadbelt. Fish A lot of fish fry were observed in the wetlands, and in Wetland II three men were observed fishing in June 2001. Among the fish caught was Asp (Aspius aspius) and Roach (Rutilus rutilus). The fish caught were small and the amount caught can only support a few people. As the wetlands are connected to the lakes by the system of collectors, it can be expected to find much the same kind of fish as in the lakes. However, if the wetlands are or become shallow, there will be a risk of freezing in winter and drying out and increasing of salinity in summer. However, restocking will probably quickly occur from the collector. Birds The most important birds observed were Crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), Slavonian grebe (P. griseigena), Pygmy cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus) (on the IUCN red list of rare and threatened birds), Black cormorant (P. carbo), Great egret (Egretta alba), Purple heron (Ardea purpurea), Red-crested pochard (Netta rufina) 14, Tadorna tadorna, Vanellochettusia leucura, Stilt (Himantopus himantopus),White-fronted tern (Sterna albifrons), Caspian tern (Sterna caspia), Common tern (Sterna hirundo), Black tern (Chlidonias niger), Marsh harrier (Circus aeroginosus), Long-billed reed warbler (Acrocephalus stentorius), Green bee-eater (Merops supercilliosus), Calandrella rufescens, and Desert wheatear (Oenanthe deserti). The total list of birds is shown in Table 2.38. The Akcha Darya wetlands are too small and constrained by topography to accommodate breeding populations of herons, ibises, pelicans and cormorants, but can act as foraging and resting places for these birds. The ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEICSTAN / EU TACIS/ WORLD BANK 51 main nesting birds are ducks, marsh harrier and reed warblers. For migrating waders, ducks and other birds, the wetlands will likewise be useful as resting points. Raising the water level in the wetlands will probably not change this much, because the surface area will not increase significantly due to the narrow configuration of the landscape. The wetlands seem to be suitable as growth localities for fish fry, and will probably be able to support a minor fishery. Furthermore, they are of importance as sedimentation settling areas, decreasing the siltation of the collector drains. During the June 2001 field trip, footprints of Gazelle were observed. Only a few insects were observed, among others one horsefly. 2.6.5 Tugai Forest (Baday Tugai) Location and size Tugai is the name of natural tree and bush communities of desert floodplains in the arid regions of North Africa, Asia Minor and Central Asia. Typical tugai forests occur as narrow belts in river valleys and deltas, where they occupy banks, islands and low-lying terraces, alternating with meadows and tall grass communities (Kuzmina & Treshkin, 1997). The remaining area of Tugai forest covers less than 10% of the area that existed 30-40 years ago. The location and delimitation of the Baday Tugai reserve are described in Section 2.1.5. The area of the reserve is about 60 km2 and includes quite a large part of the Amu Darya River (approximately 600 m in width from the shore line). It is proposed to add 1500 ha of younger forest at the southeastern border of the reserve. Besides these tugai areas, considerable stretches (several hundred square kilometres) of the Kyzyl-kum desert could be potentially added to the reserve. An old branch of Amu Darya River, the Kok Darya, delimits the reserve and makes it like an island in the river. The Kok Darya is presently fed by drainage water from the Beruni Pump station and receives no water from Amu Darya, as there is a man-made blockage about 4 km from the Amu Darya. Vegetation The tugai community consists of a number of tree species of Poplar (Populus), Oleaster (Elaeagnus) and Willow (Salix) and bushes such as Tamarisk (Tamarix), as well as reed (Phragmites australis), reed grass (Calamagrostis) and others. The diversity of tugai flora is relatively poor. Of all tugai species, no more than 40 are distinguished as typically tugai plants. The types of Tugai can briefly be described as: ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZEEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 52 * Arboreal (tree) tugai - Populeta arianae, P. pruinosae Elaeagneta turcomanicae (the latter remains in extremely small stands in Baday Tugai); * Shrubby tugai - Tamariceta ramosissima; Tamariceta hispidae; this formation expands its natural distribution in the reserve due to soil salinisation and increase in ground water salinity; * Herbaceous (grassy) tugai - Alhagieta pseudalhagii, Aeluropideta littorales, Glycyrrhizeta glabrae, Phragmites australis, and Trachomiteta scabrii; herbaceous tugais occupies only a small and decreasing area together with arborous formations; and, * Solonchak vegetation - Halostachydeta belangerianae, Salsoleta dendroidis, Climacoptereta lanatae, Suaedeta salsolae etc.; those species increase their distribution due to changing conditions in the reserve (Kuzmina, 1997a; Treshkin, 2000; 2001). For sustainable survival, the Tugai forest requires a ground water table not lower than 2.5 - 3.5 meters. The salinity of groundwater should not exceed 0.7 - 0.9 g/l. For germination of seeds and renewal of the forest, flooding in the months of July/ August must occur at intervals of at most about 5 years. The duration of the flooding should last one to two weeks. Of the 6,000 ha in the reserve, only 2,000 ha is actually covered by forest. The middle of the tugai forest reserve is flushed only very rarely, implying that the salt in the soil is seldom washed out, and therefore becomes higher and higher. The part of the forest located near the Kok Darya is also becoming saltier due to the influence of salty water flowing from the Beruni collector through the Kok Darya. It is possible that salt water disperses from the collector and affects the groundwater salinity in the forest. About 30% of the reserve is entirely desertified with formation of solonchaks, mainly located in the central part of the reserve. Over the last decade, a change in species composition in the Baday Tugai forest has taken place. Two species of poplar (Populus pruinosus and Populus arianus) with rather broad ecological amplitude are now dominating, due to tolerance against salt. These cover 90% of the area, while Salix songarica (willow) has become rare, making up less than 1% of the forest cover and growing only in the part of the forest near the Amu Darya River. The last flooding occurred in 1998, when the water level was at least 1.5 meters above the floor of the forest. On that occasion, a lot of seeds germinated. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIGSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 53 Bukhara Deer The Baday Tugai reserve is known for its population of Bukhara Deer, Cervus elaphys bactianus, whose habitat is limited to the tugai of Central Asia. The Bukhara Deer was reintroduced to the reserve in 1976. The initial number of animals was two does and one buck brought from the Aralpaigambar reserve located in the Amu Darya upstream water area in 1976. Today, the population is about 150 released animals (this is likely to be close to the maximum capacity of the territory), the size of the population being mainly attributed to a successful programme of animal breeding in captivity and reintroduction (presently about 11 animals are kept in captivity for this purpose). The Baday Tugai reserve contains about 60% of the total number of Bukhara Deer of Uzbekistan and 25% of the total population of the subspecies. Thus, the existing territory is of crucial importance for the survival of this subspecies. The other tugai territories within the delta limits are also important for preservation of the Bukhara Deer, because they are considered to be acceptable territories for reintroduction. Birds The bird fauna comprises the threatened White backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) and the endemic subspecies of Pheasant Phasanius choichicus chrysomelas. Both species were observed during a visit to the reserve in September 2002. According to information from the park management, the total population of pheasant is estimated at 3000 within and outside the reserve. Further, Saker falcon (Falco cherrug), which is a threatened species in Uzbekistan, Shikra sparrowhawk (Accipiter badius) and Bukhara tit (Parus bokharensis) were observed. Administration The Baday Tugai reserve is strictly a protected territory, originally established in 1974 as a scientific reserve (zapovednik) to protect classic species of the Amu- Darya tugai forest and to preserve the rare Bukhara deer. Theoretically all types of reserve use are prohibited except for research purposes; however, access for limited number foreign tourists was permitted for a 'reasonable' payment (US$5-10). For example, the total number of visitors in 2001 reached 40 people. However, this made virtually no difference to the reserve's financial situation. The reserve is administered by the State Committee for Forest Farms of Karakalpakstan, based in Nukus, which is financed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources in Tashkent. This is an exception to normal practice, whereby Goskompriroda (the State Committee for Environmental Protection) is responsible for administration of nature reserves. The Baday Tugai reserve employs a managing researcher and five inspectors, and there are some meeting and accommodation facilities on site. Research ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 54 has stopped due to lack of funds. The inspectors are empowered to stop illegal tree-cutting and other activities by confiscating equipment and imposing fines. The present state of the Baday Tugai is precarious due to a variety of reasons such as high salinity of ground water, low levels of ground water and lack of periodic flooding. 2.6.6 Akcha Darya Passage to Chukurkak Physical and chemical environment The passage contains wells and semi-permanent smaller water bodies. These water bodies have probably been formed in connection with earlier flooding. At a deep well (N 420 23'342, E 61° 29'048) electrical conductivity was measured at 5.47 mS/cm, which was close to the values measured in collectors inside the irrigation area (See Table 2.30). The salinity in one of the temporary water bodies was so high that it exceeded the range of the conductivity meter Vegetation The natural vegetation consists of species preferring sandy conditions, like Ammodendron conolly, Salsola arbuscula, Calligonum caput-medusae, Calligonum aphyllum, Haloxylon persicum. At a distance of approximately 100-500 m or at varying distances from the collector, vegetation has been replaced by Tamarix hispida, T. ramoisissima, Kerelinia caspica and Alhagi pseudalhagi due to more moist conditions. Along the entire collector route to Chukurkak, Haloxylon has been planted in the river bed to protect against wind blown erosion. Birds Bird life consisted of species affiliated to deserts like Crested Lark (Galerida cristata), Calandrella rufescens, Long legged buzzard (Buteo rufinus) and Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe desertii). Also some passerines and migrating waders on were observed, like the Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava feldegg), White wagtail (Motacilla alba), Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita), and Little Stint Calidris minutes. About 100 ducks were observed in September 2002 flying over the area near Chukurkak. All birds observed were common species. Bird life was concentrated at the well. No birds were observed along the salty, semi-permanent water bodies. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/ WORLD BANK 55 2.6.7 Akcha Darya Delta Flora and fauna of desert habitat The delta consists of loamy sand soils and takyr, and many places were without vegetation cover. Scattered herds of cattle were observed over the entire area. Vegetation belongs to the Kyzyl-kum flora with species of Haloxylon, Ammodendron, Calligonum, Salsola, Carex physodes, Artemisia and others. Birds found in this area were Pintailed sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata), which is registered in the Uzbek Red Book on endangered species, Black-bellied sand- grouse (Pterocles orientalis), Syrrhaptes paradoxus, Green bee-eater (Merops superciliosus), larks (Calandrella rufescens, C.cinerea), Desert wheatear (Oenanthe deserti), Isabelline wheatear (0. isabellina), Desert warbler (Sylvia nana) and Desert plover (Charadrius leschenaultii). Further, eight specimens of Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata), which is in the International Red Book of rare and threatened species, were observed, probably migrating. Wetlands In the Akcha Darya Delta some temporary wetlands were encountered. The wetlands were probably formed during a flood event in 1998. One wetland visited in June 2001 (Wetland IV: N 42° 56.16', E 610 31.00') was shaped as a regular lake with an area of perhaps 20 km2. Along the shoreline it was observed that the existing water level was lower than what had existed previously. Bushes of Tamarix and reed surrounded the lake, but the growth was rather sparse. The submerged aquatic vegetation was well developed with Batrachium circinatus and Potamogeton pectinatus. A water sample was taken and the results of the analysis showed a salt content of 19.9 g/l. This is approaching the tolerance limit of fish. The salt content was much higher than in Wetlands I and II (See Table 2.30). At this wetland, it was surprising to find such well-developed submerged aquatic vegetation and the presence of small water beetles. Harmful insects did not appear numerous, most remarkable was a single small horsefly. Only a few birds were observed: Green bee-eater (Merops superciliosus) and Redshank (Tringa totanus). Wetland V was also visited in June 2001 (N 420 59.55', E 61° 26.16') and is situated near the present end of the collector drain, and appeared on the satellite image to have a water surface of about 20 km2 (See Volume 3 - Map Sheet 4). However, no water surface could be observed due to the coverage of extensive reed beds. According to the local guide, the surface of the lake has decreased significantly during the last year and can vary considerably. In June 2001, a belt of fresh green reed indicated that the lake was not completely dried up. However, in September 2002 when the wetland was revisited, this belt was no longer visible. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMFNT REPUBLIC OF UZB3ESTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 56 The lake was not accessible, but from a distance about 30 birds of prey were seen hovering over the dry reed bed. Most common was Marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) and kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) but also Hen harrier (Circus Cyaneus) and Pallid harrier (Circus macrourus) were observed. Long-billed reed-warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus) was heard in the reed bed. Two artesian wells were visited in the delta area. Near the Jana Darya a well called Kosmala (N 43o 39.624', E 61024.043') was visited in September 2002. The water conductivity was measured at 2.58 mS/cm. The water was used primarily for drinking water and irrigation for a small vegetable plot. The well also serves as a drinking source for two species of sandgrouse, including the red data book species Pintailed sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata). Sandgrouses can travel up to 50 km in the morning and again in the evening to their drinking sources. Also other desert dwelling species depend on the wells for drinking. During migration many passerines and small waders use these wells as stopover points in the desert. These resting birds attract raptors, among which the Saker falcon (Falco cherrug), a Red Data Book species of Uzbekistan, was seen. Another artesian well near Chukurkak was visited in September 2001 (N 42° 52.34', E 610 29.20'). The conductivity of the water was measured at 2.45 mS/cm. The well formed a small stream of 1 m width. The aquatic vegetation was sparse, consisting only of thread algae. Around the well desert vegetation was growing. Jana Darya The dried up river bed of Jana Darya was briefly inspected. No particular flora or fauna species were observed. Assessment From the viewpoint of flora and fauna, the most important habitats in the Akcha Darya Delta are the desert vegetation together with the artesian wells. This combination permits the existence of populations of threatened birds like Sandgrouse, Houbara bustards and Raptors like the Saker falcon. Furthermore, the wells are of importance as resting places for migrating birds. The semi-permanent wetlands are of a limited value, due to the great variability of water supply and fluctuating levels of salinity. 2.7 SOCLAL ENVIRONMENTAND STRUCTURES 2.7.1 Formal structures The district administrations (khakimiat) are organised in a network of officials, each responsible for different administrative fields. They are nominated by the provincial (in the case of Karakalpakstan, Republican) administration and ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/ WORLD BANK 57 their primary role is to represent government and implement its directives. The district administrations liaise with other government structures such as the Mlinistry for Agriculture and Water Resources (Raisel'vodkhoz at district level). In some cases the two structures may even merge, e.g. in Ellikala district, the first deputy head of the district administration, responsible for agriculture and irrigation, is also the chair of Raisel'vodkhoz, while the deputy for economics is also the first deputy of Raisel'vodkhoz. The first deputy head of the district administration also has direct responsibility for all the shirkat or Farmers' Association farms in the district (though not for private farmers). District administrations are further subdivided in smaller administrative units which in the rest of the Uzbek Republic are called mahalla for both urban and rural areas. In Karakalpakstan, urban areas are divided in mahalla units, while rural areas are divided into so-called Rural Citizens' Assemblies. These units are nevertheless usually referred to as the Council of Elders. The mahalla is staffed by a chairman and a committee; all receiving salaries as public administration officials. Since the mid-1990s, the duties and functions of the mahalla committees have been increasing since they are proving to be a successful governance tool at community level. Their duties range from demography-based functions (producing lists for army, identifying recipients for social security) to management of social infrastructure (education, health) through to a form of control over individuals' private life (permission for weddings and divorces amongst others). They also usually have a 'development' function, organising public initiatives and festivities as well as information and prevention seminars for the population. The average number of households in a mahalla in the southern districts is between 800 and 1,000. Farming andfarm structures Like other sectors, Uzbekistan's agricultural sector is in the process of gradual reform from the collectivised system which existed under the Soviets. However, the old collectivised farm structure, together with its features of central planning and decision-taking on issues such as water distribution, crop planting, etc. still remains in place to some extent, though this is slowly changing. In 1994 the sovkhoz and kolkhoz structures were abolished and replaced by shirkat farms (joint-stock company farms), which as a co-operative structure retains some of the features of the kolkhoz. Since 1995, there has been a slow process of 'privatisation' of the shirkat farms into co-operative farms or Farmers' Associations (FA) (obedinennyefermerskie khozyaistva), so that there is now a mix of shirkat and FA farms in this region. Finally, there are also a small number of individual private farmers who generally have land on the territory of a shirkat or an FA, but who are independent of the farm administration. The influence of these farm structures is detailed below. More information on farm structures can be found in Chapter 3 of the Social Assessment Report. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZDEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 58 Water users' associations Water users' associations (WUAs) are being formed in Ellikala district under a pilot World Bank project.' Over time, WUAs will also start charging for water and membership fees. The current situation is that irrigation water is effectively obtained for free, despite the existence of a nominal cost. Once the WUAs are established and functioning, responsibility for on-farm irrigation and drainage will be transferred to individual farms. 2.7.2 Informal structures The mahalla system discussed above is further subdivided into community groups formed around groups of streets, small villages or sub-areas of larger villages. These are called domkom (groups of 10-20 households or a few streets) and are presided over by a community leader. The community leaders are supported in their activities by the local Elders. Even though domkom have no dejure recognition in the formal government structure, their role is well established and the mahalla committees rely on them as intermediaries with the local population. The primary role of the community leaders, apart from acting as link between the mahalla and communities, is to resolve conflicts and disputes over land as well as distributing water for domestic use and irrigation, amongst households. Significant power over local communities is also held by the management groups (primarily the chairman) of the shirkat and FA farms. As described above, despite land reform and the increase in the numbers of 'private' or independent farmers, the former state and collective farms still retain considerable control over land, irrigation water, inputs, machinery as well as responsibility over on-farm infrastructure maintenance (including irrigation and drainage canals). In many cases, they retain control over land leaseholds (even though they do necessarily receive rent for land) and also act as intermediaries between the independent farmers located on their former land and the system of state quotas for the production of given agricultural crops (especially cotton, wheat and rice). They are still major employers in rural areas, and many local people who have not set up as independent farmers, mentally still depend on the collective farms, whether they are actively employed there or not. 2.7.3 Non-governmental organisations The NGO community in the Karakalpak Republic can be divided into two main groups. The first comprises independent NGOs, which started appearing around ten years ago and have been slowly but steadily increasing in number over the last years. These are mainly based in Nukus (none are present with branches or activities in the project command area) and they were usually set up through the efforts of one person or small groups of highly-educated individuals with specific interests. The most developed fields of activism are (1) Project on Restructurng of Agncultural Sector, World Bank, Uzbekistan ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/ WORLD BANK 59 ecology, women and health/disability. The large majority of NGO founders are academics or used to be employed in areas strictly related to the current activities of the NGOs. The organisations have been refining their membership base and mission but the majority of them depend on external (foreign) funding of projects for medium- and long-term sustainability. An NGO support centre has been set up in Nukus as a regional branch of the country- wide USAID funded Counterpart Consortium. The second types of NGOs comprise what are usually defined as Governmental NGOs (GONGOs) and these are closely linked to government structures. Most of their funds originate from governmental budgets, they are provided with office space and a variable amount of additional inputs. They have branches in almost all districts, usually within the district administration building, but lack a grass-root or membership base. Their role is to carry out initiatives and educational activities on behalf of the local governments. EkoSan is the main organisation dealing with ecology related activities. This type of NGO would not be suited for independent monitoring, unless it was to receive substantive capacity building. 2.8 CULTURAL HERITAGE 2.8.1 General context The Akcha Darya system has developed on the right bank of the Amu Darya. It stretches north and north-east from the town of Turtkul, crosses the Kyzyl- kum desert, and subsequently reaches the Jana Darya, which goes into the Aral Sea. It is divided into three parts: the Southern Delta (where the modern South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems have been created), the Akcha Darya Passage and the Northern Delta. The cultural and archaeological sites along or near the proposed route of the Main Collector can be considered in two major groups. Along the northern edge of the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems, there are many relics, some large and impressive, dating from about 2,000 years ago, when the then (Southern) Akcha Darya Delta was an important cultural focus. In the more recent (Northern) Akcha Darya Delta, there are remains of a different kind, largely from the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. This latter group are generally not visible, and have been relatively little studied. The Akcha Darya system is characterised by thick layers of alluvial deposits consisting of sands, loamy sands and loams. These range in thickness between 20 m and 25 m on average, up to a maximum of 50 m and occur on an uneven "washed-out" surface of Neogene rocks of about 100 m thick. They are underlain by more ancient Palaeogene rocks that also have an uneven "washed-out" surface. In strip pits of deposits of the Southern Delta the prevalence of sands - in some places 40 m - 45 m thick - is observed. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZEERISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 60 The system slopes gradually from south to north. Average absolute elevations are 100 m - 103 m in the south and 90m in the north of the Southern Delta. The surface of the Akcha Darya Passage bottom decreases from the south to the north from 90 m to 73 m, while the elevations of the northern part of the Northern Delta are at 60m. Certain channels stretching across the sands of the southern-eastern Aral Sea zone slope toward the level of the Aral Sea. In 1960, this level was 53m. Thus from the latitude of Turtkul in the south to that of the shore of the Aral Sea the total slope of channels in the Akcha Darya delta was approximately 50 m over 270 - 280 km (about 18 cm/kkm). With the decline of the level of the Aral Sea, the total slope has increased. The Southern Akcha Darya delta was formed in the 4th millennium BC and in the 4th and 3rd millennia BC it existed as an inner closed delta. The main flow of the Amu Darya river in this period went through the Sarikamish depression and into the Uzboy bed and further into the Balkhan Bay of the Caspian Sea. In the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC the main flow of the Amu Darya went through the Akcha Darya River into the Aral depression. The flow through the Sarikamysh-Uzboy gradually stopped. The Akcha Darya Passage and the Northern Delta of the Akcha Darya were formed. In the 2nd and 1st millennia BC the Contemporary delta of the Amu Darya began to form, and the flow through the Akcha Darya gradually decreased. The Southern Delta has the form of a triangle, whose apex is near Turtkul. The sides are confined by the Kyzil-kum sands in the east and north, the Sultanuizdag range in the north and the Amu Darya in the south-west. The delta width reaches 90 km in the direction of latitude and 90 km in the direction of the meridian. Beginning near Turtkul, and stretching to the north and north-west, the system of watercourses dividing the ancient Southern delta of the Akcha Darya is currently completely covered by young sediments of the Amu Darya and irrigation-borne sediments on irrigated lands. The system of watercourses was reconstructed on the basis of aerial data, particularly contemporary satellite images. Large deltaic watercourses can be distinguished in the east, middle and west, as well as smaller channels downstream, all of them reached the eastern foot of the Sultanuizdag range, to form one powerful flow rushing to the east and north-east towards the Akcha Darya passage. Some of the western watercourses at the Sultanuizdag range formed vast lakes known as Istemes. The configuration of the irrigation network in ancient times and in the Middle Ages more or less follows the configuration of the main watercourses of the ancient Southern Akcha Darya Delta. It appears that canals dating from the 6th and 5th centuries BC used ancient riverbeds rather than cutting new paths. In subsequent historical periods and up to the Middle Ages main canals in the Southern delta were formed by improving and reconstructing the original canals along the ancient watercourse of the Akcha Darya. During all these periods the Southern delta of the Akcha Darya was used for irrigated farming. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOuRCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIOSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 61 At the north-eastern corner of the Southern Delta the alluvial-deltaic plain converges sharply and occupies only the bottom of a narrow corridor that cuts across the Kyzil-kum Desert. The width of this corridor in some places is no more than 2 - 3 km. In the north and east are sand ridges of the relatively elevated valley of the Kyzil-kum Desert. The total length of the Akcha Darya Passage is about 75 km. In the 2nd millennium BC, both sides of the corridor were inhabited by Bronze Age cattle-herding tribes. In ancient times and in the Middle Ages the Akcha Darya Passage and depressions near the southern Sultanuizdag mountains were used to discharge excess water from canals that served as both irrigation and drainage canals. The existing natural slopes were used to ensure effective functioning of the system of gravity irrigation and drainage. To the north, the alluvium-deltaic plain again widens and takes a triangular form, the Beltau hills and the sands of the south-east Aral Sea zone being the northern and western sides of this triangle, respectively. The southern / south-eastern side of the triangle is framed by the Kyzilkum sands. In the north-east, the watercourses of the Northern Delta of the Akcha Darya and the delta watercourses of the Jana Darya meet, while in the west the watercourses of the Northern Delta join the Contemporary watercourses of the Aral Sea zone of the Amu Darya. The length of the delta from the northern end of the Akcha Darya Passage to the Jana Darya is 120 km in the direction of the meridian, while its width is about 120 km in the latitudinal direction. The Northern Delta was formed in the Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC). However, certain sections of the delta, especially its western and northern parts, were periodically impeded by water from the neighbouring basins both of the Aral Sea delta of the Amu Darya and of the Jana Darya. The water penetrated the watercourses in their lower reaches and formed lakes. This might be attributable to weak gradients in the delta channels. In the Bronze Age the Northern Akcha Darya delta area was inhabited by cattle-herding tribes. Later, by the 4th century BC, this area of impounded watercourses was inhabited by semi-settled farmers. Culturally, the most significant of these was the Baraktam culture in the 4th - 5th centuries AD tribes, archaeological remains of whose settlements (the Baraktam oasis) can be seen today. In recent times, Karakalpaks settled over most of the area and constructed an irrigation system fed by water from the impounded ancient watercourses. Map 2.5 shows the locations of archaeological sites within the South Karakalpakstan project area and along the Akcha Darya corridor. The current drainage system does not ensure the preservation of archaeologically valuable lands from the rising groundwater table, which is especially damaging to archaeological objects located in inner delta areas. Valuable archaeological remains in South Karakalpakstan, such as the Toprak- kala, Bazar-kala, Koy-krilgan-kala and others are subject to rapidly increasing salinisation. The existing drainage system, which uses the Beruni and ENVIRONMENTAL REsoURCES MANAGEMErN REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 62 Kyzilkum collectors with two pump stations, and the lack of drainage water disposal to the Aral Sea, cannot ensure efficient drainage water disposal from the territory of the Southern Delta and, consequently, cannot ensure the preservation of valuable archaeological monuments in this area. This system is also incompatible with historical mechanisms of excess water disposal from the Southern Delta. The projected construction of the Main Collector system, providing for closing two pump stations and transition to gravity drainage of collector water, best corresponds to the historical and natural mechanism. In this variant natural slopes can be optimally used for disposing of collector drainage water through the Akcha Darya Passage and the Northern Delta to the Aral Sea. This optimally solves the problem of preserving the archaeological monuments of the Turtkul, Beruni and Ellikala districts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan from destruction caused by flooding and development of secondary salinisation processes. However, this will be effective only if the collector extends to the Jana Darya and a through waterway for collector drainage water from the Southern delta of the Akcha Darya to the Aral Sea is provided. 2.8.2 Archaeological monuments on the collector route: South Karakalpakstan Possible solutions to the problem of preservation of archaeological monuments can be proposed by characterising the monuments, noting the conditions of their location, geomorphic properties and the historical conditions of their formation. The path of the Beruni collector from the Beruni pump station to the Jana Darya can be divided into four sections: * Istemes; * The Southern delta of the Akcha Darya; * The Akcha Darya corridor; and The Northern delta of the Akcha Darya. Istemes This section runs from the Beruni Pump Station to the archaeological monument of Kizil-kala (along the existing Beruni collector). There was a lake here throughout the existence of the Southern Delta. In the 18th century and at the beginning of the 20th century it was called Istemes. There are no registered archaeological monuments. The ancient delta of the Akcha Darya This section runs from the archaeological monument of Kyzil-kala to the Kokcha mount (present Kyzyl-kum and Ayazkalinski Collectors). The ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 63 collector runs along one of the ancient and the most powerful watercourses of the Southern delta of the Akcha Darya. No fewer than ten significant archaeological monuments are located here, all of which are included on the list of monuments preserved by the state. Their relative age (around 2000 yrs) and their remarkable state of preservation make these monuments of high cultural significance. They are also likely to encourage tourism revenue in Karakalpakstan. They are: * Kyzil-kala; * Toprak-kala; * Burli-kala; * Murli-kala-2; * Burli-kala-3; * Ayaz-kala 1, 2, and 3; * Small Kirkkiz-kala; * Big Kirkkiz-kala; * Kurgashin-kala. There is a high probability that further archaeological monuments may be concealed under the surface and are as yet undiscovered. Kyzil-kala The monument is situated 100 m - 150 m south of the Beruni Collector. It has a fortress structure 65 m by 63 m and is built from square adobes 41 cm by 41 cm by 10 cm in size. Three hundred metres to the south-east are the remnants of a ceramic water pipe. The first period of existence of Kyzil-kala dates back to the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. It was built as a fortress and was part of the fortification system that defended the north-eastern frontiers of ancient Khorezm. At the same time, it was the centre of the agricultural district and the junction of caravan roads going through the Sultanuizdag mountain range. In the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, due the rise of Khorezm prior to the Mongol invasion, it was resettled. Toprak-kala This is situated in a valley and occupies an area of 500m by 350m. The site of the ancient settlement is rectangular and is surrounded by fortress walls. In some places the walls remain and have the form of an 8 m-high rampart. On ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIGSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 64 the walls there are rectangular defence towers. The ancient settlement is surrounded by a wide defensive ditch. The settlement has an inner building estate divided into two parts by a central street. Side streets divide the estate into blocks. In the north-western part of the settlement there was a three-tower palace, the height of which today is 25 m. It was erected on a strong adobe foundation and had two storeys. Excavations of the premises revealed polychrome mural paintings on the walls as well as painted ceramic sculptures. Outside the settlement, about 100 m to the north of the palace, is a complex of palace-type buildings, stretching 350 m from north to south. The Toprak-kala complex dates back to between the 1st and 6th centuries AD and was the residence of the Khorezm shahs. It was a monument of paramount scientific and cultural importance. However, following cultivation of the lands for irrigated farming in the second half of the twentieth century, the groundwater table began to rise, resulting in intensive salinisation of surrounding lands so that today, the entire territory of the monument is affected by salinisation. Burli-kala This is located on the promontory of one of the spurs of the Sultanuizdag range, at the foothill through which the Beruni collector runs. The maximum length of the monument is 120 m, the width 95 m. The monument is surrounded by a double adobe wall and is built of a square adobe brick, 44 cm by 44 cm by 12 cm. Outside the fortress wall there is a large unfortified settlement. A general date is the 4th century BC to the 4th century AD. The monument had a military function until the beginning of the 1st century AD, when it became an unfortified settlement. Burli-kala-2 This mound, 42 m - 39 m round and up to 7.5 m high, is located two kilometres to the west of Burli-kala and dates back to the first centuries AD. Burli-kala-3 These are ceramic relics from the first centuries AD. The site is located on a flat plain three kilometres to the south of Burli-kala at a distance of one kilometre from the collector. The complex of Ayazkala archaeological objects A series of archaeological objects dating back to the lst/2nd and 7th/8th centuries AD are located in a radius of 2.5 - 3.0 km to the east, south and west of the elevation Ayaz-kala on a flat, heavily saline plain close to the existing Kyzil-kum Collector. In addition to significant archaeological monuments such as Ayaz-kala-1, Ayaz-kala-2, and Ayaz-kala-3, there are the ruins of ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 65 individual settlements, rural estates, early feudal castles, ancient settlements, ceramic relics and ancient metallurgical works, etc. The complex is of great scientific importance. It will be necessary to conduct special studies to reveal the degree of damage that might be inflicted in the process of collector construction, followed by the development of a workplan for its preservation. The complex should be granted the status of state archaeological preserve. Ayaz-kala-1 This is located on the top of a high hill - one of the spurs of the Sultanuizdag range. An excellently preserved strong ancient fortress is located here. The layout of the fortress is rectangular, 182 m by 152 m. The outside fortress wall - in some places up to 10 m high - was built on a rock basement from adobe brick, 40 cm by 40 cm by 10 cm. Along the outside walls there are dungeons of semi-oval form. On the southern wall is the entrance to the fortress, protected by a complex labyrinth. The monument dates from the 4th/3rd centuries BC. Ayaz-kala-2 This is a complex archaeological object in terms of planning. Part of it is on top of a natural hill rising 30 m above the surrounding flat country. The other part lies at the bottom of the hill at a distance of 60 m from the first. The two parts are connected by a ramp. The lower part was a town, with the remains of a palace. The upper part acted as a fortress, where the town's population could hide in case of military conflict. The complex dates from the second half of the 7th / first quarter of the 8th century AD. Ayaz-kala-3 This monument is on a flat plain, less than one kilometre from the Kyzil-kum Collector. It is a large, densely built settlement of about 80 ha. In its centre is a big fortress in the shape of a parallelogram 270 m by 185 m. On the walls and in the corners there are defensive towers. The inner space of the fortress remained unbuilt. The fortification is believed to have been multifunctional. One of its functions was as a shelter for the population of the surrounding unfortified settlement to hide in times of military conflict. The settlement and fortress date from the 4th/3rd centuries BC. Kirkkiz-kala Malaya This is on top of a hill 7 m above the region. To the south, traces of an ancient irrigation canal can be seen. It is one kilometre to the south of the Collector. The monument is a complex construction, the western part of which is oval in form, while the eastern part is a segment of a circle. It is surrounded by an adobe wall. It dates back to the 4th century BC / 1st century AD (the date is not yet certain). The surrounding Small Kirkkiz-kala continued to be inhabited until the 3rd/ 4th centuries AD. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEISTAN / EU TAcIs/WORLD BANK 66 Big Kirkkiz-kala A whole complex of ancient buildings and structures is located here. The fortress is on a flat plain 1.5 - 2.0 km from the Kyzil-kum Collector. The complex is a large structure, 250 m by 215 m, surrounded by double walls with a two-tier shooting gallery between them and two-tier defence towers on the outside walls and in the corners. Arrow-like loopholes are cut into the outside walls of the towers and shooting galleries. Aerial photographs show traces of land-levelling to the north of the fortress in the form of an irrigation distribution network, and a diamond-shaped land levelling over a total area of 20 ha, that appears to have been an ancient vineyard. To the east of the tower there is a big ancient ceramics centre with numerous remains of furnaces for firing ceramics. To the south are the remains of a canal. The complex dates from the lst/2nd and 6th/7th centuries AD. Kurgashin-kala This is located on an elevation 0.5 km to the north of the Ayazkalinski Collector. The settlement is 13 m by 289 m. It is surrounded by adobe walls, strengthened by towers. On the outside walls there are a number of arrow slits. It dates from the 4th/3rd centuries BC. The complex of Kurgashin archaeological objects Kurgashin-kala is the centre of an ancient oasis. On a flat plain to the north- west and south-west of it there is a large number of individual buildings, a series of field plots enclosed by adobe walls occupying an area of 67 ha. At the bottom of the Kurgashin elevation there is an ancient garden complex 200 m by 300 m, and vineyard layouts can be observed. To the north of Kurgashin-kala there are several primitive sites dating back to the late Stone Age (4th/3rd centuries BC) and Bronze Age (2nd century BC). 2.8.3 Archaeological monuments on the collector route: Akcha Darya Passage The Akcha Darya Passage is an ancient watercourse of the Amu Darya, connecting the Southern and Northern Deltas. According to the paleontological evaluation, it functioned as a river watercourse in the 2nd millennium BC. Both sides of the bank along the watercourse were inhabited by nomadic and semi-nomadic Bronze Age tribes. The archaeological monuments of the Akcha Darya corridor are located on banks on both sides of the watercourse. 2.8.4 Archaeological monuments on the collector route: Northern Akcha Darya Delta The deposits in the Northern Delta are characterised by evenly stratified loams and sands, the sands prevailing in most cases. Shells of fresh-water molluscs - Anadonta, Planorbis, Limnaea etc. - are often met on the delta surface ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIGSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 67 and particularly in the channels dissecting it. Traces of the Aral Sea's transgressions are marked in the northern part of the delta, being confirmed by finds of shells of brackish-water molluscs - Cardium edule, Hydrobia, Caspia etc. The western channels go north-west along the Kyzyl Kum sands, and then turn south-west where, near Takhtakupyr City, they run into channels of the modem Amu Darya delta. The channels are clearly visible in relief, and have partial inflow from the Pre-Aral (contemporary Amu Darya) delta. The central direction is represented by the system of ancient channels running directly to the north, occupying all the central part of the Northern Delta. Some of these central channels turn towards the west and run into channels of the Pre-Aral delta of the Amu Darya flowing to the Karateren Lake. Other watercourses, north of the Beltau Hills, run to the former south-eastern bay of the Aral Sea. Finally, the main part of these watercourses joins the ancient channel of the Jana Darya. Watercourses running to the north-east, along the north-western outskirts of the Kyzyl Kum Desert, represent the eastern direction. Watercourses in this direction join dry channels of the Jana Darya, 8 km west of the Chaban- Kazgan tube-well. Most of the ancient channels in the Northern Delta of the Akcha Darya have marked relief and can be observed from a long distance. There are numerous separate areas of coarse yellow quartz sands in the northern part of the Delta. They form large ridges, stretching many kilometres in the direction of the meridian. The ridges have cellular relief. The highest hill of such a ridge (up to 30-40 m above the surface of takyr plain) is usually in the northern part. Narrow clayey solonchak or takyr strips are located between the ridges, along the ancient watercourses of the Jana Darya and Akcha Darya. The ridges usually branch out in the vicinity of high hills. Narrow takyr "bays" are commonly located between such branching ridges. Settlements of the Bronze Age people, who selected the sandy depressions between sand ridges for their sites, are located at the edges of such "bays," which were the watercourses of the Akcha Darya Delta in antiquity. The Northern Delta was formed in the Bronze Age during the 2nd millennium BC. In the first half of the lst millennium BC, water from the Amu Darya stopped flowing into the Northern Delta, and it dried up. However, some land of the Delta, especially in its western and northern parts, was periodically inundated by water from the neighbouring basins, from both the Pre-Aral delta of the Amu Darya and the Jana Darya. The water flowed through dry watercourses in their lower reaches where it formed lakes. This was possible because of the negligible gradients of delta channels. The Northern Delta differs from the Southern Delta of the Akcha Darya according to characteristics of economic development. While irrigated ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 68 farming and stationary house-building had originated in the Southern Delta already in the Bronze Age, the nomadic tribes who settled in the Northern Delta, with nomadic and semi-nomadic modes of life, had no stationary settlement. Stationary settlements related to semi-nomadic cattle breeding arose here only in the period of latter antiquity. In the period when the Northern Delta was functioning hydraulically; cattle-breeding tribes of the Bronze Age settled here. Earlier settlements belong to the Suyargan Culture (in the period between the 3rd - 2nd millennia and 2nd - lst millennia BC). As a rule, the sites of this culture are situated along the fringe of inter-ridge sandy massifs and outside of the channels. The other Bronze Age culture widespread in the Northern Delta is the Tazabagyab Culture. Sites of this culture are not numerous in the Northern Delta, so it may be assumed that the Southern Delta was the centre of expansion of the Tazabagyab Culture and the Northern Delta was probably on the periphery of this culture's expansion. The sites of this culture are also located in inter-ridge sandy depressions along the ancient watercourses. The mode of water supply in the Northern Delta changed drastically at the beginning of the Early Iron Age. In the lst millennium BC and lst millennium AD, "barbarian" tribes of Saxon nomads and semi-nomads settled the Northern part of the Delta, from the southern branches of the Syr Darya (Kuvan Darya, Jana Darya) and also the Pre-Aral delta. They continued the traditions of Bronze Age tribes in many respects. "Barbarian" ceramics have been found on the banks of the Akcha Darya Passage and in the eastern and western edges of the Northern Delta. Numerous sites of these "barbarian" tribes having a peculiar culture are situated in the north of the Delta, near the Aral Sea, along the Jana Darya watercourses and shorelines of ancient lakes which had been fed by the water of the Jana Darya. This culture was named "Kokchatengiz," after one of these lakes (which now is solonchak). At the later stage of development of the Kokchatengiz Culture (4th - 2nd centuries BC) semi-settled villages with pise (a kind of adobe) building and also farming based on irrigation networks, fed by water from the Jana Darya, arose in the Northern Delta. During the epoch of late antiquity (4th - 5th centuries AD) the so-called "Baraktam Culture" spread in the Northern Delta. Monuments of this culture are mainly known in the north-eastern part of the Delta. A whole ancient oasis (the so-called Baraktam Oasis) is located here, with numerous monuments of adobe architecture and remains of an ancient irrigation network, which was fed by water from the Jana Darya. During the new epoch (18th - 19th centuries) a whole district settled by Karakalpaks, who built the irrigation infrastructure here, was formed on the basis of lands inundated by water from ancient channels of the Jana Darya in the Northern Delta of the Akcha Darya. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEME\r REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 69 >s0 Berun DIrrigatio n an d r a n in t e A m Da,yag slnJ-DprhansaeglelllnsttheAnnu -f: 1':F | /t //-J / A South Karakalpakstan Man oletrW , d l -_ - - _ -- -__ _ _ R epublic of Uzbekistan, Ministry |f t! 6 J 1/: - - of Agriculture and Water Resources f\ 4 vr \ s , E.Il II M < 1I--___ I A - - -' I -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~---- ---- ----o Project: '-~6D,/tr.2t boundary 96 / 7 | Ir Towgt and vaInd Dang in the A - Canals \ w | Dara B -Pha t,Stat Purnpmg e al Soot Karalpakon Main Cl R _pbticof Uzbnkistan, Mi yMap 2.1 ot 0D0O Agriltr ad W r R sExisting Irrigation Systems M - W- (canals) 5020 60. 210D 41ZO 6k.D Legend:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2 Project Environmental Assessment of >/ Irrigation and Drainage in the Arnu Darya Basin - Phase III, Stage 1' South Karakalpakstan Main Colliector Client: Republic of Uzbekistan, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources Prepared By: Kf| ERM Legend: -- Disirici bouindarya < ) X 1 < Farm boudary *fl Towns and villages Coslelo-rs IIi Lakes O Pum-pg satitn|- oQi Siph-o Exist_g _Map 2.2 Existing Drainage Systems . 2 3 2 4 6 0 (collectors) 20-Z0 00 20 4 ek'004 -Ni C., ~LL 0 CE 0 00 _ Ot 60040' 10' SI 20 ______________________ / It Project: I Envionmental Assessment of Irrigation and Drainage in the Amo Darya Basin - Phase ItII tg South Karakalpakstan Main C nitlector Clieet Republic of Uzbekistan, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources Prepared By: 'N / Y KJ s'- / ,ERM e - zrHu Legend:Ju T kI - - District boondary Farm boundary f Tons and niliagus =Ceneis / 15; ............... t|\ ___Collectors $1;?....................l ( Pumping starions 9 bCh Siphon Aqoedout / 1300000 / s WS.N \ South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems / *X/L , t1 1 i ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Map 2.4 2 i 01 2 0 6k on-On, 01~~~~~~~~~~00' 00~~~~~~~20012 1, 10 0 10 20 30 40km ProJect: I \ * _ 1 Environmental Assessment of Irrigation and Drainage in the Amu 1:1 000 000 Daaa Basin - Phase 1il, Stage li I . / ~. . ' N South Karakalpakstan Main Colliector Aral Sea / Client: \ / MU..n *-E Rfe ublic of Uzbekistan, Ministry 7qiutre and Water Resources s 8 \ Prepared By:.± 'ERM J ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'4 Kazakhstan 1, -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~39'.,. Republic of . 3, Karakalpakstan 3. Takhtakupir 36 035 Uzbekistan ChukurkakD N X Nukus i rYTakhiatash .. 04rage Baday Tugai ! Akch \ l 12 Reserve r I Turkmenistan 4 ---- ---- -& IB s tn. 3 g: Urgench "TkTurtkul 3 Legend: _. o Sampling/Observation Point CO A/'>' tInternational Boundary ® Main Town Tuyamuyun a l VtilageDa tS 3 =WaternBody s < a M2!, / River 3g U . "Jana Darya Dry Watercourse O Collector Drain (proposed) Collector Drain (partially constructed) ...... Existing Main Collector Drain '.\ 0 Reserve i I 3 Republic of Karakalpakstan Main Irrigation Area vi) 10 0 10 20 30 40 km Project: * t _ _ _ Environmental Assessment of Irrigation and Drainage in tihe Amu 1:1000 000 DarXa Basin - Phase-III, Stae 11 N Soaurh Kareklpakatan ManC.llector Aral Sea N,Client : Republic of Uzbekistan, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources / / ,, ss Prepared By: Karakalpaksn DBFY 8\ -~. ' Kazakhstan Republic of CP %°Oi ., Karakalpakstan O o o ' --,0'' z ok iDX U O o iL;_,._-b- '-"-"-d~~~~~~~~Cb o4 9. CIo i: D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~d' O 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 ~~~~~~0 \ >> Ko~Tk Lake pf 0~~~~~ 0~~~~~~ I w+ \ Lake-\ta pt 0 0 0 Chukurkak 80 -N~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C Darya Lake Iz - n. Archaeological Sites: I\\ 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ O o Taie StoJne age Urgenchs ... Turtki o o EBrlynonnage \ 0 I h Earonzenage O A Fortifications A Cities and big fortresses - n Ancient canals i D Main Town eD I) 0 Village _. Water Body 0 River (2 13 I Jana Darya Dry Watercourse , .. .... *-* D) Existing Main Collector Drain _1 lo '' Collector Drain (proposed) ".t Collector Drain (partially constructed) i Republic of Karakalpakstan uyamuy / , Main rrigation Area oir Table 2.1 Monthly rainfall in Urgench 1990-1999 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year 1990 6.3 6.8 2.1 25.1 2.7 6.9 1.2 0.4 0 16.7 6 3 6 7 81.2 1991 8.0 6.3 5.2 19.7 70.2 5.8 0.3 0 7.5 18.8 4.8 146.6 1992 35.7 28.0 1.3 25.2 15.7 4.1 0 7.9 0 2.5 0.9 50.5 171.8 1993 9.7 10.4 25.0 12.3 0.3 22.1 1.1 0 0 0 37.4 8.9 127.2 1994 21.4 4.2 28.7 0 13.5 0.3 0 0.4 2.9 26.9 6.7 105.0 1995 7.5 10.4 3.7 0 2 7 0 0 0 2 7 0 5.6 2 2 34.8 1996 6.1 11.7 5.4 14.9 2.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 40U9 1997 11.8 2.5 18.5 32.3 11.9 0.9 2.6 7.3 43 92.1 1998 34.7 13.0 28.3 2.5 14.8 4.6 3.6 1.2 1.9 1.4 106 0 1999 0.7 2.2 4.6 17.4 0 7 9.1 7 0 2000 2001 2002 Mean 14.2 9.5 12.3 14.9 13.5 5.0 1.5 2.1 1.6 3.8 12.9 9.5 100.6 Units: mm Source: Uzgidromet, 1999 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 76 Table 2.2 Monthly evaporation at Urgench 1990-1999 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year 1990 10.4 23.1 61.8 97.3 190.9 244.1 201.5 178.4 157.8 67.9 39.6 14.2 1286.8 1991 11.3 21.2 50.6 97.2 117.7 197.8 220.1 182.1 123.8 90.1 28.5 15.1 1155.5 1992 11 8 16.1 37.0 89.4 123.2 204.4 213 5 153.1 130.8 75.8 45.4 26.5 1126.9 1993 14.7 20.2 41.0 102.1 154.5 223.7 195.6 225.0 120.4 73.7 15.6 7.7 1194.4 1994 11.9 31.4 37.5 103.0 162.2 195.5 200.9 191.7 119.1 88.2 24.0 16.6 1182.0 1995 18.9 24.0 45.1 145.8 154.5 209.5 217.5 188.7 128.8 73.4 57.1 18.1 1281.4 1996 16.0 22.1 50.8 93.2 174.2 234.2 219.3 179.2 136.4 81.5 30.9 30.4 1268.2 1997 18.6 29.9 49.6 109.2 157.9 221.7 220.1 193.9 128.8 99.2 34.6 17.8 1281.2 1998 8.2 17.7 32.1 125.9 142.0 204.5 215.7 170.7 141.0 76.9 50.2 21.0 1206.1 1999 25.0 49.8 65.2 117.3 167.7 229.4 184.2 212.8 2000 2001 2002 Mean 14.7 25.5 47.1 108.0 154.5 216.5 208.8 187.6 131.9 80.7 36.2 18.6 1220.3 Units: mm Source: Uzgidromet, 1999 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGFMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/ WORLD BANK 77 Table 2.3 Annual Climatic Data: Urgench and Turtkul Map Location Point Coordinates Date Description of EC Salini- Samples/ ID No.' location mS/cm meter g/l Observations 1 Baday-Tugai BT 1 N 42000,290' 18.11.00 Bridge at the 4,5 Reserve (68) E 60°25,486' 21.06.01 entrance to the 13.09.02 reserve 4,54 2 Baday-Tugai BT 2 N 41059,382' 22.11.00 Natural channel Reserve (102) E 60-26,207' 13.09.02 at Dacha 3 Baday-Tugai BT3 N 41058,412, 22.11.00 Baday-Tugai Birds Amu Darya (101) E 60°22,930' 21.06 01 forest at Rodina Birds 13.09.02 Aul 0,98 Birds 4 Beruni Pump BC 1 N 41 58,516' 18.11.00 Beruni collector Water, station (70) E 60 32,082' 21.06.02 100 m upstream sediment collector plants Birds 5 Beruni Collector BC2 N 41 55,936' 18.11.00 Outlet Lake 6,5 Water, (71) E 60 47,086' Akchakul, just sediments before starting plants point of new gravity collector 6 Inlet Lake LAKI N41o50,159' 19.11.00 Just upstream 3.7 Water, Akchakul (74) E 60°53,677' 18.06.01 road bridge 4,1 sediments plants 7 Lake Akchakul LAK2 N 41053,302' 19.11.00 Lake shore at 3,9 (75) E 60°51,157' fishermen's house 8 Outlet Lake LAK3 N 41055,066' 19.11 00 1 km from the 3,9 Akchakul (76) E 60047,481' lake at the outlet weir 9 Lake Akchakul LAK4 N 42000,320' 19.11.00 At the western Birds (78) E 61°07,577' bank of the lake Vegetation opposite to WP 75 10 Lake Akchakul LAK5 N 41051,34, 21.06.01 At the south Birds E 60051,36' western bank of Vegetation the lake at herders shelter 11 Boz-Ayb BAl N 41°44,789' 22.11.00 In the front of the 2,0 Water, Canal (100) E 60o56,962' weir sediments plants 12 Lake Ayazkul LAY1 N 42o01,915' 19.11.00 At fishermen's 4,9 4,5 Birds (77) E 61004,457' 18.06.01 shelter at the 6,5 Vegetation 17.09.02 western shore in 7,1 the inlet lake 13 Lake Ayazkul LAY2 N 42002,643' 21.11.00 Lake on 19,5 Birds (88) E 61003,810' peninsula Vegetation between saline and freshwater part 14 Lake Ayazkul LAY3 N 42002,708, 21.11.00 Saline part of lake 25,9 22 Birds (91) E 61°03,672' 18.06.02 (eastern part near Vegetation 17.09.02 peninsula) >20 15 Lake Ayazkul LAY4 N 42'03,320, 21.11.00 Lake on 13,9 10,5 Birds (92) E 61003,452' 18.06.01 peninsula 13,6 Vegetation 17.09.02 between saline and freshwater ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS!/WORLD BANK 78 Map Location Point Coordinates Date Description of EC Salini- Samples/ ID No.' location mS/cm meter g/l Observations part 16 Lake Ayazkul LAY5 N 42003,752' 21.11.00 Freshwater part 11,6 10 Birds (93a) E 61003,222' of the lake (east Vegetation of the isthmus between the two lake basins) 17 Lake Ayazkul LAY6 N 42003,752' 21.11.00 Saline part of the 19,4 16 Birds (93b) E 61°03,222' lake (west of the Vegetation isthmus between the two lake basins) 18 Lake Ayazkul LAY7 N 42003,857' 21.11.00 Connection 12,9 10 Birds (94) E 61004,439' between the two Vegetation parts of the lake 19 Lake Ayazkul LAY8 N 42001,470, 21.11.00 Connection 6,9 6 Birds (97) E 61°03,222' 18.06.01 between outlet 6,6 Vegetation (Kyzyl-kum collector) and gravity drain 20 Lake Ayazkul LAY9 N42001,674' 21.11.00 Easternmost part Birds (98) E 61007,162' 18.06.01 of the lake Vegetation 21 Lake Ayazkul LAY N 42002,276' 21.11.00 Poolatthe 43,8 38,5 Birds 10 E 61°01,256' 18.09.02 westernmost part Vegetation (99) of the lake (not connected with the lake) 22 Lake Ayazkul LAY 21.11.00 At the lake shore 26,4 Birds 11 18.09.02 approximately >20 Vegetation (99a) 100 m N to LAY10 23 Kyzyl-kum KC1 N 41'59,572' 18.11.00 4,5 collector (72) E 61°01,281' 24 Kyzyl-kum KC2 N42001,450' 18.11.00 50 m downstream 6,7 6 Water, collector (73) E 61004,366' intake to Kyzyl- sediments kum pump plants station (inlet to Lake Ayazkul) 25 Kyzyl-kum KC3 N 4200,762' 20.11.00 At the new 20 Water, collector (80) E 61012,036' 14.09.02 bridge 6,2 sediments downstream of plants Lake Ayazkul lake 26 Kyzyl-kum KC4 N42001,055' 20.11.00 0,5-1 km 22 collector (81) E 61016,190' downstream KC3, adjacent temporary wetlands 27 Kyzyl-kum KC5 N 42001,588' 20.11.00 26 collector (83) E 61°22,148' 28 Kyzyl-kum KC6 N 42001,890' 20.11.00 About 1 km from 18 collector (84) E 61023,361' beginning of wetland I 29 Kyzyl-kum 86 N 42003,490' 20.11.00 Outlet from 8 Water, collector E 61°24,924' wetland I before sediments connection with plants channel ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMEN- RFPIJBIIC OF UZBEEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 79 Map Location Point Coordinates Date Description of EC Salini- Samples/ ID No. location mS/cm meter g/l Observations 30 Wetland I W1 N 4203,25, 20.11.00 Lake shore appr. 6,5 Watcr Kyzyl-kum E 61°25,16' 21.06.01 at the middle of birds collector 18.09.02 the wetland vegetation 31 Wetland II W2 N 42°07,24' 21.06 01 At lake shore Water Kyzyl-kum E 61027,470 18.09.02 birds collector vegetation 32 Wetland III W3 N 42010,42' 21.06.01 Water Akcha Darya E 61°31,20' birds Corridor vegetation 33 Akcha Darya ADC1 N 42006,58' 14.09.02 Hydrometric 13,5 Water Corridor E 61031,51' station at birds destroyed bridge vegetation 34 Akcha Darya ADC2 N 42023,342' 18.09.02 Artesian well 5,5 Water Corridor E 61°29,048' birds vegetation 35 Wetland IV W4 N 42056,16' 20.06.01 Lake of about 20 11,8 Water Akcha Darya E 61°31,00' ha birds Delta vegetation 36 Wetland V W5 N 42059,55' 20.06.01 Reed bed of birds Akcha Darya E 61°26,16' 15.09.02 several square vegetation Delta kilometres 37 Artesian Well, ADD1 N 42o52,34, 20.06.01 2,5 Water Akcha Darya E 61029,20' 15.09.02 birds Delta vegetation 38 Artesian Well, ADD N 43039,624' 15.09.02 Near farm 2,6 Water Akcha Darya 2 E 61024,043' Kosmala, about 5 birds Delta km from Jana vegetation Darya 39 Jana Darya JD1 N 43°44,981' 15.09.02 birds E 61023,663' vegetahon ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 80 Table 2.4 Monthly mean discharges of the Amu Darya downstream of Tuyamuyun Dam, 1981 - 2002 Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year km3/y 1981 341 227 505 1,050 1,980 1,130 1,990 1,690 557 354 473 744 29.24 1982 359 352 518 635 923 1,430 950 1,580 421 89 515 492 21.78 1983 472 347 269 634 1,100 1,360 1,930 1,610 832 580 612 779 27.80 1984 428 204 456 498 1,110 2,200 2,410 2,060 1,240 641 603 644 33.04 1985 477 835 1,140 643 1,230 1,550 1,940 1,620 346 179 340 874 29.46 1986 300 280 75 482 524 688 1,670 1,260 345 82 69 191 15.77 1987 305 333 727 417 1,170 1,940 1,980 1,580 868 739 917 687 30.79 1988 559 440 926 1,200 2,990 1,960 2,670 2,120 921 699 467 443 40.73 1989 421 427 703 289 766 1,020 1,420 1,160 298 157 147 150 18.37 1990 351 931 775 344 1,130 1,630 2,090 1,620 669 538 514 728 29.81 1991 763 708 949 683 1,230 1,700 2,170 1,800 1,260 697 336 643 34.13 1992 951 921 958 668 2,460 3,520 4,040 3,020 1,410 458 779 482 51.89 1993 512 728 1,190 546 1,710 3,080 3,250 1,610 867 426 391 520 39.11 1994 622 679 1,320 927 1,020 1,850 3,600 2,890 1,330 819 936 658 43.99 1995 721 897 611 178 765 910 1,390 1,320 473 290 260 266 21.25 1996 204 344 838 460 1,050 1,360 2,200 1,740 780 458 403 441 27.18 1997 245 443 468 242 938 883 967 981 654 166 141 180 16.61 1998 114 610 1,030 725 2,400 3,420 3,840 3,040 1,280 593 609 646 48.35 1999 577 1,010 740 614 1,302 1,486 2,020 1,991 849 533 279 719 31 92 2000 511 418 605 296 467 572 517 353 284 157 122 114 11.61 2001 113 300 642 225 231 663 522 364 277 163 123 141 9.89 2002 118 270 488 436 844 1,653 1,720 1,446 Mean 430 532 724 554 1,243 1,637 2,058 1,675 760 433 430 502 28.98 Units m3/sec Sources: Phase 2 Preparation Study, 1999; Uzgidromet, 1999, 2002 ENVIRONMENTAL REsouRCEs MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 81 Table 2.5 Monthly mean discharges of the Amu Darya at Kipchak, 1981 - 2002 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year km3/y 1981 217 73 57 938 1,780 676 1,240 1,030 421 364 427 551 20.59 1982 188 158 76 322 429 706 392 754 294 76 339 320 10.67 1983 158 106 111 265 626 626 1,020 789 638 519 410 479 15.20 1984 196 133 121 235 609 1,550 1,470 1,190 1,020 530 447 522 21 17 1985 379 351 395 301 567 698 891 770 360 152 212 401 14.44 1986 250 125 82 235 316 374 839 622 204 94 78 112 8.81 1987 265 116 315 275 761 1,180 1,240 891 746 746 950 565 21.26 1988 314 219 339 858 2,530 1,350 1,770 1,470 889 665 442 350 29.62 1989 229 152 260 160 496 508 775 612 229 162 147 124 10.19 1990 192 356 330 193 622 910 1,250 958 478 463 397 546 17 67 1991 722 409 452 642 824 1,040 1,160 1,030 928 745 304 527 23.17 1992 802 518 512 410 1,780 2,530 2,760 2,150 1,090 445 708 471 37.43 1993 472 402 644 447 1,130 2,200 2,290 1,130 685 414 275 559 28 10 1994 631 589 874 692 685 1,080 2,690 2,010 1,070 646 360 496 31.24 1995 473 446 368 140 490 565 753 759 388 289 243 242 13.58 1996 151 277 414 319 594 830 1,320 1,040 499 372 328 351 17.15 1997 252 237 228 133 505 477 470 488 354 111 76 180 9.25 1998 82 252 540 505 1,920 2,858 2,600 2,030 896 425 482 538 34.69 1999 2000 444 253 463 146 260 394 216 140 128 98 96 90 7.18 2001 57 185 306 189 95 280 185 151 144 89 74 78 4.80 2002 61 111 219 213 495 1,146 1,153 871 Mean 311 260 338 363 834 1,047 1,261 994 573 370 340 375 18.66 Units: m3/s Sources: Phase 2 Preparation Study, 1999; Uzgidromet, 1999, 2002. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS /WORLD BANK 82 Table 2.6 Depth to water-table, Turtkul district, 1981- 2000 Year Sampled area Areas with water-table elevation in each range Mean depth (ranges in metres below soil surface) (m) 0-1 1-1.5 1.5-2 2-3 3-5 >5 1981 4.70 1.16 2.00 1.50 0.04 0.00 0.00 1.36 1982 12.60 3.90 5.50 2.90 0.30 0.00 0.00 1.32 1983 14.00 0.60 5.60 5.50 2.30 0.00 0.00 1.64 1984 13.92 3.77 4.86 4.13 1.16 0.00 0.00 1.43 1985 14.20 0.71 2.85 5.27 5.34 0.03 0.00 1.90 1986 14.69 0.94 4.04 5.31 4.18 0.22 0.00 1.81 1987 15.04 0.11 1 58 7.96 5.07 0.32 0.00 1.99 1988 25.00 0.42 5 35 7.55 7.57 4.11 0.00 2.23 1989 29.96 0.52 4.48 15.24 7.57 2.15 0.00 2.01 1990 26.12 0.20 1.98 6.42 15.35 1.88 0.29 2.37 1991 26.22 0.59 4.77 12.11 7.51 1.16 0.08 1.97 1992 26.56 0.31 3.59 14.89 6.90 0.77 0.10 1.96 1993 26.78 0.62 4.05 17.87 3.98 0.18 0.08 1.80 1994 26.88 0.82 10.51 11.13 4.08 0.23 0.11 1.69 1995 26.82 0.29 3.34 18.70 4.36 0.13 0.00 1.81 1996 27.15 0.68 4.82 17.72 3.43 0.50 0.00 1.78 1997 32.29 0.22 3.39 22.80 5.17 0.68 0.03 1.87 1998 33.62 0.17 5 30 20.95 6.90 0 30 0.00 1.84 1999 32.08 0.18 11.23 18.00 2.57 0.10 0.00 1.64 2000 31.98 0.00 0.91 18.75 10.63 1.69 0.00 2.10 Mean 23.03 0.81 4.51 11.74 5.22 0.72 0.03 1.83 % 100.0 3.5 19.6 51.0 22.7 3.1 0.1 Units: 000 hectares Source: Hydro-geology Survey of Karakalpakstan, Nukus, 2000. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCFS MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIGSTAN / EU TAcIS/ WORLD BANK 83 Table 2.7 Depth to water-table, Ellikala district, 1981 - 2000 Year Sampled area Areas with water-table elevation in each range Mean depth (ranges in metres below soil surface) (m) 0-1 1-1.5 1.5-2 2-3 3-5 >5 1981 23.40 0.00 10.50 10.00 2.90 0.00 0.00 1 62 1982 22.70 0.10 2.40 12.50 6.90 0.80 0.00 2.00 1983 22.60 0.90 3.20 15.00 3.10 0.40 0.00 1.79 1984 24.52 0.61 7.82 12.70 2.82 0.57 0.00 1.71 1985 26.15 0.00 3.90 14.91 6.73 0.61 0.00 1.92 1986 27.37 0.60 6.14 14.71 4.90 1.02 0.00 1.84 1987 31.34 0.12 3.48 20.48 6.85 0.41 0.00 1.88 1988 30 68 0.00 5.02 17.46 5.48 0.72 2.00 2.23 1989 33.22 0.00 1.72 17.74 13.15 0.61 0.00 2.06 1990 33.36 0.00 1.02 8.27 22.98 1.09 0.00 2.32 1991 33.28 0.00 3.08 22.93 7.07 0.20 0.00 1.88 1992 33.64 0.00 3.19 24.69 5.66 0.10 0.00 1 84 1993 33.45 0.01 3.73 26.76 2.94 0.01 0.00 1.76 1994 33.44 0.00 13.43 17.23 2.76 0.02 0.00 1.61 1995 33.93 0.00 1.02 26.34 6.56 0.01 0.00 1.88 1996 33.96 0.00 3.84 27.48 2.64 0.00 0 00 1.75 1997 33.85 0.00 0.87 25.69 7.24 0.05 0.00 1.90 1998 33.37 0.00 3.34 24.90 5.13 0.00 0.00 1.82 1999 32.89 0.26 19.10 12.05 1.48 0.00 0.00 1.49 2000 33.99 0.04 0.30 6.86 26.44 0.35 0 00 2.35 Mean 30.56 0.13 4.86 17.94 7.19 0.35 0.10 1.88 % 100.0 0.4 15.9 58.7 23.5 1.1 0.3 Units: 000 hectares Source: Hydro-geology Survey of Karakalpakstan, Nukus, 2000. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBERISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 84 Table 2.8 Depth to water-table, Beruni district, 1981 - 2000 Year Sampled area Areas with water-table elevation in each range Mean depth (ranges in metres below soil surface) (m) 0-1 1 -1.5 1 5-2 2-3 3 -5 >5 1981 10.50 1.35 4.75 4.36 0.04 0.00 1.43 1982 15.60 2.20 13.00 0.00 0.40 0.00 1.25 1983 24.50 1.10 10.30 9.00 4.00 0.10 1.64 1984 25.55 2.24 10.06 9.95 3.30 0 00 1.58 1985 28.29 0 63 5.87 13.76 7.94 0.09 1.85 1986 29.35 1.14 9.78 15.58 2.85 0.00 1.63 1987 30.37 0.09 7.44 20.82 2.02 0.00 1.68 1988 30.99 0.32 7.08 22.29 1.30 0.00 1.66 1989 33.09 0.25 12.86 14.87 5.11 0.00 1.67 1990 32.61 0 04 5.37 20.49 6.69 0.02 1.82 1991 32.37 1.83 8.89 18.59 2.96 0.10 1.65 1992 32.65 0 62 9.51 21.70 0.79 0.03 1.61 1993 32.33 0.08 5.07 26 43 0.74 0.01 1.69 1994 32.72 0.04 17.44 14.22 1.02 0.00 1.51 1995 32.84 0.00 3.76 27.29 1.74 0.05 1.74 1996 32.85 2.14 10.40 19.57 0.74 0.00 1.56 1997 32 83 0.00 7.05 24.04 1.73 0.01 1.68 1998 32.70 3.27 14.31 15.10 0.00 0.02 1.46 1999 33.15 1.84 29.54 1.69 0.00 0.08 1.27 2000 33.08 0.12 2.90 24.54 5.02 0.50 1.85 Mean 29.42 0.97 9.77 16.21 2.42 0.05 0.00 1.61 % 100.0 3.3 33.2 55.1 8.2 0.2 0.0 Units: 000 hectares Source: Hydro-geology Survey of Karakalpakstan, Nukus, 2000. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOuRCES MANAGEMENT REPLIBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 85 Table 2.9 Summary of risk of soil salinisation due to high water-table levels. Based on average water-table observations, 1991 - 2000 Depth to water-table <1.5 m 1.5 - 2.0 m >2.0 m Very high risk High risk Reduced risk Turtkul 19.2% 59.6% 21.2% Ellikala 15.5% 64.0% 20.5% Berum 36.3% 59.0% 4.7% All districts 23.7% 60.8% 15.5% Units: % of irrigated area ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS /WORLD BANK 86 Table 2.10 Salinity in the Amu Darya at Tuyamuyun =____ Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 1985 1.151 1.085 0.805 0.532 0.555 0.504 1.079 1986 1.318 1.569 1.505 1.129 0.609 0.622 0.685 1.079 1987 1.236 1.028 0.862 0.601 0.605 0.574 0.666 0.743 0.738 1988 1.231 1989 1990 1991 1.288 0.849 0 842 0.597 0.703 0.786 0.960 0.890 1992 0.889 1.133 0.962 0.749 0.618 0.494 0.628 1993 0.919 0.895 0.674 0.805 0.980 1.127 1994 1.159 0.943 0.773 0.633 0.627 0.700 1995 1.331 0.849 1.013 0.668 0.668 1.053 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 1.787 1.672 0.916 Mean 1.155 1.326 1.069 0.834 0.599 0.631 0.702 0.994 Units gram/litre (kg/m3) Source: Phase 2 Preparation Study, Table A3.72 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/ WORLD BANK 87 Table 2.11 Salinity in the Amu Darya at Kipchak Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 1985 1.309 0.938 0.582 0.636 0.647 0.941 1986 1.436 1.229 1.747 1.132 0.624 0.694 1.000 1.295 1.350 1987 1.520 1.798 1.364 0.877 0.659 0.767 0.987 1988 0.922 0.993 1989 1990 1991 1.305 0.711 0.746 0.764 0.785 0.796 0.790 1992 0.873 0.966 1.171 0.647 0.561 0.616 0.878 0.930 1993 0.908 1.678 1.344 1994 1.109 1.374 1.568 0.850 0.663 0.560 0.672 1.000 1.148 0 930 1 192 1995 1.059 0.993 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2.057 1.900 1.340 Mean 1.118 1.290 1.503 1.375 0.901 0.622 0.785 0.928 0.959 0.988 Mean, 1.155 1.326 1.069 0.834 0.599 0.631 0.702 0.994 Tuyamuyun Units: gramllitre (kg/m3) Source: Phase 2 Preparation Study, Table A3.73 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC Or UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 88 Table 2.12 Monthly averages of salinity in the Pakhta-arna Canal, 1998 - 2000 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year 1998 1.112 1.425 1.408 1.348 1.020 0.973 1.247 0.729 0.909 1.005 0.959 0.979 1.093 1999 1.253 0.900 1.297 1.076 0.968 0.883 0.801 0.865 1.096 0.985 0.961* 0.938 1.002 2000 1.037 1.044 1.035 1.059 1.016 1.020 1.088 1.057 1.064 1.197 1.045* Mean 1.134 1.123 1.247 1.161 1.001 0.959 1.045 0.884 1.023 1.062 0.960 0.958 1.046 Units: g/l Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, Republic of Karakalpakstan Note: * Data interpolated: primary data not available ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS!/WORLD BANK 89 Table 2.13 Salinity of ground-water, Turtkul district, 1981 - 2000 Year Sampled area Percentage of area in each salinity range Mean salinity (ranges in grams/litre) 000ha 0-1 1-3 3-5 5-10 >10 g/l 1981 4.70 0.0 91.5 8.5 0.0 0.0 2.170 1982 12.60 42.1 50.8 4.8 2.4 0.0 1.806 1983 14.00 15.0 50.0 14.3 17.1 3.6 3.007 1984 13.92 55.0 32.4 4.3 5.4 2.9 1.775 1985 14.20 0.5 23 9 41.1 34.2 0.3 4.694 1986 14.69 5.1 54.3 29.3 11.2 0.2 3.144 1987 15.04 2.6 85.3 10.6 1.5 0.0 2.267 1988 25.00 3.8 50.1 24.5 21.6 0.0 3.641 1989 29.96 2.6 58.5 31.1 7.7 0.0 3.022 1990 26 12 7.5 66.8 11.0 14.7 0.0 2.957 1991 26.22 21.7 61.4 10.1 6.8 0.0 2.355 1992 26.56 15.1 71.2 9.1 4.4 0.1 2.274 1993 26.78 6.9 69.9 17.3 5.8 0.1 2.596 1994 26.88 11.6 76.0 10.2 2 1 0.1 2.201 1995 26.82 1.9 75.3 12.4 10.4 0.0 2.799 1996 27.15 7.6 66.7 17.6 8.0 0.0 2.716 1997 32.29 5.1 73.8 13.3 6.6 1.2 2 555 1998 33.62 0.0 87.3 7 9 3.9 1.0 2.352 1999 32.08 0.0 88.4 10.3 1.0 0.2 2.259 2000 31.98 0.0 64.3 13.5 17.4 4.8 3.135 Mean 23.03 10.2 64.9 15.1 9.1 0.7 2.686 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBERISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 90 Table 2.14 Salinity of ground-water, Ellikala district, 1981 - 2000 Year Sampled area Percentage of area in each salinity range Mean salinity (ranges in grams/litre) 000ha 0-1 1-3 3-5 5-10 >10 g/l 1981 23.40 2.6 65.4 21.4 8.5 2.1 2.829 1982 22.70 4.0 44 1 30.0 19 4 2.6 3.573 1983 22.60 5.8 44.2 39.8 6.6 3.5 3.033 1984 24.52 7.5 62.6 18.6 8.6 2.7 2.717 1985 26.15 3 7 44.4 35.9 12.1 3.9 3.267 1986 27.37 7.1 61.7 20.6 7.4 3.2 2.682 1987 31.34 0.6 78.1 18.2 2.9 0.1 2.517 1988 30.68 82.2 13.4 3.7 0.7 0.0 1.289 1989 33.22 9.6 80.3 6.9 2.3 1 0 2.146 1990 33.36 3.5 82.1 9.5 4 8 0.1 2.415 1991 33.28 6.7 90 0 2.9 0.3 0.2 2.003 1992 33.64 2.9 84.3 8.7 4.0 0.0 2.366 1993 33.45 0.5 90.3 7.1 1.9 0.2 2.240 1994 33.44 0.4 87.2 11.7 0.4 0.3 2.246 1995 33.93 0 0 84.4 15.4 0.2 0.0 2.319 1996 33 96 0.0 87.7 11.2 1 1 0.0 2.287 1997 33 85 0.9 81.9 14.7 2.5 0.1 2.417 1998 33.37 97.8 1.7 0.4 0.0 0.0 1.030 1999 32.89 98.5 1.3 0.2 0.0 0.0 1.020 2000 33.99 80.7 18.2 1 2 0.0 0.0 1.217 Mean 30.56 20.7 60.2 13.9 4.2 1.0 2.281 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 91 Table 2.15 Salinity of ground-water, Beruni district, 1981 - 2000 Year Sampled area Percentage of area in each salinity range Mean salinity (ranges in grams/litre) OOOha 0-1 1-3 3-5 5-10 >10 g/l 1981 10.50 0.0 83.8 14.3 1.9 0.0 2.390 1982 15.60 27.6 47.4 10.3 9.6 5.1 2.356 1983 24.50 32.2 40.8 14.3 9.4 3.3 2.414 1984 25.55 7.8 76.6 14.4 1.2 0.0 2.275 1985 28.29 10.7 79.0 8.8 1.6 0.0 2.155 1986 29.35 8.2 62.3 25.6 3.7 0.2 2 627 1987 30.37 1.1 90.4 6.2 1.8 0.4 2.207 1988 30.99 7.8 77.7 9.6 4.2 0.7 2.333 1989 33.09 3.0 84.8 8.6 3.6 0.1 2.340 1990 32.61 7.8 85.4 6.3 0.5 0.0 2.075 1991 32.37 20.7 77.0 1.7 0.5 0.0 1 856 1992 32.65 14.6 82.3 2.6 0.5 0.0 1 933 1993 32.33 0.0 91.4 8.6 0.0 0.0 2 171 1994 32.72 4.3 87.4 6.9 1.4 0 0 2.171 1995 32.84 0.0 94.7 4.6 0.7 0.0 2.129 1996 32.85 0.0 82.7 14.4 2.9 0.0 2.449 1997 32.83 7.9 86.7 4.5 0.9 0.0 2.060 1998 32.70 0.0 92.8 6.4 0.8 0.0 2 173 1999 33.15 0.0 93.0 6.0 1.0 0.0 2.175 2000 33.08 0.0 80.1 14.6 4.7 0.6 2.535 Mean 29.42 7.7 79.8 9.4 2.5 0.5 2.241 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 92 Table 2.16 Evapotranspiration at Urgench Weather Station according to Penman- Monteith method Crop Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total Winter 8.4 12.3 47.9 129.8 53 4 8.0 28.3 15.0 8.1 311.2 wheat Cotton 24.2 81.1 157.7 188.8 150.2 35.3 637.3 Alfalfa 8.4 12.3 25.5 46.5 78.7 171.9 193.5 160.8 98.9 36.0 15.0 8.1 855.6 Orchards 10.8 15.9 33.7 79.7 132.7 150.8 153.4 123.0 66.0 36.5 19.2 10.5 832.2 Vineyard 9.6 10.1 29.7 72.0 126.3 144.0 146.2 117.4 60.8 32.4 17 1 9.3 774.9 Units: mm/month Source: Uzgipromeliovodkhoz,1999 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 93 Table 2.17 Specimen computation of gross water requirements, cotton crop. Based on weather data of Urgench station Cropping season April May Jun Jul Aug Sep Cropping total Et 242 811 1,577 1,888 1,502 353 6,373 Re 59 90 40 22 11 11 233 - Re 183 721 1,537 1,866 1,491 342 6,140 Gr 48 284 741 887 646 131 2,737 Lr 34 114 221 264 210 49 892 IR 168 551 1,017 1,243 1,055 261 4,295 Planned 208 680 1,255 1,535 1,303 322 5,302 norm Current 267 874 1,614 1,973 1,675 414 6,817 norm Leaching season Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Leaching Year total total Et 108 159 337 395 306 365 192 105 1,967 8,340 Re 69 99 173 96 11 41 98 107 694 927 Et- Re 39 60 164 299 295 324 94 0 1,275 7,415 Gr 11 16 34 40 31 37 19 11 197 2,934 Lr 92 135 286 336 260 310 163 89 1,672 2,564 TR 120 179 417 595 525 598 238 79 2,750 7,045 Planned 148 221 515 735 648 738 294 97 3,395 8,698 norm Current 190 285 662 945 833 949 378 125 4,365 11,183 norm Units: m3/ha Source: Uzgipromeliovodkhoz, 2000 Notes: 1 Abbreviations : Et = crop evapotranspiration; Re = effective rainfall; Gr = crop use of ground-water; Lr = leaching requirement; IR = crop requirementof canal irrigation water 2 Planned and current norms allowfor water losses in thefield 3 Assumed irrigation efficiencies (q): Planned, rl = 81%; current, ij = 63% (MAWR, 1998) 4 Design formula, CROPWAT: IR = Et - Re- Gr + Lr 5 Lr is based on forecast salt regime and is 11% of Et in cropping season, 31% of Et out of cropping season. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGFMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 94 Table 2.18 Inputs of water to the irnigation systems District 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Mean Water input Turtkul 480.5 473.1 498.2 446.3 514.7 435.3 474.7 (Mm3/y) Ellikala 575 6 510.2 567.4 561.4 533.4 446.3 532.4 Beruni 363.1 500.0 460.0 492 0 435.0 602.4 475.4 Total 1,419.2 1,483.2 1,525.6 1,499.7 1,483.1 1,484.0 1,482.5 Planned area Turtkul 31.9 32.1 32.2 32.7 29.6 29.6 31.34 (000 ha) Ellikala 33.9 34.0 33.9 33.4 29.9 29.9 32.50 Beruni 32.8 32.8 32.8 33.2 31.4 31.4 32.42 Total 98.6 98.9 98.9 99.3 90.9 90.9 96.26 Water supply/ha Turtkul 15,077 14,756 15,457 13,648 17,388 14,706 15,144 (m3/y) Ellikala 16,963 15,005 16,762 16,809 17,839 14,926 16,383 Beruni 11,056 15,221 14,011 14,819 13,853 19,185 14,664 Total 14,387 14,996 15,424 15,103 16,316 16,326 15,401 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIaSTAN / EU TAcIs /WORLD BANK 95 Table 2.19 Monthly irrigation water supply to districts of South Karakalpakstan, 1999- 2000 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year 1999 Turtkul 22.63 49.33 28.24 34.69 51.79 61.86 68.17 70.48 29.41 30.16 38.36 17.50 502 6 Ellikala 17 63 58.02 32.58 24.28 52.55 61.11 71.51 84.24 27.73 38.62 28.73 28.29 525.3 Beruni 14.82 58.23 80.26 33.17 83.95 85.64 96.99 82.14 25.32 27.31 1.56 13.04 602.4 Total 55.1 165.6 141.1 92.1 188.3 208.6 236.7 236.9 82.5 96.1 68.7 58.8 1,630.3 2000 Turtkul 19.36 40.09 72.50 41.04 43.46 42 42 52.07 40.84 25.97 17.04 Ellikala 17.54 34.22 72.36 35.51 33.08 51.32 78.18 40.06 24.15 15.17 Beruni 15 32 37.69 78.35 34.38 27.64 76.97 68.24 45.59 23.23 16.42 Total 52.2 112.0 223.2 110.9 104.2 170.7 198.5 126.5 73.3 48.6 Units: Mm3/month Source: Karakalpakstan Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, 2000 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS /WORLD BANK 96 Table 2.20 Estimated quantities of water drained from the South Karakapalkstan irrigation system, 1998- 1999 Beruni Akcha Evaporati Total Beruni Akcha Evaporati Total pump- Darya on from water pump- Darya on from water station collector Lake exported station collector Lake exported Ayazkul from the Ayazkul from the system system 1998 1999 Jan 10 2 6.9 0.3 17.4 14.2 35.6 0.9 50.7 Feb 12.1 12.6 0.6 25.3 15.7 33.4 1.8 50.9 Mar 37.2 39.4 1 2 77.8 31.1 43.6 2.3 77.0 Apr 35.8 46.4 4.5 86.7 21.8 37.1 4 2 63.1 May 39.4 29.5 5.1 74.0 26.0 33.2 6.0 65.2 Jun 29.3 31.9 7.4 68.6 25.4 33.2 8.3 66.9 Jul 27.8 26.5 7.8 62.1 33.2 35.6 6.6 75.4 Aug 34.5 38.6 6.1 79.2 40.7 28.9 7.7 77.3 Sep 27.2 29.3 5.1 61.6 41.0 41.5 4.7 87.2 Oct 17.4 28.9 2.8 49.1 31.1 25.4 2.9 59.4 Nov 16.3 29.8 1.8 47.9 20.5 24.6 1.3 46.4 Dec 16.3 26.8 0.8 43.9 24.6 23.3 0.7 48.6 Year 303.5 346.6 43.4 693.6 325.3 395.4 47.5 768.1 Units: Mm3 Note: Lake surface evaporation is estimated as 75% of the weather station rates (Table 2.2) ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIaSTAN / EU TACIS/ WORLD BANK 97 Table 2.21 Quantities of dissolved salts entering the irrigated area in irrigation water Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Water supply Mm3/mth 1999 55.1 165.6 141.1 92.1 188.3 208.6 236.7 236.9 82.5 96.1 68.7 58.8 1,630 2000 52.2 1120 223.2 1109 104.2 170.7 198 5 126.5 73.3 48.6 35.0 30.0 1,285 Salinity kg/m3 1999 1.253 0.900 1.297 1.076 0.968 0.883 0.801 0.865 1.096 0.985 0.961 0.938 1.002 2000 1.037 1.044 1.035 1.059 1.016 1.020 1.088 1.057 1.064 1.197 0.960 0.958 1.045 Mean 1.134 1.123 1.247 1.161 1.001 0.959 1.045 0.884 1.023 1.062 0.960 0.958 1.046 Salt input 000 t/mth 1999 69 149 183 99 182 184 190 205 90 95 66 55 1,567 2000 54 117 231 117 106 174 216 134 78 58 34 29 1,348 Note: Data for November and December 2000 are estimated by extrapolation from previous years ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLO BANK 98 Table 2.22 Removal of salt in drainage water Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Removed through Beruni PS: 1998 Mm3 10.2 12.1 37.2 35.8 39.4 29.3 27.8 34.5 27.2 17.4 16.3 16.3 303.5 kg/m3 4.460 5.323 4.921 5.771 5.011 4.337 4.315 2.547 3.124 3.740 3.473 3.797 4.285 000 t 45.5 64.4 183.1 206.6 197.4 127.1 120.0 87.9 85.0 65.1 56.6 61.9 1,300.41 1999 Mm3 14.2 15.7 31.1 21.8 26 25.4 33.2 40.7 41 31.1 20.5 24.6 325.3 kg/m3 5 364 3.941 4.816 4.541 3.897 4.928 3.217 3.976 4.463 2.474 3.932 3.580 4.029 000 t 76.2 61.9 149.8 99.0 101.3 125.2 106 8 161.8 183.0 76.9 80.6 88.1 1,310 5 2000 Mm3 29.2 25.0 32.9 29.0 20.3 23.9 17.1 17.4 12.2 12.3 18.4* 20.4* 258.1 kg/m3 5.363 5.421 4.064 5.539 5.148 4.839 6.452 4.267 5.116 5.369 3.70* 3.69* 4.894 000 t 156.6 135 5 133.7 160.6 104.5 115.7 110.3 74.2 62.4 66.0 68.6* 75.0* 1,263.21 Removed to Akcha Darya: 1998 Mm3 6.9 12.6 39.4 46.4 29.5 31.9 26.5 38.6 29.3 28.9 29.8 26.8 346.6 kg/m3 4.066 2.754 3.206 4.024 3.329 3.239 2.824 2.367 2.175 3.076 2.193 2.453 2.964 000 t 28.1 34.7 126.3 186.7 98.2 103.3 74 8 91.4 63.7 88.9 65.4 65.7 1,027.2 1999 Mm3 35.6 33.4 43.6 37.1 33.2 33.2 35.6 28.9 41.5 25.4 24.6 23.3 395.4 kg/m3 3.068 3.163 4.409 4.916 4.409 4.117 3.300 2.785 2.319 2.911 4.419 2.676 3.570 000 t 109.2 105.6 192.2 182.4 146.4 136.7 117.5 80.5 96.2 73.9 108.7 62.4 1,411.7 2000 Mm3 28.1 32.8 45.3 42 5 26.8 19.8 7.2 13.4 11.1 7 0 7.0* 7.0* 248.0 kg/m3 3.280 3.485 3.198 3.240 3.181 3.546 3.598 3.781 5.350 5.061 5.00* 5.00* 3.573 000 t 92.2 114.3 144.9 137.7 85.3 70.2 25.9 50.7 59.4 35.4 35.0* 35.0* 886.0 Evaporated or Deposited in Lake Ayazkul: 1998 Mm3 0.3 0.6 1.2 4.5 5.1 7.4 7.8 6.1 5.1 2.8 1.8 0.8 43.5 kg/m3 2.612 2.472 2.995 2.464 3.044 3.712 2.576 3.805 3.140 2.365 2.163 1.831 3.017 000 t 0.8 1.5 3.6 11.1 15.5 27.5 20.1 23.2 16.0 6.6 3.9 1.5 131.2 1999 Mm3 0.9 1.8 2.3 4.2 6.0 8.3 6.6 7.7 4.7 2 9 1.3 0.7 47.4 kg/m3 1.923 3.393 3.476 5.370 2.363 2.897 2 691 3.005 1.965 3.640 4.004 2.452 3.043 000 t 1.7 6.1 8.0 22.6 14.2 24.0 17.8 23.1 9.2 10.6 5.2 1.7 144.2 2000 Mm3 0.5 0.9 1.7 3.9 5.6 7.8 7.5 6.8 4.7 2.9 1.3* 0.7* 44.3 kg/m3 3.599 3.851 3.247 4.932 4.087 3.784 2.584 3.895 3.780 4.112 3.566 000 t 1.8 3.5 5.5 19.2 22.9 29.5 19.4 26.5 17.8 11.9 4.5* 1.6* 164.1 Total removal of water and salt: 1998 Mm3 17.4 25.3 77.8 86.7 74.0 68.6 62.1 79.2 61.6 49.1 47.9 43.9 693.6 000 t 74.3 100.6 313.0 404.4 311.2 257 9 214.9 202 4 164.7 160.6 125.9 129.1 2,458.9 1999 Mm3 50.7 50.9 77.0 63.1 65.2 66.9 75.4 77.3 87.2 59.4 46.4 48.6 768.1 000 t 187.1 173.6 350.0 303.9 261.9 285.9 242 0 265.4 288 5 161.4 194.5 152.1 2,866.5 2000 Mm3 57.8 58.7 79.9 75.4 52.7 51.5 31.8 37.6 28.0 22.2 19.7 21.4 536.7 000 t 250.6 253.3 284.1 317 6 212.6 215.4 155.6 151.4 139.6 113.4 108.1 111.6 2,313.3 Source: Karakalpakstan Hydro-geological Survey Note :Data lines "Mm3" refer to millions of cubic metres of water removed Data lines "kg/m3" refer to the concentration of salt in that water, in kilograms per cubic metre Data lines "000 t" refer to thousands of tonnes of salt removed * Data unavailable: table completed by interpolation ENVIRONMENTALREsouRcEs MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UzBEEsSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 99 Table 2.23 Distribution of soil salinity in the imigated areas of South Karakalpakstan District Year Total Area Area in each range of soil salinity (ha) irrigated observed noni slightly medium heavily very area saline saline saline saline heavily (ha) (ha) saline Salinised areas: Turtkul 1997 32,504 32,184 2,031 16,963 8,965 1,971 2,254 1998 31,977 31,188 5,827 15,340 6,541 1,884 1,596 Ellikala 1997 34,242 33,947 2,464 19,152 6,804 3,910 1,617 1998 32,894 31,621 4,086 18,407 7,055 1,510 563 Beruni 1997 33,412 32,833 1,558 16,164 12,760 1,749 602 1998 33,081 32,997 6,033 15,218 9,040 2,341 365 Total 1997 100,158 98,964 6,053 52,279 28,529 7,630 4,473 1998 97,952 95,806 15,946 48,965 22,636 5,735 2,524 As % of the total area: Turtkul 1997 32,504 32,184 6.31 52.71 27.86 6.12 7.00 1998 31,977 31,188 18.68 49.19 20.97 6.04 5.12 Elhkala 1997 34,242 33,947 7.26 56.42 20.04 11.52 4.76 1998 32,894 31,621 12.92 58.21 22.31 4.78 1.78 Beruni 1997 33,412 32,833 4.75 49.23 38.86 5.33 1.83 1998 33,081 32,997 18.28 46.12 27.40 7.09 1.11 Total 1997 100,158 98,964 6.12 52.83 28 83 7.71 4.52 1998 97,952 95,806 16.64 51.11 23.63 5.99 2 63 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC O UZBEkISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 100 Table 2.24 Distribution of soil salinity in farms in Ellikala district, October 1999 Farm Area (ha) % of land in each salinity category Non- Slightly Medium Highly Very % non- or saline saline saline saline highly slightly saline saline Dustlik 1,994 4.8 47.6 31.1 8.0 8.5 52 4 Adilov 1,723 5.5 31.6 43.8 19 2 0.0 37.1 Sarabay 3,218 24.7 34.3 31.8 7.6 1.6 59.0 Amirad 2,816 13.3 56.1 28.8 1.8 0.0 69.4 Kilchinak 2,526 7.9 58.2 29.9 2.0 2.0 66.1 Bog-Yab 2,906 39.8 51.9 8.2 0.0 0.0 91.8 Al- 2,090 2.4 69.1 28.5 0.0 0.0 71 5 Khorezm Kyrkyzabay 3,106 1.6 49.3 36.4 9.5 3.2 50.9 Buston 3,590 19.4 54.4 17.7 3.1 5.4 73.8 Yangi-Er 1,801 14.4 48.4 34.5 2.8 0.0 62.7 Ellikala 2,249 0.0 65.1 29.8 5.1 0.0 65.1 Kyrkyz 4,137 3.8 66.0 27.7 2.5 0.0 69.8 Bukhan 666 6.8 77.2 16.1 0.0 0.0 83.9 Mer Galaba 554 20.2 70.8 9.0 0.0 0.0 91.0 Other 618 0.0 56.8 43.2 0.0 0.0 56.8 Total 33,994 12.0 54.1 27.7 4.4 1.7 66.2 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 101 Table 2.25 Crop patterns planned in South Karakalpakstan, 2000 Crops Areas % of plan Turtkul Ellikala Beruni Total Turtkul Ellikala Beruni Total Plan area 32,027 33,111 34,595 99,733 Annual 26,589 28,929 25,400 80,918 83.0 87.4 73 4 81 1 crops Cotton 15,100 13,100 15,100 43,300 47.1 39.6 43.6 43 4 Cereals 6,405 5,235 5,255 16,895 20.0 15.8 15.2 16 9 Rice 4,000 3,000 3,000 10,000 Wheat 1,600 1,500 1,550 4,650 Maize 600 600 600 1,800 Other 205 135 105 445 Fodder 4,384 9,914 7,450 21,748 13.7 29.9 21 5 21.8 Alfalfa 2,738 3,700 3,250 9,688 Beet 200 300 200 700 Green 1,446 5,914 4,000 11,360 corn Vegetables 750 710 596 2,056 2.3 2 1 1.7 2.1 Potato 20 10 16 46 Melon 330 300 200 830 Other 400 400 380 1,180 Orchards 915 1,109 1,383 3,407 2.9 3.3 4.0 3.4 Hay 0 0 573 573 0.0 0.0 1.7 0.6 Household 3,741 2,908 3,161 9,810 11.7 8.8 9.1 9.8 Forest 119 135 97 351 0.4 0.4 0.3 0 4 Reclamation 613 0 980 1,593 1.9 0.0 2.8 1 6 Source: Karakalpakstan Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, 2000 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS /WORLD BANK 102 Table 2.26 Production of cotton and rice, 1997-1998 Cotton Rice District Year ha kg/ha tonnes ha kg/ha tonnes Turtkul 1997 14,904 2,360 35,173 1,126 1,470 1,655 1998 16,978 1,130 19,185 Ellikala 1997 17,255 2,340 40,377 1,079 1,360 1,467 1998 17,026 1,390 23,666 Beruni 1997 15,373 2,160 33,206 1,606 2,660 4,272 1998 15,828 1,090 17,253 186 4,420 822 Total 1997 47,532 2,288 108,756 3,811 1,940 7,395 1998 49,832 1,206 60,104 186 4,420 822 Source: Hydro - Geological Survey of Karakalpakstan, 1998 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 103 Table 2.27 Crop yields and production in farms in Turtkul district, 1999 Farms Cotton Wheat Rice Corn Vegetable kg/ha tons kg/ha tons kg/ha tons kg/ha tons kg/ha tons Miskin 1,600 1,228 2,640 264 2,400 90 830 30 9,000 189 Usbekiston 1,500 1,758 3,530 371 1,310 47 1,800 77 11,000 154 Galaba 1,370 817 2,230 145 2,640 90 570 12 11,300 181 Shurakhon 1,600 2,000 4,000 404 2,700 112 2,920 120 11,700 188 Rashidov 2,250 1,444 2,700 233 2,500 68 3,000 30 17,880 118 Adakkaev 1,220 809 2,100 155 2,930 109 2,300 46 22,400 201 Ullubog 1,410 960 2,710 206 2,500 53 2,000 52 18,400 92 Namun 1,570 1,234 2,780 248 3,200 70 2,400 50 9,800 196 Durdiev 1,230 1,260 2,260 237 2,020 95 1,700 68 14,500 305 Ilamanov 1,450 1,469 2,600 319 2,900 90 1,100 74 19,900 239 Nurumbetov 900 752 1,660 108 2,330 105 2,220 49 6,000 90 Kurbanov 600 452 1,140 68 800 70 860 20 2,700 46 Pakhtaabad 810 487 1,230 63 2,200 54 1,140 39 25,000 25 Navruz 210 72 640 18 810 25 660 12 9,000 9 Jolim 600 537 1,530 3 2,700 92 1,520 35 5,100 107 Kyzyl-kum 1,540 31 1,570 25 2,000 26 1,600 24 10,300 31 Other 900 408 1,310 114 1,480 269 855 12 7,200 151 Private farms 1,300 4,385 2,320 536 2,030 1,778 1,350 75 24,550 265 Total 1,267 20,103 2,402 3,517 1,993 3,243 1,555 825 11,217 2,591 Source: Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, Turtkul District, 2000 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 104 Table 2.28 Crop production, Turtkul district, 2000 Plan Actual Crop Area Yield Production State Sown Lost Harvested Yield Production order (t) ha kg/ha tonnes ha ha ha kg/ha tonnes Cotton 15,100 2,480 37,448 13,000 14,306 4,606 9,700 1,340 13,000 Winter 1,500 3,148 4,722 2,929 1,697 1,697 2,776 4,711 wheat Corn 1,300 3,000 3,900 297 220 77 1,571 121 Rice 4,000 3,000 12,000 354 2,116 1,540 576 1,269 731 Vegetable 400 12,500 5,000 206 80 113 12,190 1,375 Melon 330 10,000 3,300 401 131 270 4,515 1,219 Potatoes 20 8,000 160 5 5 3,667 17 Corn 100 2,000 200 142 59 83 482 40 Phaseolus 105 1,000 105 15 15 276 4 aureus Alfalfa 1st- 1,800 2,500 4,500 502 301 201 2,577 518 year Alfalfa last 938 0 757 169 588 3,702 2,177 years Maize 746 18,000 13,428 452 145 307 Fruits 440 Grapes 16 Total 26,339 20,895 7,251 13,632 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACS/WORLD BANK 105 Table 2.29 Characteristics of herders' co-operatives Bukhan Merei Mulik Konratkul Jana Darya Total Total area (ha) O' 154,000 157,000 525,000 836,000 Irrigated area (ha) 331 1,312 1,314 1,100 4,057 People employed 420 280 278 209 1,187 Employed in: Livestock 204 125 150 161 640 Agriculture 90 80 40 40 250 Drivcrs 48 60 49 0 157 Administrative 78 15 39 8 140 Sheep and goats 21,500 17,000 11,000 13,250 62,750 Cattle 67 385 400 285 1,137 Horses 970 165 200 12 1,347 Camels 780 176 15 0 971 *: Bukhan Merei owns no land, but rentsfrom the Forest Department Source: Social Assessment Report ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 106 Table 2.30 Sampling site locations and salinity measurements Location Point GPS-co- Date Description of EC Salini- Samples/ No. ordinates location mS/cm meter Observations g/l Baday Tugai BT 1 N 42000,290' 18.11.00 Bndge at the 4,5 Reserve (68) E 60025,486' 21.06.01 entrance to the 13.09.02 reserve 4,54 Baday Tugai BT 2 N 41059,382' 22.11.00 Natural channel at Reserve (102) E 60026,207' 13.09.02 Dacha Baday Tugai BT 3 N 41058,412' 22.11.00 Baday Tugai forest Birds Amu Darya (101) E 60022,930' 21.06.01 at Rodina Aul Birds 13.09.02 0,98 Birds Beruni BC 1 N 41 58,516' 18.11.00 Beruni collector 100 Water, Pump (70) E 60 32,082' 21.06.02 m upstream sediment plants station collector Birds Beruni BC 2 N 41 55,936' 18.11.00 Outlet Lake 6,5 Water, Collector (71) E 60 47,086' Akchakul, just sediments before starting point plants of new gravity collector Inlet Lake LAK1 N 41050,159' 19.11.00 Just upstream road 3.7 Water, Akchakul (74) E 60053,677' 18.06.01 bridge 4,1 sediments plants Lake LAK2 N 41053,302' 19.11.00 Lake shore at 3,9 Akchakul (75) E 60°51,157' fishermen's house Outlet Lake LAK3 N 41055,066' 19.11.00 1 km from the lake 3,9 Akchakul (76) E 60047,481' at the outlet weir Lake LAK4 N 42°00,320' 19 11.00 At the western bank Birds Akchakul (78) E 61007,577' of the lake opposite Vegetation to WP 75 Lake LAK5 N 41051,34' 21.06.01 At the south Birds Akchakul E 60051,36' western bank of the Vegetation lake at herders shelter Boz-Ayb BAl N 41044,789Y 22.11.00 In the front of the 2,0 Water, Canal (100) E 60°56,962' weir sediments plants Lake LAYI N 42001,915' 19.11.00 At fishermen's 4,9 4,5 Birds Ayazkul (77) E 61004,457' 18.06.01 shelter at the 6,5 Vegetation 17.09.02 western shore in the 7,1 inlet lake Lake LAY2 N 42002,643' 21.11.00 Lake on peninsula 19,5 Birds Ayazkul (88) E 61003,810' between saline and Vegetation freshwater part Lake LAY3 N 42°02,708' 21.11.00 Saline part of lake 25,9 22 Birds Ayazkul (91) E 61°03,672' 18.06.02 (eastern part near Vegetation 17.09.02 peninsula) >20 Lake LAY4 N 42003,320' 21.11.00 Lake on peninsula 13,9 10,5 Birds Ayazkul (92) E 61003,452' 18 06.01 between saline and 13,6 Vegetation 17.09.02 freshwater part Lake LAY5 N 42o3,752' 21.11.00 Freshwater part of 11,6 10 Birds Ayazkul (93a) E 61003,222' the lake (east of the Vegetation isthmus between the two lake basins) Lake LAY6 N 42°03,752' 21.11.00 Saline part of the 19,4 16 Birds Ayazkul (93b) lake (west of the Vegetation ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACiS/WORLD BANK 107 Location Point GPS-co- Date Description of EC Salini- Samples/ No. ordinates location mS/cm meter Observations g/l E 61°03,222' isthmus between the two lake basins) Lake LAY7 N 42°03,857' 21.11.00 Connection between 12,9 10 Birds Ayazkul (94) E 61°04,439' the two parts of the Vegetation lake Lake LAY8 N 42001,470' 21.11.00 Connection between 6,9 6 Birds Ayazkul (97) E 61°03,222' 18.06.01 outlet (Kizyl-kum 6,6 Vegetation collector) and gravity drain Lake LAY9 N 42°01,674' 21.11.00 Easternmost part of Birds Ayazkul (98) E 61°07,162' 18.06.01 the lake Vegetation Lake LAY N 42002,276' 21.11.00 Pool at the 43,8 38,5 Birds Ayazkul 10 E 61°01,256' 18.09.02 westernmost part of Vegetation (99) the lake (not connected with the lake) Lake LAY 21.11.00 At the lake shore 26,4 Birds Ayazkul 11 18.09 02 approximately 100 >20 Vegetahon (99a) m N to LAY10 Kyzyl-kum KC1 N 41059,572' 18.11.00 4,5 collector (72) E 61001,281' Kyzyl-kum KC2 N 42o01,450' 18.11.00 50 m downstream 6,7 6 Water, collector (73) E 61004,366' intake to Kyzyl-kum sediments pumpstation (inlet plants to Lake Ayazkul) Kyzyl-kurm KC3 N 42000,762' 20.11.00 At the new bridge 20 Water, collector (80) E 61012,036' 14.09.02 downstream of Lake 6,2 sediments Ayazkul lake plants Kyzyl-kum KC4 N 42o01,055' 20.11.00 0,5-1 km 22 collector (81) E 61016,190' downstream KC3, adjacent temporary wetlands Kyzyl-kum KC5 N 42001,588' 20.11.00 26 collector (83) E 61022,148' Kyzyl-kum KC6 N 42o01,890' 20.11.00 About 1 km from 18 collector (84) E 61°23,361' beginning of wetland I Kyzyl-kum 86 N 42°03,490' 20.11.00 Outlet from wetland 8 Water, collector E 61°24,924' I before connection sediments with channel plants Wetland I WI N 42003,25' 20.11.00 Lake shore appr. at 6,5 Water Kyzyl-kum E 61o25,16' 21.06.01 the middle of the birds collector 18.09.02 wetland vegetation Wetland 11 W2 N 42007,24' 21.06.01 At lake shore Water Kyzyl-kum E 61027,470' 18.09.02 birds collector vegetation Wetland III W3 N 42°1O,42' 21.06.01 Water Akcha Darya E 61031,20' birds Corridor vegetation Akcha Darya ADC N 42006,58' 14.09.02 Hydrometric station 13,5 Water Corridor 1 E 6lW31,5l1 at destroyed bridge birds vegetation Akcha Darya ADC N 42023,342' 18 09.02 Artesian well 5,5 Water Corridor 2 E 61029,048' birds vegetation ENVIROMMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS WORLD BANK 108 Location Point GPS-co- Date Description of EC Salini- Samples/ No.' ordinates location mS/cm meter Observations g/l Wetland IV W4 N 42°56,16' 20.06.01 Lake of about 20 ha 11,8 Water Akcha Darya E 61°31,00' birds Delta vegetation Wetland V W5 N 42°59,55' 20.06.01 Reed bed of several birds Akcha Darya E 61°26,16' 15.09.02 square kilometres vegetation Delta Artesian ADD N 42052,34' 20.06.01 2,5 Water Well, Akcha 1 E 61°29,20' 15.09.02 birds Darya Delta vegetation Artesian ADD N 43039,624' 15.09.02 Near farm Kosmala, 2,6 Water Well, Akcha 2 E 61°24,043' about 5 km from birds Darya Delta Jana Darya vegetation Jana Darya JDl N 43044,981' 15.09.02 birds E 61°23,663' vegetation 'Numbers in bracket shows corresponding number in Baseline study EC-meter: WTW LF 91 and RS 180-7127 Salinimeter: "Aquafauna" Samples taken duringfield trip to Karakalpakstan in November 2000, June 2001 and September 2002 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEI<]STAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 109 Table 2.31 Salinity in canals and collectors Location Salinity (TDS) Reference g/litre Amirabad Canal 0.98 Feasibility Report Ellikala Canal 0.72 Feasibility Report Boz-Ayb Canal 1.48 Baseline Study Beruni Collector, downstream pump station 3.19 Feasibility Report Beruni Collector, Outlet Lake Akchakul 6.5 Baseline Study Beruni Collector, Outlet Lake Akchakul 4.9 Feasibility Report Kyzyl-kum Collector, downstream pump 4.8 Feasibility Report station Kyzyl-kum pump station, 50 m downstream 6.0 Baseline Study Kyzyl-kum Collector at bridge 20.0 Baseline Study Kyzyl-kum Collector (near bridge) 11.0 Baseline Study VST-2 near junction 8.0 Baseline Study VST-2 junction 4.47 Feasibility Report Source: Baseline Study, November 2000 and Feasibility Report, August 2002 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 110 Table 2.32 Concentrations of pesticides and heavy metals in plant samples Substance Analyses from plants in Max. allowable Average in dry canals and collectors content in feeding plant biomass (interval) stuff'* 1999/29/EC mg/kg mg/kg mg/kg As 0.5 - 6.5 2 0.15 Se <0.5 - 2.1 0.5 0.05 Ba 4.4 -45.9 No value 22.5 Sr 55 - 440 No value 40 Ni 3.9 - 57.3 No value 2.0 Cr 2.4-16.6 No value 1.75 Pb 1.0 -6.9 5 1.0 Mn 167.8 -2115 No value Fe 1238 - 6147 No value Zn 7.4 - 70 48 No value 50 Hg 0.1 Cd 1 DDT (including 0.002 metabolites) Q-HCH 0.02 1-HCH 0.005 y-HCH 0.2 YI-HCH 0.02 Source: Baseline Study, November 2000 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEERSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 11 1 Table 2.33 Concentrations of heavy metals in bed sediments Substance Analyses from sediment in Max. permnissible Max permissible canals and collectors (interval) concentrations concentrations in soil mg/kg mg/kg mg/kg As 4.7 -10.1 2.0 Se <0.5 - 1.7 0.5 Ba 45.1 - 78.8 Sr 157- 800 Ni 12.7 - 65.0 85 15 Cr 24.55-44.0 6 30 Pb 4.1 - 51.42 30 40 Mn 825 - 1467 Fe 11,656 - 25,141 Zn 22.0 -48.8 100 100 Source: Baseline Study, November 2000 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 112 Table 2.34 Morphological data on Lake Akchakul Area 3500 ha Mean depth 3 m Maximum depth 7 m Estimated volume 0.1 km3 Source: Baseline Study, November 2000 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 113 Table 2.35 Bird species observed at Lake Akchakul Species November 2000 June 2001 Pygmy cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus)* 5 Great egret (Egretta alba) 2 Purple heron (Ardea purpurea) 2 Redcested Pochard (Netta rufina) 2 Vanellochettusia leucura 2 Little tern (Sterna albsfrons) 2 Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) 2 Bearded tit (Panurus biarmicus) 105 Penduline bt (Remiz pendulinus) 2 Longbilled reed-warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus) 5 Reed sparrow (Emberiza schoenzclus) 1 Calendrella sp. 2 Source: Baseline Study, November 2000 and Interim Report, June 2001 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIOSTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 114 Table 2.36 Salinity/conductivity measurements at Lake Ayazkul Location Conductivity Salinity (TDS) mS/cm g/litre At fishermen's houses at the western shore in the inlet lake 4.9-7.1 4.5 Freshwater part of the lake (east of the isthmus between the 11.6 10 two lake basins) Lake on peninsula between saline and freshwater part 13.9 10.5 Connection between the two parts of the lake 12.9 10 Saline part of the lake (west of the isthmus between the two 19.4 16 lake basins) Saline part of lake (near peninsula) 25.9 22 Saline part of the lake (west of the isthmus between the two 19.4 16 lake basins) Pool at the westernmost part of the lake (not connected 43.8 38-39 with the lake) Connection between outlet (Kyzyl-kum collector) and 6.9 6 gravity drain Source: Baseline Study, November 2000 and Field visit, September 2002 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEEISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 115 Table 2.37 Selection of birds observed at Lake Ayazkul, June 2001 and September 2002. Species June 2001 September 2002 Blacknecked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) 1 56 Rednecked Grebe (Podiceps ruficollis) 7 3 Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus) 2 Crested Grebe (Podiceps cnstatus) 12 Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus)* 100 10+180 Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) 6 19 Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus)** 29 24 Great White Egret (Egretta alba) 1 Egret (Egretta garzetta)* 1 Glossy ibis (Plegadisfalcinellus)* 15 Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)* 8 Greylag (Anser anser) 4 Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) 2 Ruddy Shelduck (Tadornaferruginea) 2 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 14 112 Gadwall (Anas strepera) 20 Teal (Anas crecca) 40 Gargancy (Anas querquedula) 1 Redheaded Pochard (Netta rufina) 2 32 Ducks (Anatidae sp.) 50 Marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) 4 3 Longlegged buzzard (Buteo rufinus) 11 Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 1 Grus sp. (Common/Demoiselle) 8 Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) 2 2 Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) 9 1 Common Stint (Calidris alpina) 2 Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) 13 Vanellochettusia leucura 2 Slilt (Himantopus himantopus) 5 Oyster catcher (Haematopus ostralegus) 2 1 Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) 2 Redshank (Tringa totanus) 3 9 Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) 1 Marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilbs) 4 Wood sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) 1 Red necked phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) 127 Common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) I Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) 2 3 Herring Gull (Larus cachinnans) 5 5 Slenderbilled Gull (Larus genei) 1 Whiskered tern (Chlidontas hybrida) 1 Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia) I Gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) 2 Common tern (Sterna hirundo) 2 White fronted tern (Sterna albifrons) 1 1 Whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida) 1 White winged tern (Chlhdonias leucopterus) 2 Blackbellied sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis) 5 Rock dove (Columba livma) 50 Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) 2 Green bee-eater (Merops superciliosus) 4 4 Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) 20 30 Crested lark (Galerida crzstata) 4 2 Yellow wagtail (Motacillafeldegg) 2 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZ1EKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 116 Citrine wagtail Motacilla citreola 2 Crow (Corvus corone) 3 4 Common Mynah (Acridotheres tristis) 12 Isabeline shnke (Lanius isabellznus) 2 Bearded tit (Panurus biarmicus) 6 Savi's warbler (Locustella luscinoides) 1 Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) 1 Acrocephalus agricola 1 Longbilled reedwarbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus) 8 Hippolais calligata 1 Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) 14 Menetrie's warbler (Sylvia mystacea) 3 Sylvia curruca 3 21 Isabelline wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina) 1 * Listed in the National Red Book of Uzbekistan ** Listed in the International IUCN Red Book on rare and threatened species ENVIRONMENTAL RESouRcEs MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEIISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 117 Table 2.38 Birds observed at Wetland I and II Species June 2001 September 2002 Mallard (Anas platyrhyncos) 20 Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) 2 Pygmy cormorant (P. pygmaeus)** 2 Great egret (Egretta alba) 5 Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) 1 Red crested Pochard (Netta rufina) 10 3 Gadwall (Anas strepera) 220 Pochard (Aythaferina) 60 Teal (Anas crecca) 90 Vanellochettusia leucura 2 Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) 2 Marsh harrier (Circus aeroginosus) Longbilled reedwarbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus) 2 Green bee-eater (Merops supercillwosus) 4 Bearded tit (Panurus blarmicus) 2 ** Listed in the International IUCN Red Book on rare and threatened species ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS/WORLD BANK 118 Figure 2.1: Variations of mean water-table elevation in each of the three districts, 1981-2000 2 5 - > = 2 0 -N..; 0 0) U] 0 0 15 - O. O - I . I , , I , , I. ,. IT u rtku l 0 --a Ellikala E A+ Beruna CF 02 -4-AllI w 0 05 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Year Source Hydra-geology Survey of Karakalpakstan, Nukus, 2000 Figure 2.2: Variations of mean water table salinity in each of three districts, 1981-2000 50 - 4 5 - 05 - 3 0 - UY T-4-urtkul 4) -U--Elpikala -125 A~ Berunii -0-AllI 2 0 1 0 0 0 T - - -- -- - -- - --- - - - 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Year Source Hydro-geology Survey of Karakalpakstfan, Nukus, 2000 3 POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK 3.1 WATER MANAGEMENT The management of demand, allocation, supply and application of water involves a complex system of organisations at several levels. The principal groups of responsible organisations are: * International; * National; * Autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan; * Districts (tumans); * Co-operative (shirkat) farms and other users. Demand for water is initiated at the bottom of this chain, and passes up (modified as may seem necessary) through all the other levels to the top, where primary decisions on allocation are made. These decisions then pass down, through the same chain, with more detailed allocative decisions being made at each level. The outcome of the process, for the users, is the announcement of their "limit," or allocated quota, for the coming season. The process happens twice each year, for the two seasons known as the cropping season (April to September) and the non-vegetative or leaching season (October to March). Of these, the decisions concerning the cropping season are more important. The top-level or international decisions for the cropping season are made in March. Planning at the users' level for this begins in November, when crop plans are formulated at far level. The system is cumbersome, requiring time for its preparation. Centralised decisions may therefore be out of date by the time they are being implemented in the field. The risk of this is high in such a river as the Amu Darya, whose variability is high, and in which it is difficult to obtain reliable data from the highly mountainous source areas. Therefore, it is often found necessary to make large changes to the allocations initially determined. These changes may be sought through a political rather than a technical process. 3.1.1 International organisations There are a number of organisations which have been created for the purpose of co-ordination of the use of the two large rivers which flow to the Aral Sea. Some of these have been created recently, and all of them have developed ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN/ EUTACIS/ WORLD BANK 121 their roles in new ways after the end of the former Soviet Union. In the time of the Soviet Union, many essential decisions were finalised in Moscow. That decision focus has been replaced by regional organisations, but these have probably not yet acquired all the influence that may be necessary for settling difficult issues. Three intemational organisations have been established to manage water allocation: * Inter-state Commission for Water Co-ordination. This body has overall responsibility for equitable allocation of the waters of the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya; * Inter-state River Commission for the Amu Darya. This organisation is responsible for the maintenance and management of river flows and the allocation of waters among the riparian countries. It has its head office in Urgench, and four divisional offices, one in Tajikistan, and others at Chardjou, Urgench and Takhiatash; and * Inter-state River Commission for the Syr Darya. This organisation, based in Tashkent, has similar responsibilities in regard to the Syr Darya. The above two river-basin organisations are generally referred to by the acronym BVO. Other international organisations for co-ordinating basin management include: * Inter-state Sustainable Development Council. This co-ordinates activities that control the protection and rational use of water resources; and * Inter-state Council on the problems of the Aral Sea. This co- ordinates activities attempting to improve the environmental conditions in the Aral Sea basin. The above authorities have experienced various problems in achieving effective management of water at the river basin level. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, as the downstream countries, have a greater interest in achieving river-basin collaboration than the upstream countries. Allocative decisions, among the countries involved, are made by the Inter- State Commission for Water Co-ordination, which can be regarded as the apex body. The Commission is assisted in this by a Scientific Information Comrnittee. The two River Basin Organisations are the implementing agencies, which monitor the realisation of these plans. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPuBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 122 The Amu Darya River Basin Organisation is the international organisation which can affect the situation in the Beruni, Ellikala and Turtkul districts, as these districts receive all of their water from the Amu Darya, most of it coming directly from Tuyamuyun Reservoir. One of the functions of the BVO is to monitor the distribution of water from that reservoir. 3.1.2 Organisations for management of irrigation water Water is by law the property of the State. The principal agency dealing with agricultural uses of water in Uzbekistan is the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources (MAWR). The basic administrative structure of this ministry is shown in Figure 3.1. The Inter-State Commission allocates water among the countries, but within Uzbekistan this allocated quantity is managed internally by the MAWR. Allocation of water is managed not according to hydraulic boundaries, but according to political and administrative boundaries. The province, or the Autonomous Republic in the case of Karakalpakstan, and the districts are the key administrative units in this. The River Basin Organisation allocates gross quantities of water among the various riparian countries. Then, within Uzbekistan, the MAWR allocates this amount of water among the provinces, provinces allocate water among their districts, and districts allocate water among collective farms and other user units. The Republic of Karakalpakstan has its own Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources. This ministry receives a water allocation in a similar way to the provinces of Uzbekistan, and allocates this amount among its districts. The Tuyamuyun Dam Organisation, which operates the gates releasing water into Tuyamuyun Right Bank Canal, and also the gates releasing water down the Amu Darya, is an organ of the Uzbekistan MAWR. It works in collaboration with the Amu Darya River Basin Organisation, but is not now a part of that organisation. The district water management offices are the primary local organisations which manage operation and maintenance of irrigation water distribution systems, down to the secondary (inter-farm) canal level. 3.1.3 Management of pump stations Pump stations, both for irrigation and drainage, are not managed by the districts, but come under the control of a separate organisation, the Department of Pump Stations, which is located in Beruni town. This organisation is responsible for controlling the times of pumping, so it determines the amounts of water delivered into the irrigation system by the ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEK;SISAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 123 river pump-stations, and the rate of disposal by the drainage stations. It is also responsible for maintenance of these stations. This Department is responsible both for main pump-stations, and for the smaller local pumps which lift water from the secondary and tcrtiary canals into the farm irrigation facilities. Because of the low gradients in the irrigated areas, the supply canals generally are not elevated sufficiently to supply water to farms under gravity. There are 992 pump-stations in the three irrigation districts of South Karakalpakstan, of which 8% are powered by electricity and the rest are diesel-powered. The Department of Pump Stations at Beruni is responsible for pumping in South Karakalpakstan. Its major responsibilities therefore include the two drainage stations that would be closed under the Core Project (Beruni and Kyzyl-kum), and the three principal irrigation supply stations (Dustlik, Qalchinak and Neyman-Beshtam). There is a separate department with similar functions for North Karakalpakstan. Each of these organisations comes directly under the Karakalpakstan Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources. 3.1.4 Management of drainage The management of the collector drains in these irrigated areas is performed by the Hydro-geological Survey of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. This organisation, which has its head office at Nukus, will be responsible for management of the South Karakalpakstan Main Collector, when that has been built. 3.1.5 Management of ground-water The Hydro-geological Survey of Karakalpakstan is responsible for various aspects of managing and monitoring ground-water. It drills deep wells in the livestock areas, for the water requirements of livestock and people. This organisation has responsibility for monitoring the state of the shallow ground- water in the irrigated areas. Its laboratory analyses ground-water salinity, and also soil salinity. It makes annual maps of soil salinity distributions at the district and collective farm levels, which are used as a tool in making decisions about the salt leaching programmes for the ensuing year. 3.1.6 Effectiveness of water control ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 124 There are difficulties in operating the existing system of water management. The system does not react swiftly to changes in the physical state of the water supply and demand systems. Large variations from expectations appear to occur. Table 3.1 illustrates this. This refers to the early months of the 2001 cropping season. This was a year of great difficulty for agriculture, with the lowest flows of the past 20 years (Table 2.4, 2.5). In Table 3.1 we compare the limits assigned to different major user groups (provinces, or major irrigation systems) and their actual consumption of water, over a period of about 3 months. The administrative section of the Amu Darya River Basin Organisation in which the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems lie is the third, or lower middle, section. The River Basin Organisation can assign limits only for relatively large regions. Its main function is to ensure equitable sharing between the riparian countries, not the irrigation systems. Limits for irrigation systems, pump organisations and lower-level users such as collective farms, are set within the government, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources in Tashkent playing a major role. The overall seasonal limit is sub-divided into 10-day time periods. The limit for all Karakalpakstan, North and South, was set at 5,677 million m3 for the cropping season of 2001 (5.677 km3). Allocation of that total amount, among districts and farms, was principally the task of the government of Karakalpakstan. Actual daily flows, according to the River Basin Organisation's data, were substantially less than expectations in April, and especially in May, but recovered significantly in early June. Only 19 m3/s, on average, could be supplied by the Right Bank Main Canal, due to the lack of water in Tuyamuyun reservoir. In the monitoring system used by the River Basin Organisation, for the whole basin from its source in Tajikistan to the Aral Sea, the river is divided into four sections, of which the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems lie in the third. These records show that, at 21 June (after 45% of the season, but with the period of highest irrigation consumption yet to come) the rates of usage, as a percentage of the total of the 10-day limits up to that date, were: Section of Amu Darya basin Percentage of limit used, 1 April - 21 June 2001 Upstream section 113.5% Middle section 83.4% Third section 56.7% Downstream section 39.1% Overall average 76.8% ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKLSTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 125 These data seem to show that the River Basin Organisation has difficulty to ensure compliance with its planning, and that in a year of water deficiency the upstream users can take advantage of their situation and abstract water in much greater shares than the downstream users in Karakalpakstan, especially North Karakalpakstan. The data show no allocation of water for replenishment of the Aral Sea. Data also provided by the River Basin Organisation show the flows of water and salt in the Amu Darya in the months April to June 2001. The salt concentrations shown by these data are substantially greater than any of those indicated in the Stage 1 Baseline Study, Tables 4.9 and 4.10. Presumably this is because of the very low flows of water in the river. The data supplied by the River Basin Organisation do not show a limit for the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems. A limit of 5.014 km3 is shown for all Karakalpakstan and it appears that this was increased to 5.677 km3. Of the limit of 5.014 km3 for all Karakalpkstan, 0.767 km3 (15.3%) were for use above Takhiatash barrage, but this would include other systems around Kipchak and on the left bank. The total of the limits allocated to the three districts of South Karakalpakstan was 0.628 km3 for this cropping season, or 12.5% of the limit for all Karakalpakstan. The quantities actually supplied to South Karakalpakstan in April, May and the first half of June were about 42% of the amounts delivered for all Karakalpakstan. Less than half of this amount was delivered by the Right Bank Main Canal. The numerous pumping stations along the Amu Darya are therefore a more important source of water than the Main Canal, during a dry period such as this. Data received from the Pump Stations Organisation at Beruni indicate that the Organisation pumped 0.416 km3 of irrigation water in the first 5 months of 2001, of which 0.137 km3 was pumped in the first two monLhs of Lhe cropping season, April and May. However this is not the amount abstracted from the Amu Darya, as some of these pumps are internal pumps, operating inside the irrigation systems to lift water from canals. It seems that the quantities pumped from the river were probably about 90% of the above figures. Combining these data sources, it appears that the amounts of water actually delivered into the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems in the first two months of the cropping season were: Pump Stations Main Canal Total April 65.11 29.29 94.40 May 57.76 52.88 110.64 Total 122.87 8217 205.04 Unts: Mzll1on m3 According to data for 1999 and 2000 (Table 2.19) the amounts delivered into the Irrigation Systems in these two months were 280.4 and 215.1 Mm3, respectively, compared to the figure of 205.0 Mm3 in 2001. Thus, although the ENVIRONMENTALRESOIRCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLICOFUZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 126 year was expected to be very dry, the amount of water input to the systems was not reduced by much. The above analysis of a specific period indicates the difficulty of planning and allocation of water in this river basin. The available water is not equitably distributed along the waterway, and downstreamn users receive less than their appropriate share. The system of limits appears to be applied successfully at the inter-country level, since the total shares obtained by Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan were maintained at very similar percentages of the agreed limits (Tahle 3.1), but the internal allocations within the country vary widely. The years of this study were dry years, so it has not been possible to observe the working of the allocation system and other aspects of water management under conditions of surplus, when the drainage requirements would be expected to be greater. 3.2 AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT The decision process, by which agricultural water users interact with water managers in order to obtain their water requirements and to dispose of excess water, depends on the management structure within the agricultural sector. This is difficult to specify, as the former system of centrally-controlled management of agricultural, through large collective farm units, has been undergoing a gradual process of change over the past decade. These formal changes are not all complete, and the extent of real change is uneven. The state continues to exert considerable power, through control of a large part of the crop decisions, through its intervention in the water demand procedures, through its ultimate ownership of land, and other means. The new farm management institutions are often financially weak, and heavily indebted. Farming andfarm structures The agricultural sector is in a process of gradual reform from the former collective system. All land still belongs to the state and it is possible only to lease, not purchase, land. Decisions about water distribution and use are planned centrally, as are decisions regarding the principal crop of cotton and other crops for which there is a 'state order' quota. The state order system imposes a requirement on farmers to produce certain amounts of particular crops (especially cotton, corn, winter wheat and rice), which must be sold to the state at fixed prices, lower than market prices. The state supplies seeds in exchange for the quota. If the farm does not meet its quota, it is subject to a fine. The farm structure is slowly changing. In 1994 the former collective farms were abolished and replaced by shirkat (joint-stock company) farms, which as a co-operative structure retains some of the features of the earlier kolkhoz. Since 1995, there has been a slow process of 'privatisation' of the shirkat farms ENVIRONMENTAL REsOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 127 into co-operative farms or Farmers' Associations (FA), so that there is now a mix of shirkat and FA farms in this region. There are also a small number of individual private farmers who generally have land on the territory of a shirkat or an FA, but are independent of the farm administration. In addition to these farm structures, many individual households have their own 'garden plots' to grow crops for their own consumption, and may keep cows, chickens or other animals. Shirkats In 2002, there was a total of 37 shirkat farms in the southern districts of Ellikala, Beruni and Turtkul and 11 shirkat farms in Takhtakupir district. The size of farm varies, ranging from about 1,400 ha to about 10,000 ha in the southern districts, up to some 157,000 ha for the herding shirkats in Takhtakupir district, which have extensive grazing lands. Similarly, the size of population dependent upon the farm also varies, from some 2,500 people up to about 16,000 people (although in Takhtakupir district, the farms do not support this many people, the average population size being around 3,000). All land belongs to the shirkat, and therefore to the state). Officially, the right to distribute land resides with the shirkat's land commission, although in practice, decisions are taken by the head of the shirkat, or rais. Land use is decided by the rais, together with the shirkat administration and the head shirkat workers, who number between 80-100. The head shirkat workers are responsible for groups of ordinary workers, who work together on plots of land of about 2-3 ha. In addition to the shirkat workers, the head shirkat worker might employ seasonal labour, but these are not permanent members of the shirkat. The best land on the territory of the shirkat is generally reserved for the production of crops grown to state order. The poorest land tends to be given to private farmers situated on the territory of the shirkat. This usually means that shirkat land has optimum access to the irrigation and drainage network where private farmers' land is least advantageously situated (often at the end of the irrigation network, or at a distance from the drainage system). The shirkat pays its members for their labour. Nominally, shirkat members receive a cash wage, from which is deducted fixed costs (such as the cost of fuel or the use of the shirkat's tractors and other equipment) which are calculated according to legal norms. However, since many shirkats are heavily in debt, wages are frequently paid in kind. The amount received may vary depending on factors such as the harvest or on the amount of work they do. It also depends on an individual's seniority or position in the shirkat. The crops grown by the shirkat include those grown to state order and those grown for own consumption (often paid as wages in-kind) or for sale at market. For crops grown to state order, the shirkat is paid by the state but not at market price. Indeed, sometimes the shirkat is not paid at all. Officially, the shirkat is supposed to supply 30% of its cotton harvest to the state and retain ENVIRONMENTALREsoURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBUC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 128 70% for its own purposes. In practice, however, the reverse occurs. For other state-order crops the regulations are usually followed. Other crops grown include alfalfa and other fodder crops, potatoes and other vegetables, fruits and berries, grapes, melons and sunflowers. Most shirkats in the districts studied were arable farms. Any animals tend to belong to individuals rather than to the shirkats. However, Ellikala, Turtkul and Beruni districts each have one farm specialising in animal husbandry. FA farns FA farms originated in Ellikala district in 1995, but by now some shirkats in Beruni and Turtkul districts have also made the transition to become FA farms. In 2002, there were nine FA farms in the southern districts, but none in Takhtakupir district. The average size of an FA farm is around 5,500 ha, supporting some 4,000 people. FA farms strongly resemble shirkat farms in terms of their structure and the way that they operate. The key differences are: * Head workers and workers are known as head farmers and farmers respectively. Each of these is responsible for 15-20 ha of land. * Both head farmers and farmers have their own bank accounts, to assist them in the gradual process of becoming independent, private farmers. However, the FA farm continues to protect the head farmers and the farmers from the market for the time being. * Members of the FA do not receive a salary from the FA. Instead, they earn money by selling the produce they grow, either directly at market or through the FA administration. They may also barter it for other goods. In most other respects, FA farms are identical to shirkat farms. All FA farms are predominantly arable farms. Any animals generally belong to individuals from the farm rather than to the FA itself. Private farmers Private farmers have existed since the reform process began in 1994 and tend to use land on the territory of a shirkat or FA farm, although they are independent of the farm. They do not have full control over what they grow but must fulfil state orders for certain crops. Their obligation is communicated to them through their 'union', which has direct agreements with local factories and collects and supplies the private farmers' produce to them. Private farmers may have anything from 20-100 ha of land (the amount depends on their capabilities and is decided by their union together with the district administration). The process by which farmers become private (especially for the first private farmers) is not clear. It seems likely that the process is easier or quicker for ENVIRONMhNTAL RESOURCESMANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OFUZBEKISrAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 129 historically wealthier and more influential individuals, suggesting that private farmers are both richer and more powerful than other workers. Farmsteads Farmsteads are family-run smallholdings which grow crops and raise animals on 35 sotka (0.35 ha) of land. Farmsteads are simply slightly larger versions of households with garden plots. These may be located on the territory of a shirkat or an FA farm but they are independent of the farm in terms of the crops they grow and their harvest. Unlike all other categories of land user, however (apart from those with garden plots), farmsteads have complete control over what they grow and do not have to fulfil state orders. It is supposed that members of farmsteads also undertake seasonal work on shirkats, FAs or private farms to supplement their income, since 0.35 ha is unlikely to be enough to support them. However, this has not been confirmed through this research. Workers with garden plots Many shirkats, FA and private farms may also draw on seasonal labourers, who are not attached to the farm, although they may live on the territory of the farm. Such workers have the opportunity to grow their own produce on their own 'garden plots' of 0.06-0.24 ha next to their homes. Most households in the region - including shirkat and FA workers, for example - also have these 'garden plots'. Generally this land is used to grow food for own consumption, such as potatoes and other vegetables, fruits and berries, grapes, melons and sunflowers. Workers may also keep animals (horses, cows, goats or chickens) on this land. Although these personal plots of land remain the legal property of the state, workers have the right to lifelong use and inheritance and can use the land as they choose. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENr REPUBUC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 130 3.3 DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT The responsibility for managing drainage is divided among various bodies. The two large pumping stations, Beruni and Kyzyl-kum, are managed by the Department of Pump Stations at Beruni, which in turn is under the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management of Karakalpakstan in Nukus. Management of the existing Main Collector, and some other large collectors, is the responsibility of the Hydro-geological Survey at Nukus. This organisation also has responsibility of managing the leaching programme throughout the irrigation systems, including sampling of soil and monitoring observation wells, and preparing the annual plans of the areas that will be leached in the November and March campaigns. Management of inter-farm (secondary) drains is the duty of the district agricultural and water management departments. Management of on-farm (tertiary) drains is done by the co-operative farms. Major drainage construction is implemented by Aralvodstroy, a state organisation of the Karakalpakstan Government. 3.4 LIVESTOCK MANAGEMENT Shirkat farms specialising in animal husbandry exist in both South and North Karakalpakstan, though herding is more widespread in the north, and the grazing land used by farms from both the south and the north is located in the Akcha Darya basin in Takhtakupir district. The main settlement of herders is Chukurkak. Herders tend to remain in the grazing areas all year round, returning only occasionally to the shirkats. They keep mainly sheep and goats, horses and camels, as well as some cattle. Three shirkats in Takhtaupyr district, named Mulik, Konratkul and Jana Darya, and one in Ellikala district, Bukhan Merei, manage most of the grazing animals in the project area. In recent times a small number of private herders have started to appear. 3.5 FOREST AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT The Badai Tugai reserve is administered by the State Committee for Forest Farms of Karakalpakstan, based in Nukus, which is financed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources in Tashkent. Wildlife issues are managed by Goskompriroda (the State Committee for Environmental Protection), which has a regional office in Karakalpakstan. Goskompriroda is responsible for administration of nature reserves (not including the Badai Tugai Forest). ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 131 3.6 FISHERIES MANAGEMENT The fisheries in Lakes Akchakul and Ayazkul are managed by the fish farms in Beruni and Ellikala. In Karakalpakstan there are 21 fish farms, organised by 'Karakalpakbalik', which distributes licenses to the fish farms. Goskompriroda (the State Committee for Environmental Protection) rents the bigger lakes to Karakalpakbalik and decides the size of quotas on the advice of the Academy of Sciences. Smaller lakes (<25 ha) can be rented privately. The catch is sold to the farm at fixed prices. However, a big part of the catch is distributed by private channels. Officially, 22 or 23 fishermen are registered at the Ellikala and Beruni fish farms, but more than 100 people are estimated to fish the lakes without licences.' 3.7 CULTURAL HERITAGE The Republic Uzbekistan and the autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan use a legal system designed to protect cultural heritage sites. Prior to 2000, a legal system based on Soviet laws was in effect. In 2000, the Oliy Majdlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan adopted a new set of laws to govern the protection and use of cultural heritage sites. In December of 2001, a similar set of new laws was adopted by the Jokargi Kenes (Parliament) of the Republic of Karakalpakstan . To enforce these new laws a number of by-laws were also adopted. To conform with the new legal system all responsibilities related to the registration, protection and use of cultural heritage sites are delegated to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the Republic of Karakalpakstan for sites within their region. The role of these ministries is to conduct inspections intended to ensure compliance with legal norms specified in the respective laws of the two Republics. The Academy of Science of the Republic of Uzbekistan and its regional offices are responsible for field verification that proper protection and use of cultural heritage sites is in compliance, and they have the additional task of conducting scientific investigations related to the historical significance of important cultural monuments and sites. With respect to the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the Karakalpak Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, along with the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography are responsible for sites and monuments in Karakalpakstan. (1) Joldasova, llya M,2000. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 132 3.8 WORLD BANK'S SAFEGUARD POLICIES The World Bank's safeguard policies are intended to ensure that Bank support of projects do no harm to people and the environment. There are 10 safeguard policies, comprising the Bank's policy on Environmental Assessment (EA) and those policies that fall within the scope of EA are: Cultural Property; Disputed Areas; Forestry; Indigenous Peoples; International Waterways; Involuntary Resettlement; Natural Habitats; Pest Management; and Safety of Dams. The Bank is required to conduct environmental screening of each proposed project, to determine the appropriate extent and type of EA to be undertaken, and whether or not the project may trigger other safeguard policies. The Bank classifies the proposed project into one of four categories (A, B, C, and FI) depending on the type, location, sensitivity, and scale of the project and the nature and magnitude of its potential environmental impacts. This project has been classified as a Category A and triggers the following safeguard policies: ENVIRONMIENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBUC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 133 Yes No TBD Environmental Assessment (OP/BP/GP 4.01) X Forestry (OP/GP 4.36) X Natural Habitats (OP/ BP 4.04) X Safety of Dams (OP/BP 4.37) X Pest Management (OP 4.09) X Involuntary Resettlement (OD 4.30) X Indigenous Peoples (OPN 11.03) X Cultural Property (OPN 11.03) X Projects m Disputed Territories (OP/BP/GP 7.60) X Projects m International Waterways (OP/BP/GP 7.50) X CHECK ENVIRONMENTAL CLASSIFICATION A [XI B LI C L I Fl I Category A projects require the project to undergo the most comprehensive environmental assessment. Assessments must provide mechanisms for public review and scrutiny. This requirement is being met through a variety of ongoing public consultation exercises and is summarised in the Volume II - Social Impact Assessment Report. Ultimately, the Borrower is responsible for any assessment required by the Safeguard Policies with general assistance provided by Bank staff. The Bank's Legal Vice Presidency monitors compliance with the policies addressing international waterways and disputed areas. The Environmental and Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD) Network monitors all other safeguard policies. Environnental Assessnent (OP/BP/GP 4.01): If the project meets it's stated objectives the improved drainage system will provide for safer disposal of drainage water away from the South Karkalpakstan irrigated area. Improved drainage should lead to lower groundwater tables, a reduction in soil salinity and perhaps water savings, all factors that could lead to increased crop production. The project will also improve slightly the quality of Amu Darya water downstream of the present outfall of the Beruni drainage collector and could improve the yields slightly of the irrigated areas downstream. While it is assumed that the overall environmental impact of the project will be positive there are number of environmental risks that need to be taken into consideration. Forestry (OP/GP 4.36): Apart from Baday Tugai there are no existing forest resources in the project area. Baday Tugai is a protected tugai forest reserve and no harvesting of these trees is anticipated as a result of the project. Natural Habitats (OP/BP 4.04): There are significant environmental risks associated with the protection of the Baday Tugai (forest) reserve,) Lake Ayazkul, and the wetlands in the Akcha Darya passage but these can be mitigated. Overall the project could have a positive impact on natural habitats if the correct measures are accepted and maintained. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLICOFUZBEKISTAN/ EU TAOS / WORLD BANK 134 Safehy of Dams (OP/BP 4.37): The Tuyamauyun reservoir complex is the major water storage facility for Karakalpakstan. Its current live capacity is 5.3 billion m3 and it features several earth dams and flood protection embankments; gated spillways with a total discharge capacity of 12,890 m3/s; a 150 MW power plant; and two canal intakes, one with a capacity of a 560 M3/s on the left bank and one on the right bank with a capacity of 200 m3/s. The reservoirs provide seasonal storage for irrigation water. While the safety of this dam is not a particular focus of this project, unplanned or excessive releases from the reservoir complex can cause severe downstream flooding and undesirable environmental consequences. Pest Management (OP 4.09): The project is not expected to directly or indirectly support or change the use of pesticides. It should be noted that pesticide use has been in decline after independence from the Soviet Union and this fact will not likely be reversed as a result of the implementation of this project. Involuntary resettlement (OD 4.30): There is no anticipated need for direct resettlement under this project. However, there are several affected population groups, livestock herders, fishermen and pump station operators that will likely have their livelihood affected by the implementation of this project. While these livelihood impacts can be mitigated there are impacts nonetheless. Indigenous Peoples (OD 4.20): There are no indigenous people that would be affected by the project. Cultural Property (OPN 11.3): There are numerous import archaeological sites in the project area and along the SKMCD. Certain risks associated with the construction activities can be mitigated by means of surveys and careful monitoring during the design, implementation and operation phases of the project. However, other risks, such as unplanned canal breaches, flooding and rising groundwater tables will require careful consideration. Projects in Disputed Areas (OP/BP/GP 7.60): The project area is not located in a disputed area. Projects in International Waters (OP 7.50): The project is situated along the Amu Darya, which is an international waterway. The project was included in the Aral Sea Basin Programme approved by the concerned five heads of state in 1994. In addition, the project would help Uzbekistan to comply with the agreement it signed with Turkmenistan on January 16, 1996 regarding the joint and rationale use of Amu Darya water resources. The agreement (Article 9) requires that both countries stop discharging drainage water from both banks of the Amu Darya, starting from 1999. With the project, Uzbekistan would make a first step in meeting this requirement by closing the Beruni drainage pump station, which currently pumps saline drainage effluent into the Amu Darya, and instead disposing this saline effluent by gravity towards the Aral Sea. All Central Asian States are informed about the project. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZEEKISFAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 135 Table 3.1 Comparison of limits and actual usage of Amu Darya water, April - June 2001 Section Users Season Cumulative Actual O/4) of limit limit limit to usage to used 21 June 21 June 1 Upper Amu Darya 6,804 2,584 2,934 113.54 Vakhsh river 4,093 1,569 1,721 109.72 Panj river 1,223 410 421 102.63 Kofarnihon river 588 218 209 95.88 Surkhandarya 900 387 583 150.43 province Section total 6,804 2,584 2,934 113.54 Tajikistan 5,904 2,197 2,351 107.03 Uzbekistan 900 387 583 150.43 2 Middle Amu Darya 12,160 5,027 4,192 83.38 Garagujdarya 5,611 2,559 1,639 64.04 Karshi canal 2,161 955 1,043 109.30 Tajikistan 2,100 915 1,007 110.04 Uzbekistan 61 39 36 92.41 Amu Bukhara canal 2,276 780 785 100.74 ? 2,173 773 760 98.34 Section total 12,160 5,027 4,192 83.38 Uzbekistan 4,376 1,695 1,792 105.76 Turkmenistan 7,784 3,332 2,399 72.00 3 3rd section 5,206 2,142 1,214 56.68 Khorezm 2,625 1,113 492 44.17 Tashsaka 1,992 863 332 38.51 Klichbay 343 139 48 34.34 Urgench-Arna 0 0 0 Octyabr-Arna 55 11 11 99.12 Pumping from river 178 74 76 101.89 Pitnyak-Arna 57 25 24 99.19 Tashauz 1,814 684 385 56.33 Tashsaka 755 271 28 10.50 Klichbay 344 126 69 54.86 Kipchak-Bozsu 9 4 4 105.00 Turkmendarya 706 283 284 100.11 Karakalpakstan 767 346 337 97.54 Klichbay 105 35 27 78.00 Kipchak-Bozsu 38 13 10 80.15 Pakhta-Arna 322 159 160 100.57 Pumpmg (to 301 139 140 100.79 Kipchak) Section total 5,206 2,142 1,214 56.68 Uzbekistan 3,392 1,459 829 56.84 Turkmenistan 1,814 684 385 56.33 4 Lower Amu Darya 6,274 2,245 877 39.09 Tashauz 2,027 728 411 56.49 Khan-Yab 1,911 678 384 56.70 Junabay-saka 116 50 27 53.83 Karakalpakstan 4,247 1,517 466 30.74 Kizketken 1,892 641 170 26.58 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBUC OF UZBEKISrAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 136 Section Users Season Cumulative Actual % of limit limit limit to usage to used 21 June 21 June Bozatau 487 178 99 55.71 Sunly 653 241 39 16.11 Parallel 968 350 66 18 86 GRES 161 77 78 101.55 Pumping below 77 26 10 40.38 Kipchak Technical supply 9 4 3 78.05 Section total 6,274 2,245 877 39.09 Uzbekistan 4,247 1,517 466 30.74 Turkmenistan 2,027 728 411 56.49 Karakalpakstan 5,014 1,863 804 43.15 Khorezm 2,625 1,113 492 44.17 Tashauz 3,841 1,411 796 56.42 Amu Darya d/s Kelif 23,640 9,414 6,284 66.74 GS Uzbekistan 12,015 4,671 3,088 66.11 Turkmenistan 11,625 4,743 3,196 67.37 Total Amu Darya 30,444 11,999 9,218 76.82 Basin Source: Amu Danja River Basin Organisation ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBL;C OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 137 Figure 3.1: Organisational Structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekistan First Deputy First Deputy First Deputy Deputy Minister Deputy Minister Deputy Minister Minister Minister Minister Water Research, Technical Land Improvement Economics and Sikom ate Conservation and and Technological Crop and Hydrostructure Reforms Silkworm, Catle Agricultural Policy in Production Management an orage Construction Agriculture 7111111 11111 Chief Office of Office of Water Office of Human Office of Office of Irrigation Uzbek Crop Production Resources Econornical Resources Cattle and Agncultural Scientific - Office of Analysis Office Breeding Construction Production Hydromelioration Office of Center for Cotton System Operation Office of Leeal Office Office of Construction Agriculture Production Finance Special Forage Industry Grain Plant, Power and Office of Department Production Office of Civil Office of Scientific a Prodl cihon Communucation Accounting Secretariat Office of Engineering Technological Fruit and Office of Interfarm Methodology Control Dekhan Progress in Vegitable lrrngation Systems Office of InspectionFarms Office of Machmnery Agriculture and Vegtable rrigatind System Eoffmico Inspection Producers andAgiutran Production and Land Economic Office of Maintenance Water Conservation Reclamation Reforms and Managing Enterronses O o Seed Networks Privatization Department Processing Office of Prntiiifcinn I Enterprises Office of Institutions of Office of Land Office of Improvement of Labour Mechanization of Higher Education Office of Reclamation Organization and Remuneration Hydroreclamation I Mechanization Office of and Social Welfare Works Examination of 1 Officeof l Water Office of Foreign Relations Procurement Office Office of j Conservation Land Department for Coordination Office of Entrepreneurial Chemization Reclamation of Auditing Activif-irq Office of l Office Rural Social Transportation Tnfrastrict-riirP ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKIsTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 4 ASSESSMENT OF PROJECT-SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND POSSIBLE MITIGATION MEASURES 4.1 INTRODUCTION The Core Project is expected to cause environmental impacts principally in six areas: * The Amu Darya downstream of the present Beruni Pump Station, including North Karakalpakstan; * The Baday Tugai forest reserve; * Lake Ayazkul; * Wetlands along the present Ayazkalinski Collector; * The Akcha Darya Passage; * The Akcha Darya Delta. The following sections of this report discuss details of these impacts, and give assessments of the likely effects of implementing various different local strategies. Some of the assessments provided here are incomplete, due to lack of certain necessary items of data. Further surveys should be done, prior to project implementation, on two key aspects: the existing state and configuration of the upstream end of the former Kok Darya channel (see Section 4.4.3); and the configuration of each basin of Lake Ayazkul (Section 4.6). The following is a summary of the principal impacts that would be expected if the Core Project is implemented. Details are explained in the following sections. Amu Danja downstream: The closure of Beruni Pump Station will cause a reduction of water flow in the Amu Darya, by about 1.1 % on average. It will also cause a reduction in the salinity of the water in the river, by about 7.7 % on average. The water in the river will therefore become less in quantity, but better in quality. Baday Tugai: The closure of Beruni Pump Station will cause the Kok Darya channel to become dry for part of its length. This will lead to a reduction of the water-table elevation under the reserve. The northern one-third of the reserve, near the Kok Darya, is the area that will principally be affected. It is likely that the water-table there will fall to levels too low for the trees to extract water adequately. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 139 Lake Ayazkul: The closure of Kyzyl-kum Pump Station will cause Lake Ayazkul to become dry. This will have several consequences: there will be no fishery ; breeding birds and migrating birds will not be able to use the lake; and the lake bed will be a salty area, of which the outer parts can be re- vegetated with certain available species, but the deeper parts are likely to be covered with a sheet of crystallised salts where nothing will grow. Wetlands along the Ayazkalinski Collector (Wetlands I and II): These wetlands will receive increased flows of water. They will be larger than at present, and may experience greater variations than at present. Akcha Darya Passage: The existence of unconstrained wetlands, approximately parallel to the formal collector channel, has already caused significant amounts of grazing land to be unused. This process will continue. New arrangements would be required for managing and exploiting the proposed fishery in these wetlands. Akeha Danya Delta: The plan of allowing unconstrained flow into depressions, to form wetlands, will cause further inundation of depressions in wet years. These depressions are probably the best locations for grazing lands in the existing system. Significant amounts of water are likely to flow in wet years into the north-western arm of the Delta, and will thus escape from the formal collector and will not be delivered to the Jana Darya. Along or near to the expected route, in the northern part of the Delta, there are archaeological sites of the Bronze and Iron Ages which have not yet been explored, and whose artefacts are likely to be completely lost if they are inundated with saline water from the collector. In the Akcha Darya Passage and the Akcha Darya Delta, the route proposed as the Core Project in the Feasibility Report follows alignments that have already been excavated over the past decade. In some stretches of the route these alignments do not appear to have been well chosen, and there is a need to reconsider them in order to reduce undesirable impacts such as excessive seepage. In addition to the above six zones of principal impacts, there are some localised impacts, especially: Kurgashin-kala A recently excavated part of the route of the collector runs close to the south side of this 2,000-year-old fortress site. ENVIRONMENTALRESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBuCOFUZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 140 Wetland III This wetland, like Wetlands I and II, has a limited role at present in providing habitats for birds and fish. Their performance in this respect may be improved or reduced, depending on the final details of local construction of the collector. The intensity of impacts, in the Akcha Darya and the Ayazkalinski Collector, clearly depends on the amount of water that the new Collector will carry. Three levels of flow have to be considered: maximum, normal, and minimum. The Core Project is based on a maximum flow of 40 m3/s in the Akcha Darya, and a normal flow of 25 m3/ s. The minimum has not been specified, but this will affect the viability of fisheries and some other ecological aspects. 4.2 AMU DARYA AND TUYAMUYUN DAM The project interacts with the Amu Darya River in two ways. * The South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems draw all their water from the river, either by gravity from the Tuyamuyun Dam through the Tuyamuyun Right Bank Canal, or by direct pumping out of the river at the three large pump-stations (Dustlik, Qalchinak, and Neyman-Beshtam). * The Beruni Pump Station returns some of that water into the river, through the Kok Darya. The impacts of the project involve changes in the amounts of water and salt that are returned to the river by the Beruni Pump Station. The abstraction of water for the irrigation systems should also be considered in this context. The rate of abstraction is closely linked with the project's impacts. The amounts of water abstracted are substantially larger than the crops can consume (see, for example, Tables 2.17 and 2.18). The amounts of water supplied to each district are more than double the amounts that can be consumed by the crops. This implies high rates of water loss, which may occur * by seepage from canals; * by seepage from fields; * by rejection of water (if excessive water arrives at the farm) ; or * by escape of water to drains. These high rates of loss are accepted in the standard methods used locally for calculating irrigation needs, limits and other management instruments. Since the water-tables in the irrigated areas do not show any tendency to rise (see Figure 2.1), and since sub-surface flow out of the area is believed to be small (see Section 2.3.2) the excess water that is not consumed by crops must ENVIRONMENTAi. RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 141 either be evaporated from the soil surface (causing further salinisation of the soil), or it must escape to the drainage system. There would, therefore, be three important benefits, if the inputs of water to the irrigation systems could be reduced. * Water-tables would be lowered, thus reducing the process of evaporative salinisation. * Flow to the Main Collector would be reduced, thus reducing the necessary size and cost of the Collector channel. * More water would remain in the river, and would flow down to North Karakalpakstan, which is a region suffering frequent deficits of water. The issues arising in the return flow through Beruni Pump Station are more complex, since the Core Project will have both positive and negative impacts on the people downstream of Beruni and in North Karakalpakstan. The amount of water flowing downstream will be less, but on the other hand the salt that the Beruni Pump Station at present delivers into the river will also cease. In the opinions of people in North Karakalpakstan, as they have been stated to us, the problem of low quality appears to be more important than that of low water quantity. 4.2.1 Management of water inputs The system of water management is complex. Many organisations are involved. The Amu Darya is an international river, so planning of water use has to be done through an international institutional system. Decisions about water allocations within Uzbekistan are centralised, and are frequently made remotely, in Tashkent. This means that the seasonal planning process, in which crop and water plans are developed, begins several months before each cropping season begins. On the other hand, the Amu Darya is a steep river in its source areas, and its water sources are variable. Its water is derived from areas where access and data collection are very difficult. It is difficult for managers to obtain reliable predictions about future river flows, for the necessary number of months in advance. For these reasons, the river planning process is not, at present, reliable. Changes may occur quite suddenly, within a season. The planning process is focussed strongly on dry conditions. The perception of managers is that the amount of water in this river is frequently insufficient for the needs of all users. This perception must have been strengthened by the rapid reduction in the volume of the Aral Sea in the 1970s and 1980s. Consequently, water-planning processes appear to be dominated by the need to arrange equitable distribution of water among regions and among users, in periods when the total amount expected is less than the aggregate demands. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 142 The "limit" is an important management tool that reflects this focus on conditions of water scarcity. The limit is a kind of seasonally adjustable water right, or a temporary quota. Water users, such as farm managers, can request a limit for the coming season; their requests are transmitted up, through the district, the Karakalpakstan ministry, and the national ministry in Tashkent, with modifications being introduced sometimes at these various stages of review. The consolidated requests of all riparian countries come eventually to the Inter-State Commission, which assigns limits among the countries, and passes these decisions to the River Basin Organisation to implement and monitor. Within the national allocation, each country makes its own internal decisions about detailed local allocations. If the limit assigned to Uzbekistan is less than the aggregate of its user requests, then the limits actually assigned, down to districts and farms, will generally be less than they requested. On the basis of the limits actually assigned, farm managers decide the areas that will be planted in the coming season, and dam managers along with the River Basin Organisation plan releases and storage at Tuyamuyun. Because of the volatile behaviour of the river, and practical difficulties such as assessing the amount of snow-melt that will occur in the mountainous source areas, the actual availability of water may change drastically during the season. The Inter-State Committee has its regular meetings in March and September. Users' requests have been submitted in November / December (for the decision process that culminates in March), and limits become known in March or April. The Inter-State Commission makes its decisions on he basis of predictions of river flow, made by its hydro meteorological wing. During the ensuing season, the actual discharges of water in the river may be very different from expectations. If water is scarcer than expected, an additional special meeting of the Inter-State Committee may be required, about June, to revise the inter- country limits. More frequently, districts may try to use political influence to seek revisions of limits within the country, especially when faced with crop failures. In years when there is abundant water in the river, these processes are more relaxed. The same procedures are followed, but there is little need for mid- season adjustments or for pressures at political levels to adjust limits. Water will be delivered in accordance with limits, or perhaps in excess of them. Some aspects of river management are more difficult because there are few regular stations for measuring the flow in the Amu Darya. Between Tuyamuyun Dam and Takhiatash Barrage there are only two stations, at Tuyamuyun and Kipchak. Their locations are shown on Map 4.1. Tables 4.1 and 4.2 illustrate the management problems, through two specific incidents. Table 4.1, for the cropping season of 2002, compares the plan formulated in March, for the volume of water to be held in Tuyamuyun Dam, with the actual events. At the time the plan was made, the expectation of flows in the Amu Darya was rather low, following two successive very dry ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 143 years. The plan envisaged that the volume of water in Tuyamuyun would remain at 25 - 35% of its capacity throughout the six months of the season. In reality, it filled up rapidly, reaching 80% halfway through the season. The reason for this can be understood from Table 2.4. In the months before March 2002, the river flow had been unusually low. For several months up to the end of January 2002 it was at about 24 - 38% of its long-term mean rates of discharge. Even in February it was only just over half of the mean expectation. But from March onward the flow increased rapidly, even exceeding the long-term average as early as June. Thus, the dam at Tuyamuyun could be filled unexpectedly quickly. This difficulty in obtaining reliable predictions clearly makes other aspects of planning less satisfactory. In 2000, farms which had planted according to their expected water limits suffered extensive crop failures, because in that year the flow of water declined more rapidly than the plan had predicted. In 2002, farms planted less, because they expected a scarcity of water. Therefore, when adequate water was actually available, it could not all be utilised (initially) by the farms. Table 4.2 shows a different aspect of the problem. This table refers to the period in the middle of the 1998 cropping season. This year also was preceded by a dry year, and at the beginning of the year conditions were not good. The flow in January 1998 was the lowest for that month since the beginning of the 1980s (Table 2.4). However, discharge increased rapidly, and the Tuyamuyun Dam filled. By the beginning of July, the dam was full and there was a threat to the dam's safety, due to the difficulty of releasing water quickly enough from it. Tuyamuyun Dam has a capacity to release more than 10,000 m3/s, which exceeds the highest flow that had been recorded up to the time of its construction. It should not, therefore, be at risk due to excessive incoming flow, since it can transmit all such flow downstream. However, although the dam could release water at that rate, such release would cause difficulties farther downstream, in North Karakalpakstan. Managers estimate that the maximum flow that can (at present) be handled in North Karakalpakstan, downstream of Takhiatash Barrage, is about 2,000 - 2,500 m3/s. Flows greater than that cause flooding, due to siltation and reduced capacity of channels beyond Takhiatash. Consequently, when it became necessary in 1998 to release water from Tuyamuyun at rates greater than this (up to more than double) in 1998, it was also necessary to relieve the risks downstream by disposing of water in all possible ways. The management response can be seen in Table 4.2. Initially, in June, when the flow at Kipchak became too much, it was reduced by reducing the outflow from the dam. However, that policy could not be sustained, as water continued to enter the dam from upstream. Therefore, in July and the first half of August, while large releases from the dam continued, much of this water was abstracted, by pump stations or canals, in order to reduce the quantities that would reach North Karakalpakstan. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 144 Table 4.2 shows that duiing June only 16.4% of the water released from Tuyamuyun Dam was abstracted before reaching Kipchak. In July, this increased to 32.2%, and in August 33.4%. We understand that in this period the Tuyamuyun Right Bank Canal was also kept flowing near its maximum capacity. The irrigation system, and its drains, were used for flood relief, to reduce any risk to the dam and of further flooding in North Karakalpakstan. These events are believed to have been the main source of the excess water which entered the drain system in 1998 and caused extensive formation of unplanned wetlands in the Akcha Darya, north and south of Chukurkak. The impacts of these events are discussed below, in Sechons 4.8 and 4.9. Unfortunately, the magnitude of these flows appears to be unknown. The data of drainage pumping (Table 2.20) do not reveal extremely large flow rates during this period. It has been suggested that this may be because a large proportion of the excess incoming flows was directed down the gravity drains VST 1 and VST 2, whose water does not go through the pump stations and is not so closely measured, but it seems doubtful that those channels would handle such large flows. The difficulties of management at Tuyamuyun, during periods of high river flow, derive from the rapid fluctuation of the river's discharge, and the inexact predictions of its future behaviour. The system of water management by setting limits is focused on managing scarcity. The events of 1998 demonstrate that there is also a need for other arrangements that would address management problems in times of excess water. At present, there appears to be no reason to say that drain discharges as high as those of 1998 cannot occur again. 4.2.2 Discharge to be carried by the Main Collector The quantity of water that the new Main Collector Drain will carry depends strongly on the amounts that enter the irrigation systems, so this aspect will be considered here. The proposed capacity of the new Main Collector Drain, at the point where the collector VST 2 enters it (which is where the maximum flow is expected to occur) is 25 m3/s normally, with a design maximum of 40 m3/s (Section 1.3). The question needs to be considered, whether these rates of flow are appropriate. If the actual discharge is likely to exceed the assumed maximum, there will be environmental risks farther downstream in the Akcha Darya. The nature of these risks is discussed in Sections 4.8 and 4.9. Under the Core Project, the two major existing pump stations will be closed, and all the water that they currently handle will be conveyed in the Main Collector. The Collector will therefore have to convey the total that is at ENVIRONMENTAL RFSOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 145 present pumped by these two, plus the contributions of the two gravity collectors, VST 1 and VST 2, which enter the Main Collector Drain downstream of Lake Ayazkul. As part of these studies, a programme of daily flow measurements was established to estimate the existing rates of flow at seven key locations, from August 2001 to August 2002. Observations under this are shown in Tables 4.3 to 4.8. The final observation position, the bridge at Chukurkak, is not included as no flow was observed there at any time during the period of monitoring. Unfortunately, the years 2000 and 2001 were unusually dry years, so the amounts of water draining from the system cannot give a strong indication of what will happen in wet years. In Table 4.9, the monthly drainage totals are compared with the monthly irrigation water inputs for the same period. It appears that in 2001 - 2002 the amount of water reaching the Main Collector was about 14.2% of the total input. This is significantly different from the indications given by data from earlier years. Table 4.10 shows the ratio of drainage flow to irrigation input, for various periods over the past five years. These show that, according to data obtained from various sources for 1998 - 2000, the drainage ratio in those years was in the range 41 - 47%, based on the whole year, with higher rates tending to occur during and immediately after the regular leaching times (March and November). The discrepancy between the earlier figures, in the 45 % region, and the new figures of about 14%, is not explained. It seems possible that the monitoring programme has provided more accurate information than the routine data- collection systems provide, but it is also probable that, because of the shortage of water in the past two dry years, an unusual amount of water has been absorbed within the irrigation systems during 2002, leaving less excess to flow to the drains. This latter explanation seems quite likely to be true. Tables 4.4 and 4.5, for example, show that, although the Kyzyl-kum Pump Station was delivering substantial quantities of water to Lake Ayazkul from March onwards, until July 2002 almost none of this water ran out of the Lake into the Ayazkalinski Collector. The lake level had dropped significantly during the two dry years, and this empty storage volume had to be filled first before water could begin to flow downstream. There must have been many similar delays to flow, while soil storage and surface ponds refilled within the irrigation system. If the earlier official data, shown in Table 4.10, are considered reliable, these cast doubt on the design flow rates for the Main Collector, as given in the Feasibility Report. The highest monthly rate shown in Table 4.10 was 87.2 million m3, for the month of September 1999. This is equivalent to an average rate of 33.6 m3/s. Inspection of the daily flow data, such as Table 4.3, shows that the daily rates vary widely, and in many months the peak can be more than 1.5 times the average, or even double the average. This would lead to an ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKEsTAN / TAOS / WORLD BANK 146 expectation that the peak discharge may well reach or exceed 50 m3/s, rather than the maximum rate of 40 m3/ s that has been used as the basis of design. We note also (Section 4.2.2) that the true magnitude of the discharges that caused flooding in 1998 do not appear to be known. For these reasons, it does not seem possible to be confident that, under the existing management procedures, flow in the Main Collector will not exceed 40 m3/s. It seems possible that flows of 50 or even 60 m3/s may occur. However, the data are not clear. It would be desirable to continue further regular data collection on this aspect, especially in periods of high flow. 4.2.3 Impacts on downstream users of water The quantity of water pumped back to the river, in wetter years such as 1998 or 1999, is about 314 Mm3/year (see Table 2.20). This is about 1.7% of the average annual flow of 18.39 km3/y at Kipchak (Table 2.5), or about 1.1% of the flow that occurred in those wetter years, 1998 and 1999. In a dry year, the water pumped by the Beruni Pump Station is much less, but the flow in the river is also much less. For example, when we compare the flows of 2001 with those of 1998 - 1999, it appears that the dry year flows in the river and in the pump station were both about 20% of those experienced in the wetter years. The ratio of the pump flow to the river flow therefore remains approximately the same, at 1.1 %. In general, it appears that closure of Beruni Pump Station will reduce the flow in the river, downstream of the Kok Darya outfall, by about 1.1 %. This reduction will then be distributed among users in North Karakalpakstan. The change in the salt content of the river water will be more significant. The amount of salt discharged into the river by the Beruni Pump Station is estimated to be 1.29 M tonnes/ year (average of years 1998 to 2000; Table 2.22). From the data of Tables 2.5 and 2.11 we can estimate that the amount of salt flowing past Kipchak is, on average, about 16.68 M t/y. This implies that closure of Beruni Pump Station will reduce the amount of salt in the river, downstream of the Kok Darya outfall, by about 7.7%, to about 15.39 M t/y. This benefit will then be distributed among users in North Karakalpakstan. The reduction of water flow by 1.1 %, and the reduction of salt content by 7.7%, together mean that the concentration of salt in the river water will decline by 6.7%, from an average of 0.907 kg/m3 at Kipchak now, to 0.846 kg/im3. This means that, among other benefits, the water will therefore have an improved taste, and will be better for irrigation use. Opinions expressed by people in North Karakalpakstan, during public consultations, leave no doubt that the improvement of water quality is more significant for them than the small reduction of water quantity. This impact is therefore favourable for those people. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKESTAN / TACIS / WORL) BANK 147 We note, however, that the salinised water, which the people of Nukus and adjacent areas regard as very undesirable, will be delivered instead to the people in the grazing lands of eastern Takhtakupir district. They are much fewer in numbers, but they also have a right to have their interests taken into consideration in the design of the project. Ways of doing this are discussed below in Section 4.9. 4.2.4 Mitigation of adverse impacts The most valuable mitigation measure that can be identified, regarding the flow conditions in the Amu Darya, would be a reduction of flow into the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems during periods when river flow is above average. Ways of achieving this are discussed in Section 4.3.5. This would leave more water in the lower Amu Darya for use in North Karakalpakstan, and would reduce the amounts of water that have to be carried by the Main Collector. We have been informed that the lack of channel capacity downstream of Takhiatash Barrage is a constraint, which makes it unacceptable to allow discharge through that barrage to exceed 2,500 m3/s. This appears to have been an important factor in the flood events of 1998, and if those events are repeated the new Main Collector may be unable to contain the flows put into it. We recommend therefore that a further study be made, to investigate whether this discharge constraint below Takhiatash can be removed or reduced. Rehabilitation of the Beruni Pump Station appears unlikely to bring net benefits to downstream water users. Closure of that station will mean that downstream users receive slightly less water, but that water will be of better quality, with reduced salt content. The benefit of better quality appears likely to exceed the disadvantage of the rather small reduction of water quantity. 4.3 SOUTH KARAKALPAKSTAN IRRIGATION SYSTEMS 4.3.1 Issues associated with the project The people who live in the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems are intended to be the primary beneficiaries of the project. Among the reasons why the project is wanted (5ectionq1.2) the major one is that water-tables under these irrigation systems are too high, causing salinisation of the soils by the capillary evaporation process. If the water-table can be generally lowered, there should be * economic benefits through better crop yields, * social benefits through better earnings and livelihoods, and * environmental benefits through reduced areas of land abandoned due to high salinity. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACS / WORLD BANK 148 General lowering of a water-table requires action on the supply side as well as the disposal side. The quantities of water being delivered into the system are substantially in excess of requirements (Section 2.3.5). The policy of delivering additional inputs of water for leaching, in November and March, is also questionable, especially in view of the very high quantities that are applied in this way (about 25% of the total water inputs). Three questions therefore arise in regard to the management of the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems, and their relationship to the impacts of the Main Collector project: * Is it certain that the predicted benefits will be achieved? * Can the supply of water into the irrigation systems be reduced, without negative impacts on the production of crops? * Is the present leaching policy effective, or can the amounts of water applied for leaching be reduced? These questions are discussed below, but they cannot be resolved in this study as they go beyond the present terms of reference. They all appear to be important matters, which have a strong influence on the effectiveness of the Irrigation Systems as well as the capacity of drainage that should be installed. 4.3.2 Expectation of benefits The records from annual monitoring of water-table levels for the past 20 years, in observation wells controlled by the Hydro-geological Survey of Karakalpakstan, are shown in Tables 2.6 to 2.8. Key statistics abstracted from these tables are presented in Table 4.11. If we classify land where the water-table is higher than 2.0 metres as having a high risk of salinisation by capillary evaporation, and land where the water- table is higher than 1.5 m as having a very high risk, then we can see that in all three districts the great majority of the area is at risk, and that the risk level reaches 91.6% in the worst-affected district, Beruni. The extent of very high risk is about a quarter overall, reaching 36.5% in Beruni. The observed extents of salinised land in recent years, also shown in Table 4.11, show a correspondence with these water-table data. These areas are likely to continue to expand in coming years, unless some improvement action can be taken. Average depths to water-table have varied widely over the past 20 years, the water-table being lower in dry years and higher in wet years. Variations of nearly a metre can occur, sometimes between successive years. There is no indication in Tables 2.6 - 2.8 of a net improvement or deterioration over these 20 years. Linear regression suggests a very small downward trend over the 20 years, but this is generally reversed if we exclude the dry year of 2000 (Table 4.11). It is apparent that in the 1980s there was some success in lowering the water-table, but this improvement was reversed in the 1990s. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 149 This probably implies that, when the drainage system and the two major pump stations were new, they could improve the situation, but that capacity has now been lost. It seems doubtful that the construction of the Main Collector, by itself, can cause a large reduction of water-table level. Map 4.3, showing the distribution of soil salinity, and Map 4.2, showing the distribution of high water-tables, indicate that, although many of the problem areas are within 10 km from the route of the Main Collector, about half of these areas are farther than that, and seem unlikely to be affected by it directly. We conclude that, to achieve a general lowering of the water-table, such that there are very few areas where it is less than 2 metres from the soil surface even in a wet year, there will have to be a considerable amount of improvement work done on the internal drainage systems as well as the Main Collector. Work on the internal system would be of relatively little value until the capacity of the Main Collector is adequate. The present project is therefore necessary as a basis for general improvement, but it will not be able to solve the problems unless it is supported by follow- up projects within the drainage systems. The internal improvement work required appears to be in three levels: * First, many of the large collectors appear to need to be deepened. * Second, maintenance activities appear to be weak and should be strengthened, at all levels from the large collectors to the field drains. * Third, the spacing of field drains seems to be too wide for these conditions. There are no sub-surface drains in these systems. In systems that rely entirely on open ditches to maintain an adequately low water-table, the spacing of field drains is normally considerably less than in South Karakalpakstan. 4.3.3 Reduction of water inputs Design and management of a drainage system depend on the activities of water use in wet years. The wet years determine the necessary capacity of the drain, and the behaviour of flows downstream. The quantities of water delivered into the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems, in normal or wet years, are much larger than required for crop consumption. We have not been able to identify any practical constraints or management policies that operate to reduce these inputs in years when the available water flows are above average. On the contrary, there are occasions when excessive amounts of water are delivered into the irrigation systems, in order to reduce risks of flooding in the river. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCFS MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACS / WORLD BANK 150 Evidence of excessive water delivery is quite visible in the irrigation systems. Bodies of water can be observed on the land surface at many places, especially in the uncultivated areas between the irrigated regions. These can be seen in the satellite images (for example, Volume 3, Image Map 6, or in the present volume, Map 1.4). East of Lake Akchakul there appear to be areas of surface disposal of excess water that is comparable in total area to the area of Lake Akchakul. These images refer to a period in mid-2000 when water was scarce, as shown in Volume 3, Image Map 8, where Tuyamuyun Dam can be seen to be largely dry. It can be assumed that the amount of excess water released in this manner within the irrigation systems must be greater during wetter years. The institutional and decision-making systems for managing the allocations of water are complicated (Section 3.1), with many organisations participating. Many kinds of decisions are made remotely, in Tashkent, where it must be difficult for the decision-makers to be in possession of all relevant facts. The management system, and especially the "limit" concept, seem likely to encourage water managers at farm or district level to increase their demands for water. The management procedures begin several months before the season begins, and due to the variability of this river, local managers know that the assigned limit may not actually be delivered. This may give an incentive to local managers to try to protect themselves by presenting demands that are too high, so that if the next season turns out to be dry, their deficit will not be so bad. The demands may also be inflated by the application of standardised loss percentages. It is assumed that 16% of the water delivered at the district boundary will be lost (by seepage) from the secondary (or inter-farm) canals, and that, of the remaining 84%, a further 29% will be lost in the tertiary (on- farm) canals within the farms. Under this calculation, the limit requested by the district will be 67% greater than the amount that the crops can use. Further allowance for loss is applied to the Tuyamuyun Right Bank Main Canal, so the amount requested there is about double the crop needs. In the planning procedures, it appears that farms and districts request water for all of their nominal area, even though some of this area (probably about 10% of the total nominal area) is no longer in cultivation due to salinisation. Areas of water-demanding crops such as rice also appear to be over-estimated. In the cropping season of 2001, when it became known that the limits assigned to districts and to farms were much less than their requests, due to the drought of that year, planted areas were reduced only slightly, or in some cases not at all. This seems to confirm that managers knew that their initial demands exceeded their true needs. In a wet year, these demands would probably have been delivered fully, causing overloading of the drainage systems. All of these behaviours are quite common in other countries where water allocation is managed by central bureaucratic and political processes. The end users of water have a strong incentive to demand more water than is really ENVIRONMENTALRESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN/ TACIS / WORLD BANK 151 required, and they have no incentive to reduce that demand. In wet years, it is possible that these excessive demands are delivered fully, and that the excess water flows to the drains. 4.3.4 Leaching procedures The quantities of water applied for leaching are high. Typically, about 3,000 - 4,000 m3/ha/year (0.3 - 0.4 m/y) are applied. The benefits of this seem uncertain. The policy about leaching of soil salinity was discussed with the Hydro-geological Survey at Nukus, who have general supervision of this aspect, and provided interesting data. The amounts of water pumped in March 2001, which is a main leaching period, were equal to 123% of the combined total of April and May. This use of water for leaching, in quantities similar to the quantities used for production, is surprising, and seems to need economic as well as environmental justification. According to the Baseline Study, Section 4.4.5, the leaching quantity was 31% of all water supply in a recent year. The Hydro-geological Survey staff showed the results of a recent evaluation of this question, by comparing the soil salinity at the beginning and end of the leaching season of 1999 - 2000. If we assume that the average salinity in each of the five soil classes was (in EC units): extremely saline 18, heavily saline 12, moderately saline 6, slightly saline 3, and non-saline 1, then these data indicate the weighted averages that are shown in Table 4.12. These data seem to show that the winter leaching has a beneficial effect, and there is no doubt that some leaching is necessary on these soils. However the question seems to be, could an adequate amount of benefit be achieved with smaller applications of water? If so, there would be considerable environmental and social benefits, since that water could be saved for more productive uses. Table 4.12 shows that average soil salinity was reduced, in each of the three districts, by more than 1 dS/m, or nearly 1 g/l. However, as we have discussed already, soil salinity in the irrigation systems is not improving, and probably is getting worse. Evidently, the 1 g/l that is leached in November and March returns during the cropping season. This happens because of capillary evaporation from a high water-table. It seems possible that the high amount of water applied for leaching is a factor contributing to keeping that water-table so high. Another factor that may contribute to increase of soil salinity is the high variability of water inputs to the irrigation systems. Various items of data, such as the wide changes in pumping volumes and the long periods without flow in some canals, indicate that there are long intervals between irrigations. Presumably this means that few irrigations are applied during the life of a crop, and so each irrigation must be rather large. In order to prevent or reduce secondary salinisation rising from the saline water table, irrigation ENVIRONMENTAL REsoURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACS / WORLD BANK 152 applications should be small and frequent, whereas it appears that in these systems they are large and infrequent. To make small and frequent irrigation applications possible, canal flows should be more stable. 4.3.5 Mitigation of adverse impacts The existing institutional and management systems for agricultural water deliver too much water (in normal and wet years) into the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems. This has a number of undesirable impacts: * Too much water has to flow to the drains, in wet years. This increases the required size and cost of the Main Collector, and increases the risk that it will overspill in its downstream reaches. * Water is removed unnecessarily from the Amu Darya, reducing the amount available for North Karakalpakstan. * The water-table under the irrigation systems is kept at a high level, increasing the rate of capillary evaporation and consequent salinisation of the top soils. * Large amounts of water do not reach the drainage system at all, but remain lying in ponds at many places throughout the irrigation systems. This ponded water must contribute to maintaining the undesirable high water-table, and may be a health hazard by providing insect-breeding opportunities. The best way to constrain and reduce the input of water would probably be to introduce a payment system, under which districts, co-operative farms, and private farmers would request water from the supply system and would make payment according to the amounts requested and delivered. Such payment would not need to reflect the true cost of supplying water. In the present economic condition of Uzbekistan that is probably not a realistic objective, and it does not seem to be a necessary objective. The purpose of charging should be considered as introducing a constraint, so that agricultural users of water take water only to the extent that is really required for crop growth. A small rate of charge may be sufficient for this purpose. This recommendation can be implemented only if there are adequate facilities for measurement of the amounts of water delivered to users. The existing facilities at district and farm level are in many cases needing repair, and more such facilities would be required. It would be appropriate to investigate the amount of work required for implementing this, as the potential benefits from reducing water consumption seem large. Large parts of the irrigation systems are supplied by pumping water from the tertiary canals to the farm distribution system. This should facilitate the introduction of a charging system, as it would be possible to base it on measurement of pumping duration, which is easier to organise than measurement of water discharge. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 153 Other institutional changes would also be beneficial. The existing system does not appear to balance demand and supply well. The pump stations come under a different line of management from the gravity supply through the Tuyamuyun Right Bank Canal, and this creates obvious problems of co- ordination. We recommend that there should be a separate study to identify better ways of managing the supply / demand balance, in co-operation with the Tuyamuyun Dam Organisation and the Karakalpakstan Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management. 4.4 BADAY TUGAI 4.4.1 Issues associated with the project Baday Tugai forest reserve lies between the Amu Daya and its former branch, the Kok Darya. Descriptions of the existing situation there are given in Sections 2.1.5 and 2.6.5. The tugai forests are described in a recent document of the United Nations Development Programme as "unique desert flood-plain forests which occur in the Central Asian arid steppes and lowlands. These eco-systems were widely spread in previous times in Central Asia but now remain only as fragments within the basins" of certain Central Asian rivers. "Tugai cover has declined catastrophically and by 1998 covered barely 10% of the area covered 20/30 years earlier. The most extensive areas remaining, which in total cover about 300 km2, are in the Amu Darya delta." Baday Tugai is one of the largest remaining contiguous areas of tugai forest. It has the status of a Strict State Reserve, meaning that it is protected from all uses except scientific research. The present area of the Reserve is 6,400 ha, and there are plans to extend this towards 10,000 ha. A feature of its eco-system is the world's largest remaining population of the Bukhara deer, a species that is globally highly endangered. Baday Tugai contains about 20% of the remaining 500 wild animals of this species. Two different water problems affect the survival of the forest. These are: * The trees are evolved for life on the natural flood-plain of the Amu Darya. The river normally reaches its annual peak flood level in late July or early August. In the natural condition, before the river was controlled by dams and reduced in volume by abstractions, water would spread over the flooAl-plain at that time, in most years. In anticipation of this, seeds fall annually shortly in advance of the flood, in late June or early July. When these seeds are submerged by water in the flood, they germinate and start to grow. If there is no flood in a particular year, the seeds can remain dormant, and will germinate under the next year's flood. In present conditions, flooding occurs more rarely, so seed germination occurs only at quite long intervals. The last substantial appearance of new saplings was after the flood year of 1998. Prior to ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKLSTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 154 that, the previous large flow event was in 1992; so it appears that dormancy of up to six years is possible. * The water table below the reserve has fallen, and has become saline in places. These changes seem to have occurred after the Kok Darya was artificially closed. A contributing factor was the reduction of flood levels in the Amu Darya. Formerly, the Kok Darya was an anabranch or minor channel of the Amu Darya, and would have had salinity similar to the main river. When the Kok Darya began to be used for disposal of the drainage effluent pumped by the Beruni Pump Station, and was also closed (upstream of the point where the effluent enters it) by a small dam, it became slow-flowing, and much more saline than before. It receives no fresh water, and due to evaporation its water is slightly more saline than the pumped effluent that supplies it. For healthy growth, the trees are understood to require a water-table depth of no more than 3.5 metres, and a water-table salinity of no more than 0.9 g/l. To clarify the level and salinity of the water-table, a year's programme of monitoring was undertaken at 21 observation wells in the reserve (August 2001 to August 2002). The locations of these wells are shown in Figure 4.1. Figures 4.4 and 4.5, representing the absolute elevations, show that the water- table slopes downward from each side of the reserve, forming a deeper pocket in the centre. The water-table fell to more than 5 metres depth below land surface at 7 (33%) of the observation wells in August 2001. A year later it had recovered considerably, by about 0.75 m on average, but it was still below 5 metres depth at 4 (19%) of the observation sites. The averages over the whole 13 months of observation are shown in Table 4.17. Only 3 of the wells (numbers 1, 14 and 19) showed average levels above the target of 3.50 m, but several others (10, 11, 15, 18, 20, 21) were very close to it. By early August 2002, the most favourable time when water-levels should be at their highest, the target of 3.50 m was attained in 11 (52%) of the observation wells. The average depth from the land surface to water-table, over the whole year and the whole set of wells, was 4.01 m. A consistent pattern can be seen in the water-table contours of Figures 4.2 and 4.3, according to which the water-table is relatively nearer the land surface at either side of the reserve, near the two rivers, but drops lower in the centre. The salinity observations (Figures 4.6 and 4.7, and Table 4.23) show a different pattern. Salinity is generally lowest in the wells near the Amu Darya, and highest near the Kok Darya. Only 2 values, among about 200, were below the target level of 900 mg/l; these were at well 14, in June and July 2002. Another value very near the target was noted at well 6 in July. These are the wells nearest to the Amu Darya, and the favourable values were observed only when the river was near its annual peak. ENVIRONMENTALRESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKSTAN / TAOS / WORLD BANK 155 Thus we can identify three zones of the reserve: * near the Amu Darya the water-table is high and not highly saline; * near the Kok Darya it is high but saline; * in the centre it is low, and moderately saline. These water-table zones are reflected in the condition of the forest. Near the Amu Darya it remains fairly robust; near the Kok Darya it is visibly weaker, with fewer young trees; and in the centre there are numerous vacant areas. We may conclude from this that the low water-table is a more immediate danger to the trees than high salinity. Of the two water problems described above, one, the water-table level and salinity, will certainly be affected if the Core Project is implemented. The water-table near the Kok Darya will be expected to decline further, and this decline will probably extend to the middle of the reserve. The water-table salinity near the Kok Darya may improve, but that is likely to be a slow process taking several years, and will not benefit the trees if the level is too low to allow their roots to abstract sufficient water. The other problem, seed germination, is not likely to be affected, positively or negatively, by implementation of the Core Project. That problem exists already, and has been caused by the cumulative effect of many other projects on the river. The present project proposals would not impact on it. 4.4.2 Possible strategiesfor mitigating adverse impacts Several options can be considered, for improving the water regime at the Baday Tugai reserve. In this section we consider seven possible courses of action, the benefits and other consequences of each, and the arrangements that would be required in order to implement each. Options that have been considered in connection with these problems are as follows: * Option 1 (Core project): The Beruni Pump Station is closed, all drainage water flows to the east, and none goes into the Kok Darya. * Option 2: The Beruni Pump Station is closed, no drainage water goes to the Kok Darya, and the old upstream channel of the Kok Darya, connecting it to the Amu Darya, is reopened and excavated to a depth where fresh water can flow through it from the Amu Darya. * Option 3: The Beruni Pump Station is rehabilitated, and drainage water is pumped through the Kok Darya (retaining and improving the existing situation). * Option 4: The Beruni Pump Station is closed, no drainage water goes to the Kok Darya, a new pump station is installed on the Amu Darya bank of the reserve, and water from the Amu Darya is pumped through a pipeline across the reserve into the Kok Darya. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 156 * Option 5: The Beruni Pump Station is closed, no drainage water goes to the Kok Darya, and the Kok Darya is supplied with fresh water by extending the existing Budyony or Koksu irrigation canals, which terminate near the south-east boundary of the reserve. * Option 6: The Beruni Pump Station is closed, no drainage water goes to the Kok Darya, the old upstream channel of the Kok Darya, connecting it to the Amu Darya, is reopened and excavated to a depth where fresh water can flow through it from the Amu Darya, and an irrigation pump station is installed on the bank of this channel to pump water on to the surface of the reserve for a few weeks of each year after the annual seed-fall. * Option 7 (In conjunction with any of Options 1 to 5): A policy of "managed flooding" is adopted in the management of Tuyamuyun Dam. Under such a policy, there would be an additional release of water from the dam, for a period in the order of 10 days, after the annual seed-fall, in order to raise the river level sufficiently to flood as much as possible of the reserve, replicating natural conditions, at intervals of the order of 4 - 5 years. Of the above set of options, Options 2 to 6 address the water-table elevation problem. Options 4 to 6 address the water-table salinity problem, and also (depending on their design) the seed germination problem. Option 7 addresses only the germination problem (which is not one of the impacts of the Main Collector project). We understand that Option 6 is the preferred choice of the Karakalpak Academy of Sciences at Nukus. The physical feasibility of Option 2, restoration of natural flow from the Amu Darya through the Kok Darya, has not yet been established. This will require a survey of the former channel of the Kok Darya, to ascertain whether, with an acceptable amount of excavation, this channel can bc induced to flow again. Option 3, retention of the Beruni Pump Station, would be opposed by many people in north Karakalpakstan, and we understand that it may violate the terms of an Inter-State agreement with Turkmenistan.Option 5, use of the Budyony or Koksu canals to bring fresh water into the reserve, also needs further exploration to demonstrate its physical feasibility, and its acceptability to existing users of those canals. Options 3, 4, 5 and 6 would all require provision of a continuing budget for pumping costs. (In the case of Option 5, these costs would be incurred at the existing Neyman-Beshtam Pump Station, which is the source of water for the Budyony canal.) The following paragraphs review the impacts or benefits that would be expected to arise from implementing each of the above Options. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKiSTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 157 4.4.3 Impacts of the alternative options Option 1 (Core Project) Under this option the condition of the forest will be expected to deteriorate further. This may occur quite rapidly. An immediate hydraulic impact of the closure of the Beruni Pump Station will be that the elevation of the water-table near the Kok Darya will decline. It can be seen from the data of Table 4.22 that the water-table is relatively high near the Amu Darya and the Kok Darya, and has downward gradients from the rivers to the centre of the reserve. Figure 4.8 shows this, in terms of the mean water-table elevations for the year, along the three principal lines of observation wells 1 to 5, 6 to 10, and 14 to 19. These show that, from the Amu Darya side, the water-table slopes downward with gradients in the order of 1 m/km, to beyond the centre of the reserve, then recovers, with a generally gentler gradient, towards the Kok Darya. According to this, the water-table near the Kok Darya is now about 1.25 - 1.5 m higher than in the centre of the Reserve. It seems reasonable to expect that, if the Kok Darya becomes dry, this will change. The decrease of the water-table elevation will continue, in the northward direction, and along the Kok Darya side of the Baday Tugai Reserve it will probably become lower than it is at the centre of the Reserve at present. We should assume that the water-table along the Kok Darya will be between 1.5 and 2.5 m lower than it now is. This is likely to cause rapid weakening of the tugai vegetation, and replacement of it by more drought-tolerant species, as has already been happening on the higher ground in the centre of the forest. On the other hand, the salinity of the ground-water on its northern side will be expected to improve, as the only source of replenishment of ground-water will be the Amu Darya. This improvement process will probably be slow, as the rate of movement of ground-water is believed to be low. However, the improvement of ground-water salinity will not give much help to the forest, as the water-table is likely to be too low to allow adequate access to it by the tree roots. The expected outcome of the Core Project, therefore, is that the degradation of the Baday Tugai forest, and its replacement by other, smaller tree species, will continue, at a rate more rapid than at present. Its capacity to support its present eco-system, especially the Bukhara Deer, will be further reduced. Thus, the direct impact of the Core Project is predicted to be as follows. The Kok Darya will dry up, and the ground water level in the northern part of the reserve, where it is influenced by the Kok Darya, will drop, causing destruction of stands of trees in this area, estimated to be about 1,000 ha. The only remaining Tugai Forest will be the band along the Amu Darya River. The rest of the reserve will undergo desertification and the remaining part of the tugai forest will have a size which makes it doubtful that a viable ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 158 population of Bukhara deer will survive. The White-Backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) and the Pheasant (Phasanius cholcicus chnysomelos) will also probably disappear. Option 2 (Re-opening the old Kok Darya) The feasibility of re-opening the upstream (eastern) part of the former Kok Darya channel, to restore some natural flow from the Amu Darya, has not yet been established. The outline of the former channel can be discerned on Image Map 7A (Volume 3) as a black band, winding east and then south, from the eastern end of the reserve. It has become blocked with soils and sediments, and its route passes through other land units whose owners may have reasons for resisting a plan to re-open it. If this option is feasible, however, it is attractive, since it offers the possibility of re-supplying the Kok Darya with fresh water by gravity flow from the Amu Darya, which would mean that the annual operating cost should be low, amounting only to the cost required for maintaining the conveyance capacity of the channel. To demonstrate the feasibility of this option, there are two data requirements: * the present bed of the channel, from its junction with the Amu Darya, should be surveyed; * the water-level in the Amu Darya near this junction should be monitored, in the months of peak river level (June to August). With these pieces of information, it will be possible to ascertain how much material would have to be excavated from the Kok Darya channel in order to generate a small flow through it during the peak months. It would be important that the re-opened channel should not be made too large. There would be some risk, in that case, that the river flow may erode the channel, and it could even, in some circumstances, risk erosion of the reserve itself. The aim should therefore be to excavate the channel so that it will flow only during the annual flood peak. That should be adequate to bring fresh water into the Kok Darya. The supply of water will maintain the ground water level near the Kok Darya to some degree, depending on the flow in the reopened channel. In dry years, a lower flow would be expected. The fresher water from the Amu Darya will in the long term decrease the salinity in the adjacent ground water tables. Basically, the Bukhara Deer, the White Backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) and the Pheasant (Phasanius cholcicus chnysomelos) are expected to maintain their populations under this option. Option 3 (Rehabilitating the Beruni Pump Station) Under this option, the existing Beruni Pump Station would be re-equipped, at approximately its original level of capacity, and would continue to pump ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMEN1 REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 159 water to the Kok Darya. The flow in the Beruni Collector would not be reversed. Conditions in Baday Tugai would therefore remain approximately as they are now. The water-table on the northern side would remain high enough for the trees to use, but it would also remain saline, at levels similar to those indicated by Figures 4.6 and 4.7, and Table 4.23. This option would have significant effects elsewhere. It would reduce by nearly half the amounts of water to be carried by the Main Collector. This would mean that the impacts of the Main Collector downstream, in the Akcha Darya Passage and Delta, would be moderated. These reductions are discussed in Sections 4.8 and 4.9. In addition, the reduction of flow would allow reduction of the dimensions of the Main Collector, throughout most of its length, from Kyzyl-kala to the Jana Darya. There would therefore be substantial changes in both capital and annual costs under this option. The capital cost of constructing 250 km of the Collector would be reduced, while there would be additional costs for installing new equipment in the Beruni Pump Station. Maintenance costs on the Main Collector would also be reduced, but there would be operating costs for the Pump Station. The present ground water table along the Kok Darya will be maintained. However, in the long term, the salinity of groundwater and salt content of the soil will increase and the Tugai Forest along Kok Darya will detoriate with the adverse consequences described under Option 1. Under this option, North Karakalpakstan would not receive the benefit of reduced salt in the river, which (see Section 1.2) is one of the objectives of the project. This option is therefore not recommended. Option 4 (Pumpingfrom t7e Amu Darya) To implement this option, a pumping station would be installed on the Amu Darya, near the south-eastern limit of the reserve, and a pipeline (or canal) would be constructed across the reserve. This option would thus incur both a capital cost, for constructing these new facilities, and an annual operating cost, for the energy used in pumping. The capacity of the pumping station should be sufficient to supply the evaporation losses from the surface of the Kok Darya, plus the evapotranspiration of water from the northern half of the forest, plus some excess to ensure a residual net flow westward to the main Amu Darya. If we estimate the half-area of the forest as 3,000 ha, and the evapotranspiration to be about 8,000 m3/ha/year (in line with the estimates for perennial tree-crops, Table 2.16), then it appears that a discharge of 1 m3/s would suffice. Probably ENVIRONMENTAL RFSOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACS / WORLD BANK 160 it would be prudent to install a capacity greater than this, say 2 m3/s, to allow for losses such as seepage to the northern side of the Kok Darya, away from the reserve. A station equipped with 2 pumps of this capacity, or four of 0.5 m3/s, plus some additional reserve capacity in case of breakdowns, should be sufficient. The continuing supply of water will maintain the ground water level along the Kok Darya and provide a more stable situation than under Option 2. The fresher water from the Amu Darya will in the long term decrease the salinity in the adjacent ground water tables. The Bukhara Deer, the White Backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) and the Pheasant (Phasanius cholcicus chnysomelos) are expected to maintain their populations under this option.. Option 5 (Supplying waterfrom the Budyony Canal, or the Koksu Canal) The effects of this option will essentially be the same as in Options 2 and 4. The Budyony canal, or the Koksu canal, would need to be prolonged to join the Kok Darya. Nine cross-sections of the Budyony Canal, and three of the Koksu Canal, have recently been surveyed. These cross-sections are shown in Figures 4.9 a,b,c to 4.10. The Budyony Canal receives its water from the Neyman-Beshtam Pumping Station, which delivers it first to the Tazakattagar Canal, which is about 10 km long. The-Budyony Canal is about a further 18 km in length, from its junction with the Tazakattagar Canal (Map 2.1). Diversion of some of the water of these canals, to serve Baday Tugai, may therefore affect a quite large area and a number of existing users. The capacity of the Budyony Canal, in its lower reaches, appears to be relatively small, probably not more than 1.5 m3/ s, so it would need enlargement and some rehabilitation in order to take on this additional duty. The cross-sections indicate that the capacity of the Koksu Canal, which is the larger of the two, is probably about 10 m3/s, in its tail length. This would require further survey for confirmation, as we have obtained only two cross- sections of the channel, which is not sufficient for a firm decision. It would also be necessary to ascertain what area the canal has to serve at present as an irrigation source. It would appear to require enlargement of its cross-section by some 10 % to enable it to convey an additional 1 m3/s for feeding the Kok Darya. We are not certain of the length or the service area of this canal, as the possibility of using it was raised at a late stage, and the canal does not appear on the available maps. As in Option 4, there would be an annual pumping cost, because the Koksu and Budyony Canals receive their water from the Neyman-Beshtam Pumping Station. A disadvantage of this option is that the managers of the Baday Tugai reserve would not have full control of their water supplies. It seems likely that, in a ENVIRONMENTALRESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 161 dry year, they would have difficulty in receiving sufficient water, as they would be at the tail end of a 28 km canal whose primary users, the farms, would have prior access to it. Option 6 (Re-opening the old Kok Darya, and using pumped irrigation from it) The option requires the same installations as for Option 2, plus pumping facilities on the Kok Darya so that water can be lifted on to the surface of the reserve to promote germination of seeds. This special irrigation should be required only for a short period (about 14 days) each year. With one or two floating pump stations, it should be possible to inundate different parts of the reserve each year, eventually covering the whole area. Since the seeds can remain dormant for several years, thus should make more or less complete germination a possibility. The effects on the water-table will basically be the same as in Option 2. With the possibility of flooding a part of the area every year, it should be possible for the seeds of the poplar and willow to germinate. To a limited extent, it may also be possible to elevate the ground-water table in areas not affected by Kok Darya and Amu Darya, i.e. in the central part of the reserve. This strategy for promoting seed germination can also be used in conjunction with Option 4. It would however require the installation of a larger pumping capacity at the Amu Darya. It could not be recommended in conjunction with Option 5, as the long supply canals would need enlargement. Option 7 (Managedflooding) Managed flooding for environmental objectives is a policy that the World Bank has been examining, due to the large number of cases that are appearing world-wide, where downstream eco-systems, adapted to life under an annual regime with a certain flood expectation, are suffering due to reduced water- level maxima and reduced variability. Under a policy of managed flooding, additional water would be released from the Tuyamuyun Dam, after the annual seed-fall, to raise the river level in the Amu Darya sufficiently to flood the surface of the Reserve. This need be done only for a short time. We assume, for estimation of the feasibility of this strategy, that a period of 10 days would be sufficient. The likely period for releasing this flow would be the last 10 days of July. It would not be done annually, as the forest seeds can survive a period of dormancy. We assume that a flood would be released at intervals of about 5 years. Since the flood is not needed in any specific year, it would be done only if the flow in the Amu Darya is above average, and the amount of storage in the Tuyamuyun Dam is above half. If those conditions were not met, the flood operation would be deferred until the following year, or until these conditions are satisfied. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKLSrAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 162 There is no river gauging station at or near to Baday Tugai, so the required river flows have to be inferred approximately. The nearest regular records are at Kipchak, 40 km downstream, and at Tuyamuyun, 115 km upstream (Tables 2.4 and 2.5). During the 1998 flood event (Table 4.2) the flow at Tuyamuyun peaked on 26 July at 4,530 m3/s, with a water-level of 113.21 m (Baltic Sea Datum), while at Kipchak three days later the peak was 3,410 m3/s, corresponding to a water- level of 83.97 m. This event was sufficient to cause germination of very large numbers of seeds at Baday Tugai. At that time, large amounts of water were being abstracted out of the river, upstream of Baday Tugai, to alleviate potential flood risks in North Karakalpakstan. The relation between water-level and discharge, at Tuyamuyun, is a rather flat curve. Figure 4.11 shows it approximately, using monthly averages only, for the year 1998. It seems that a change of 500 m3/s in discharge corresponds to a change of water-level by about 0.5 - 0.6 m. Taking account of these various facts, we conclude that a flow of about 4,000 m3/s released from Tuyamuyun Dam would probably be sufficient to cause inundation at Baday Tugai, to a depth that would cause germination. The cost of doing this, in terms of the quantity of extra water released from the dam, can be estimated as follows. The mean July flow at Tuyamuyun has exceeded 3,000 m3/s in 5 of the last 22 years (Table 2.4). Therefore, an operating rule that says that managed flooding will be arranged only when the July flow is at least 3,000 m3/s, would ensure flooding in about every 4th or 5th year. To augment a flow of 3,000 m3/s to 4,000 m3/s, for a period of 10 days, would require release from the dam of an additional quantity of 0.864 km3 during that time. Since this would be required only in each 4th or 5th year, the expenditure of water per year is equivalent to about 0.864/4.5, or 0.192 km3/year. This is less than 1 % (about 0.7%) of the 28.98 km3 of average annual flow at Tuyamuyun. A more significant difficulty about the managed flooding policy would be the risk of flooding other places where flooding is not a benefit. This would be likely to arise in North Karakalpakstan. At present, according to the Amu Darya River Basin Organisation, it is not desirable to pass a flow greater than 2,500 m3/s through Takhiatash Barrage, as the channels downstream of that point do not have capacity for handling more, and flooding of surrounding land would be expected. There has been no opportunity to investigate this further during the past two dry years. Since a managed flood would be brief (we have suggested that it should run for 10 days, but less may be acceptable from the ecological aspect) it may be possible to achieve it with careful management, without inundating any areas of North Karakalpakstan. However, a risk of flooding there does seem to exist, so it would be necessary to undertake some more detailed investigation before the policy could be recommended. ENV[RONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKErTAN / T'AOS / WORLD BANK 163 A further problem, which may be relevant also to other possible strategies for reviving the Baday Tugai Reserve, is that the bed level in the river may be falling. There is evidence that the bed at the Tuyamuyun gauging station is falling, which would not be surprising as the dam, upstream of the gauging station, is only 21 years old. On rivers that carry large quantities of sediments, it is well known that after a dam is installed the bed downstream may become lower, as sediments are captured in the dam, and the cleaner water emerging from the dam can collect a new load of sediment by eroding the downstream bed. Table 4.24 illustrates this, and suggests that the general level of the river may be declining, at Tuyamuyun gauging station, by about 0.12 m/year, and is now more than a metre lower than it was in the latter 1980s. This does not mean that it is declining at this rate at Baday Tugai, as (if this is an effect of dam construction, as just suggested above) it may not extend as far as Baday Tugai. However, in any deeper study of the policy of managed flooding it would be necessary to establish some firmer evidence about this. 4.4.4 Summary From the above review of seven possible options, it appears that the most favourable is Option 6, re-opening of the upstream part of the Kok Darya in order to restore natural flow under gravity, and promoting germination by irrigating from pump stations on the Kok Darya. However, further surveys are required, in order to establish whether this is feasible. If Option 6 is found to be not feasible, then the next best appears to be Option 4, pumping water from the Amu Darya across the reserve into the Kok Darya. Option 5, supplying the Kok Darya with water through either the Koksu or the Budyony Canal, is ranked as the third preference. It is technically practicable, but there would be a likelihood of institutional obstacles, as the management of the reserve would not have control of their water source. Option 7, managed flooding, appears to be impractical at present due to the constraint on maximum flows that are acceptable in the lower river. It seems desirable however to conduct further studies of this, as it would probably be a more effective means of promoting germination, over a larger proportion of the reserve's area, than can be achieved by irrigation with wild flooding. 4.5 BERUNI COLLECTOR AND LAKE AKCHAKUL 4.5.1 Ecological impacts It is not expected, that the core project or any of its variants will substantially affect ecological conditions or flora and fauna, including fisheries, in the Beruni Collector or in Lake Akchakul ENVIRONMENTAL REsoURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACS / WORLD BANK 164 4.5.2 Cultural sites The following protective measures are recommended for safeguarding monuments near this stretch of the Main Collector. These monuments are of major cultural significance and require full protection from the impact of the collector and work associated with it. Brief descriptions of the monuments have been given in Section 2.8.2. Kyzyl-kala It is necessary to organise protection through establishment of a zone, the width of which should be no less than 100 m in each direction. On the south- eastern side the size of the protection zone should be increased up to 300 m. An annular collector with discharge into the Beruni collector should bypass the protection zone. Toprak-kala It is necessary to conduct special studies aimed at developing methods of protection of this valuable archaeological site from saline groundwater. It is necessary to determine whether a decrease in the ground-water table is possible as a result of the collector reconstruction. Burli-kala 1 The establishment of a protection zone of no less than 50 m in width in each direction. Burli-kala 2 and 3 Special surveys of these sites are required for the development of suitable protective measures. 4.6 LAKEAYAZKUL 4.6.1 Issues associated with the project The general configuration of Lake Ayazkul has been described in Section 2.6.4. Like other water bodies associated with this project, it is not a natural lake, but is sustained by the input of drainage water. It consists of two basins, one of which (Western) is larger, deeper and more saline than the other (Eastern). They are connected near the middle of the northern shore of the lake. The surface area and volume of the lake, at different water-level elevations, have been estimated by measurement from contour maps made before the lake began to form. These data are shown in Table 4.25. Three cross-sections, two in the Western Basin and one in the Eastern Basin, are shown in Figure 4.12 showing the position of the cross-sections and in Figures 4.13 a,b,c the cross-sections of the lake bed. These were surveyed in October 2002. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 165 At the same time, water samples were taken at 0.2 m from the surface and the bed of the lake, and analysed in the laboratory. The results of these analyses are shown in Table 4.26. When these surveys were done, the water-level in the lake was varying between 88.26 and 88.58 m above Baltic Sea Datum. The estimated mean total volume of both basins was 62.19 million cubic metres (Mm3) and the estimated mean surface area of both was 36.15 km2. This would imply an overall average depth of 1.72 m. The volume statistics of the two basins separately are not known. We shall assume here that the volume of the Western Basin is 80% of the total. The lake has formed around a relatively deep natural depression, in the north- western corner of the Western Basin, where the bed level is about 78.5 m, and the depth therefore is somewhat more than 10 m. However, above the level of about 86 m it appears that water could flow over from this local depression, and occupy larger, flatter areas around it. The maximum level that the lake has attained is not known, but it is probably not greater than 90 m. Table 4.25 shows that, above the elevation of 86.5 m, the lake area and volume increase rapidly as water-level rises. The volume is approximately doubled by each metre rise of surface level. This shows that the shores of the lake have a low gradient in this area. At a surface level of 90 m, the lake area would be 76.68 km2, implying a volume of about 140 Mm3. However it is not certain that it has ever reached this size. When drainage water from the Kyzyl-kum Pump Station is plentiful, the water-level in the lake is high, and the banks of the channel in the Eastern Basin are overtopped significantly, allowing improved mixing and dilution of salinity in the Eastern Basin. The lake level however cannot rise beyond a certain point, because, as it rises, the outflow into the Ayazkalinski Collector increases, until this balances the rate of pumped inflow. When there is little drainage water for some substantial period of time, the water-level in both basins of the lake falls, due to evaporation and outflow to the Ayazkalinski Collector. When it becomes so low that the Ayazkalinski Collector ceases to flow (as happened in 2001), evaporation continues. The salt concentrations in both basins then rise significantly. The above description contains no allowance for additional effects that may possibly occur due to seepage of water through the bed of the lake. We know of no evidence about this, and doubt that it can be a significant factor, in comparison with the pumped inputs. The lake contains fish populations, and is home to various nesting species of birds, as well as providing a rest area for migrating birds (Section 2.6.4). The salinity of the Western Basin is reducing its attractiveness to these. The Eastern Basin on the other hand supports an active fishery, and has extensive ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 166 reed-beds that provide sheltered breeding sites for some large species, notably the Great White Pelican. The recent two years of very dry conditions (2000 - 2001) caused substantial changes to the lake ecology. As its level dropped, circulation within the Eastern Basin reduced, and both basins became more saline. Reed-beds began to die off. A number of fishermen have left the lake because of reduced catches; people living in the adjacent village complain of the bad odour of the lake; and the pelican population did not breed in 2002. These are probably temporary effects, due to the low water-level and high salinity. The lake filled up again in mid-2002, and water again began to flow in the Ayazkalinski Collector from 10 July (Table 4.5), although in September the lake level was still significantly below the level of 2 - 3 years before. It seems likely that, if these conditions continue, by 2003 the lake will be restored to something similar to its previous state. 4.6.2 Possible strategiesfor mitigating adverse impacts Three strategies have been considered in the case of Lake Ayazkul. They are: Option 1 (Core Project): The Kyzyl-kum Pump Station would be closed, no drainage water would flow into the lake, and the lake would be allowed to become dry. Option 2: The Kyzyl-kum Pump Station would be closed, a new channel would be excavated to bring drainage water (probably from collector EK-2) to the western end of the lake, lifted by a pump station at a point part-way along this route. The lake would be kept in existence. By pumping water in at a rate somewhat in excess of the evaporation from the lake's surface, a flow would be established from west to east, and some excess water would flow out of the lake into the Main Collector at the eastern end, as at present. The delivery of water into the western end would be managed, with the objective of gradually expelling the excess salt that has accumulated in the western end of the lake over the past 20 years, at a slow rate that does not add much to the salinity of the Main Collector downstream. Option 3: The Kyzyl-kum Pump Station would be kept in existence, at a smaller scale than at present, pumping water into the eastern part of the lake as at present. The passages connecting the Eastern and Western Basins of the lake would be closed, and the Western Basin would be allowed to become dry. Pumping rates would be managed, with the objective of maintaining the level and salinity of the Eastern Basin approximately as it has been in wet years recently. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 167 4.6.3 Impacts of the alternative options Option 1: Core Project Under the Core Project, the Kyzyl-kum Pump Station will be closed. The existing Kyzyl-kum Collector will be connected into the existing Ayazkalinski Collector. All water from the western part of the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems (Beruni and Ellikala districts, and much of Turtkul district) will the flow under gravity, along a route that passes on the south side of Lake Ayazkul. The ridge on which the Ayazkala fortress stands will lie between this Main Collector route and the lake. No drainage water will reach the lake. No sub-surface seepage flow from the Collector is expected to reach the lake. Lake Ayazkul will then become dry. This will happen gradually. The maximum depth of water in the lake is about 10 m. Tables 2.2 and 2.3 indicate that the mean annual evaporation rates recorded at meteorological stations at Urgench and Turtkul are 1,220 mm and 1,370 mm respectively. Evaporation from the surface of a large lake is generally expected to be less, by about 25%, than that recorded by meteorological instruments; on the other hand, in the open, sparsely-vegetated environment of Lake Ayazkul, both wind and temperature are likely to be more than at Turtkul or Urgench. We may estimate that the rate of evaporation from the lake will be about 1,000 mm/y. This leads us to expect that the lake would become completely dry in about 10 years, or perhaps less if there is significant seepage through its bed. According to Table 2.20, the quantity of water evaporated from the surface of Lake Ayazkul is about 45 Mm3/y. This is about 6.2% of the total drainage. If the lake becomes dry, this amount of water will remain in the system, and will increase the amount of flow in the Main Collector. In wet years, when drainage problems are significant, daily evaporation from the lake surface in the critical months June to August contributes more significantly to reducing the peak flow to the Main Collector. The peak rate of evaporation from the lake is about 6 mm/ d. From a lake surface of 50 km2, this amounts to 300,000 m3/d, or 3.47 m3/s. This is about 14% of the estimated normal drainage flow at that time, 25 m3/ s. The drying of the lake will leave behind a deposit of salt, consisting of all the salt that now resides in the lake. We estimate this quantity to be 970,000 tonnes (Table 4.27). We estimate that over 90% of this is in the Western Basin. The next question is, how will this be distributed on the dry bed, after the lake has dried? Chemical analysis of the water pumped into Lake Ayazkala by Kyzyl-kum Pump Station was performed under the monitoring programme organised as part of these studies. The results are summarised in Table 4.29. The dominant cation present is sodium, and among the anions chloride and sulphate are most abundant. For purposes of initial analysis we assume that we are dealing with a solution of sodium chloride. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMEN r REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 168 The saturation concentration of sodium chloride in water is 360 g/l. The bulk density of sodium chloride, depending on the mode of crystallisation, may be between 1.1 and 2 t/m3. If we take a figure of 1.5 t/m3, the above data would imply an average depth of about 5 cm of salt over the whole lake bed. However, it will not be uniformly distributed. We expect that the deposition of salt on the lake bed will proceed in two phases. Initially, and until the lake volume has reduced to the point where it is saturated, the lake area will reduce as its water evaporates. As the water recedes, the soils around the margin will retain some moisture. This moisture will evaporate, leaving some salt in the soil. This salt, because it is deposited by evaporation of moisture held in the soil pores, will be mixed in the soil matrix. It will arrive predominantly near to the surface, as any moisture that is held at lower levels in the soil will rise in capillaries to the surface when evaporating, and will bring most of the salt with it in solution. In the first three or four years, then, as the lake shrinks, we expect it to become surrounded by a ring of salt-encrusted soil. The quantity of salt, per square metre of surface, will gradually increase in the inward direction from the original lake margin. Later, when the volume of the lake has reduced so much that the remaining water is saturated with salt, the process will change. The salt will now crystallise from solution, and will form a bed of pure salt, depositing on top of the soil rather than mixing into the soil. The extent of this inner area depends on how much salt is retained in the outer ring. This is difficult to estimate, as it depends on aspects of the movement and retention of water in the soils of the lake bed, which we do not know. Estimating on the basis of some probable values of these unknown factors, we think that the average amount of salt deposited in the outer ring of the Western Basin is unlikely to exceed 20 kg/ m2. Perhaps it will be significantly less than this. If this figure is valid, we would expect that saturation conditions would be reached when the remaining volume of the lake is about 0.75 Mm3, and that at that stage it would contain 0.28 Mt of dissolved salt. This amount of salt would crystallise from solution at the water surface, and subside gradually as the remaining water evaporates over the final year of the lake's life. The resulting layer of salt will, we estimate, have an area of 0.8 - 0.9 km2, and a mean thickness of about 0.16 m. The outer area, where salt is mixed into soil, can be colonised by halophytic vegetation. Various appropriate species exist in the vicinity of the lake at present, and some such colonisation will probably occur naturally. The central area, covered by a thin layer of salt, will be more difficult to revegetate. Over time, we would expect that windblown soil particles will cover it, and that revegetation will ultimately occur in such a cover layer, but it seems likely that any such vegetative cover will not be established for many years, and then will remain weak. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TIACIS / WORLD BANK 169 A water body that is important in relation to the shrinking of the Aral Sea will be lost. Bird life connected with water will disappear, in particular the Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus), included in the IUCN list of endangered species, Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) and Greater Flamingo (Flamenco ruber), which are all included in the National Red Book of Uzbekistan. Important resting and feeding grounds for birds migrating from Western Siberia and Kazakhstan to wintering grounds in India and Pakistan, such as grebes, cormorants, pelicans, ducks, waders, cranes, herons and raptors will be lost. Existing and future fisheries as a supplementary way of income for local people will be lost. Most of the existing aquatic vegetation will disappear and be replaced by planting or natural immigration of salt tolerant species. Probably a salt crust in the middle of the area will be left unvegetated. Wind borne dispersion of salt will take place from areas not revegetated. Possibilities of developing ecotourism will be decreased or disappear. Mitigation of the loss of bird life seems not to be possible to any significant degree. The Wetlands I and II along the Ayazkalinski Collector will not be able to support breeding colonies of Great White Pelican, Glossy Ibis or Pygmy Cormorant due to the demand of these species for undisturbed places of great extent. Known breeding lakes of Great White Pelican in Uzbekistan have a size of several thousand hectares, and it is not expected that these species will be able to survive on the small and shallow wetlands associated with this project. Option 2 (Retention of the lake) It would be possible to retain Lake Ayazkul in existence, at approximately its present size. This can be done, by installing a new and smaller pump station, near the westem end of the ridge on which the Ayazkala fortress stands, and constructing a channel to enable this pump station to deliver water from the nearest existing collector (EK-2) into the south-western corner of the lake. A possible route for such a connecting channel has been surveyed. The profile along this route is shown in Figure 4.14. The length is about 6.5 km. There are some ridges of 2 - 4 m across the route, but in principle it seems that the works involved in constructing a connecting channel along this line would not be excessively costly. It is also possible that detailed surveys would identify a more favourable alignment than the single straight route that has so far been surveyed. With this arrangement, water would be made to flow through both basins of the lake, before exiting into the Ayazkalinski Collector and joining the Main Collector. By careful management, these flows could be regulated so that the existing high salinity of the Western Basin would be gradually reduced, and ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 170 both basins could become satisfactory habitats for fish and probably for reed- beds and various bird species, as the Eastern Basin alone is now. To achieve this result, about 0.4 Mt of salt would have to be washed out from the Western Basin, and conveyed away in the Main Collector. The work required may be estimated as follows. First, to keep the water content of the lake stable, without any oufflow of salt, we would require to pump water into it at a rate equal to the evaporation from its surface. The evaporation data from Urgench (Table 2.2) indicate that in some years the peak monthly evaporation can reach 240 mm/mth, but on average it is around 210 mm/ mth (June and July). This is pan evaporation, and lake surface evaporation is generally somewhat less than this (because, due to the shallow depth of a pan, solar radiation can raise its temperature more rapidly than in a lake). The reduction factor may be around 0.80 - 0.85. To manage the lake salinity it is not necessary to have pumping capacity to match the very highest evaporation rates. A pumping rate based on an evaporation rate of 6 mm/d would be adequate to balance the evaporation losses on all but a few days per year. The lake surface area can be selected in the actual design stage. The area expands rapidly as the level rises. At a lake level of 90.0 m, the area is 76.68 Mm2, which is about double the area at the time of the surveys. Based on the survey data discussed in Section 4.6.1, indicating an area of 36.15 Mm2, the pumping rate required to supply the evaporative demand would be 216,900 Mm3/d, which is equivalent to 2.51 m3/s in a 24-hour day. The pumping rate of 2.51 m3/s would just keep the lake level and volume stable, at the times of high evaporation. This water would bring in fresh salt, so the salt concentration in the lake would continue to increase. The estimated mean concentration of salt in the drainage water that the Kyzyl- kum pumping station delivers into Lake Ayazkul is about 3.2 kg/im3 (Table 2.22). This is the average over the whole year. In the peak months (June - August) it is sometimes more, sometimes less than this. We may assume this figure represents the likely mean concentration. So the input of new salt to the lake would be 216,900 Mm3/d x 3.2 kg/im3, which is 694.1 t/d. This is for the stable condition, with no outflow from the lake. If we pump more than 216,900 Mm3/d, water will flow out of the lake at the eastern end, and will carry salt out with it. The net salt balance at various higher pumping rates can be estimated as shown in Table 4.28. These rates would vary through the year. However it seems from this that a salt removal rate of around 300 t/ d, throughout most or all of the year, should be possible with a pumping capacity of 300,000 m3/d which is equivalent to 3.47 m3/s. In one year this would remove 109,500 tonnes of salt, which is 11.3 % of the total now stored there. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISI AN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 171 The salt content of the drainage water in the Akcha Darya would be increased by this outflow of additional salt from the lake. This increase would not be large, and it would cease after a few years, when the salt content of the lake has been reduced. We estimate that (if the lake is not retained) the salt flowing to the Akcha Darya will be about 2.546 Mt/y (see Table 2.22). The process of flushing 109,500 t/y of salts out of the lake will increase this to 2.655 Mt/y, an increase of 4.3%. Retention of the lake would reduce the amount of water flow (because of lake evaporation) so this salt would be carried by less water and would therefore be more concentrated. We estimate that the mean concentration reaching the Akcha Darya would be 3.82 g/l, if the lake is not retained, and 4.28 g/l if it is retained. The above scenario indicates that in the first year more than 11% of the present salt content could be removed. In subsequent years, as the salt content reduces, the absolute rate of removal would reduce, but the percentage rate could probably be maintained at around 10% per year. That means that it should be possible within about 5 years to bring the salt concentration down to 10 g/l. The conditions in the Eastern Basin would initially deteriorate, as the water in the Western basin would mix with it, and a more uniform concentration would be established in both basins. The salinity levels that the fish and bird populations can tolerate are not clearly known, but it seems that at a level of 10 g/l these species could again use the lake. With careful management of the pumping of drainage water, the salinity of the lake will gradually be reduced further, and can be expected to reach about 5 g/l or less after several more years. The precise length of time to attain this will depend on the pumping regime that is adopted. The benefits of this option are: * retention of fishery in the lake; * retention and expansion of an environment favourable to the white pelican, a rare and endangered species, and other larger bird species; * retention of the lake as a landscape feature, more attractive than the formation of an extensive area of salt deposits; * reduction of flow in the Main Collector by about 45 Mm3/y. The principal negative aspect of this option is cost. It would require capital expenditure to construct a new channel and pump station to feed the lake at its south-western corner, and annual expenditure for operating this facility. The data from water sampling within the lake (Table 4.26) do not show any indication of contamination by pollutants. It has been suggested that fishing in Lake Ayazkul may be undesirable, as the lake is a repository of pollutants ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 172 from agricultural chemicals, but the samples from the lake do not indicate that these suggestions are correct. Under flow-through conditions, the ecological conditions of the salty western basin would slowly change in direction of a more fresh condition. Ultimately, salinity would be about the same in the whole lake. Reed beds would start to develop after a few years and submerged aquatic plants will also invade this part of the lake. Breeding conditions for fish and water birds would improve, resulting in increasing populations of pelicans, ibises, cormorants and herons, as well as increasing number of migratory birds. Fisheries will increase to the benefit of local people, and the locality would be attractive for bird-watching and other kinds of eco tourism. Option 3 (Retention of the Eastern Basin only) Under this option, the Kyzyl-kum Pump Station would be kept in operation, at a greatly reduced scale. The flow of water from it would be as at present, through the Eastern Basin only. The gravity link of the Kyzyl-kum and Ayazkalinski Collectors would be made, as in the Core Project, but a small proportion of the flow would continue to be directed to the Kyzyl-kum Pump Station. The Western and Eastern Basins would be physically separated from each other, by closing the connecting channel between them, and also closing if necessary any permeable pathways that may exist in the peninsula between them. The Western Basin would then be allowed to dry out, and the scenario described above under option 1 would proceed, in that basin, leaving a salt deposit. The pumping capacity required for this option would have to satisfy the evaporation losses from the lake's surface, plus a surplus sufficient to ensure that the outflowing water, into the Ayazkahnski Collector, carries out at least as much salt as the pumped water brings in, so that further increase of salt concentration occurs within the lake. The evaporation from this basin is estimated to be about 18 Mm3/y. If the incoming flow brings salinity at a concentration of 3.2 g/l, and the outgoing flow carries a concentration of 6 g/l, the total pumping capacity required for stabilising the lake's salinity would be 39 Mm3/y, or 1.25 m3/s on a 24-hour pumping schedule. The advantage of this option is that it would be easy to implement, and would retain the two main advantages of the lake, its fishery and its bird life, at approximately their present levels. The disadvantage, as with the Core Project, is the formation of a salt deposit in the area of the Western Basin. There would be capital and annual costs associated with this option, but they would be very much less than with option 2, as the required pumping capacity is only about one-third, and some existing infrastructure such as power supply could be used. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 173 Maintaining only the eastern part of the lake would mean that the area of the lake would be reduced by more than 50 %. The importance of the lake will be reduced, as big areas of resting and feeding places will disappear. This will particularly affect big nesting and mnigrating birds as pelicans and flamingos. Pelicans need big, undisturbed areas to breed, so a reduction of the lake of 50% might be a threat to breeding pelicans. But also sandpipers and terns will be affected negatively. Altogether, the composition and number of waterfowl will be reduced. The eastern part of the lake would be saved for fisheries and breeding of birds, provided that a sufficient water level can be maintained. One way to mitigate plant over growth of the eastern part of the lake will be to establish a threshold in the outlet of the lake to raise and maintain a higher water level. 4.6.4 Cultural sites The following protective measures are recommended for safeguarding monuments near Lake Ayazkul. These monuments are of major cultural significance and require full protection from the impact of the collector and work associated with it. Ayazkala 1 The location of the object on a high hill safely protects it from destructive impacts of the process of secondary salinisation. Required protection measures are in the framework of protection of the whole Ayazkala complex. Ayazkala 2 The upper part of the monument located on the hill does not require any protection measures. The lower part is located in a heavily saline plain at a distance of no more than one km from the existing Kyzyl-kum collector and is naturally subject to danger of destruction. Protection measures should be taken within the framework of the protection of the whole Ayazkala complex. Ayazkala 3 Ayazkala 3 is located on a flat plain less than a kilometre from the main collector. It must be included within the plan for protection of the whole Ayazkala complex. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 174 4.7 KYZYL-KUMANDAYAZKALINSKI COLLECTORS 4.7.1 Ecology Implementation of the core project implies, that a greater amount of water than in the existing situation will be diverted through the collector system. As described in Section 2.6.4, two wetlands have formed on the Kyzyl-kum Collector. The wetlands are elongated with rather steep banks as both Wetland I and Wetland II are situated in the old river bed of Akcha Darya. Shortcuts have been constructed, making it possible to pass water from the collectors without entering the wetland. In the core project, management of the wetlands is proposed in the form of small weirs and fish passages in association with this. It is in theory therefore possible to adjust water levels in the wetlands to a desired level, provided there is sufficient water fed by the collector. In the following, a situation with increasing water level is described, which is the most probable change compared with the existing situation. An increasing water level in the wetlands will result in a moderate increase in surface area. This is due to the rather steep banks of the wetlands. The increased depth will create a more varied under water topography, which will be to the benefit of fish life, both in form of more varied habitats and increasing possibilities of survival during drought and ice cover. Some desert vegetation will be lost and replaced by more moisture-depending vegetation and reed beds. For birds, some reed beds used for breeding and feeding, will be submerged, however new reed beds will emerge along with the new shores of the lake. In the case of a long period with no water input from the collector, the stagnant water in the wetlands may become salty, making life conditions difficult for aquatic vegetation and fish. 4.7.2 Cultural sites The following protective measures are recommended for safeguarding monuments near this stretch of the Main Collector. These monuments are of major cultural significance and require full protection from the impact of the collector and work associated with it. Brief descriptions of the monuments are given in Section 2.8.2. Small Kirkkiz-kala The location on the hill safely defends it from ill effects of groundwater and salinisation. Nonetheless, it is required that protection measures be taken surrounding the elevation. Big Kirkkiz-kala Along with general recommendations on the necessity to establish a protected zone and construction of a tail collector with discharge into main collector, it is ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 175 necessary to collect data regarding the development of the project necessary to protect this archaeological site. This necessity is justified by the complexity of the monument's location in plan and the unclear impact of the main collector on it as well as a lack of data on the area requiring protection measures. Kurgashin-kala complex This site is at particular risk from work associated with the main collector. The path of the collector passes within half a kilometre of the site and the use of heavy machinery close to the walls presents a serious threat to the stability of the monument. Along with a general recommendation on the necessity to establish a protected zone and construction of tail collector with discharge into a main collector, it is necessary to collect data to develop a project to protect this archaeological monument. This necessity is justified by the multi- component nature the monument and unclear impact of main collector on it as well as lack of data on the area requiring protection measures. 4.8 AKCHA DARYA PASSAGE (TO CHUKURKAK) 4.8.1 Issues associated with the project The Akcha Darya Passage runs from the point where the collector VST 2 enters the Main Collector (km 197.1) to the area where the former channel of the Akcha Darya divides into three, south of the herders' village of Chukurkak (about km 140). In this stretch, the former Akcha Darya River evidently ran generally northward. There is not a well-defined channel, but the route of the former river appears to have been restricted within a band that varies in width between about 3 and 6 km, with slightly higher ground on each side. Land on either side of the Passage is generally very sparsely vegetated desert, as indicated by the blue colouring in Volume 3, Image Map 5. A long wetland, called for this study Wetland III, runs along the initial 25 km of the Passage, generally near to its western side. We assume that this wetland is not of natural origin, but has been formed by drainage water. It appears that it is not (in present circumstances) a permanent feature, as it reduced in area significantly during 2001 - 2002, unlike Wetlands I and II, which reduced only slightly in response to the reduction of drain flow in the drought period of April 2000 - March 2002. For the remainder of the passage, north of Wetland III, there was wetland formation following the high flows of 1998 - 99, but these appear to have dried out after those events. This area is proposed as Wetlands VI, VII and part of VIII, in the Feasibility Report. The principal issue that arises along the Passage, and later across the Akcha Darya Delta, is whether the drainage water should be confined within banks throughout, or should be allowed or encouraged to spread over adjacent land and form further wetland areas. The Core Project, as stated in the Feasibility ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZFEKISTAN / TAOS / WORLD BANK 176 Report, envisages a nearly continuous series of wetlands, that would be developed for fisheries. This issue in turn is linked to some others: * The attitudes of herders, who are the main and virtually the only users of land in this area, have been affected by the flooding that occurred in 1998 - 99 (see Section 4.8.2), which has caused them to believe that wetland formation will have negative consequences for them. * Of the three main channels into which the Akcha Darya divides south of Chukurkak, the most western channel seems to be the most recent, and the land gradients are such that water, if unconfined, will preferentially flow that way. Thus, if flow is allowed to wander over the landscape in the proposed Wetland VII, it may be difficult to confine it again and bring it to the bridge at Chukurkak. This can be seen in the Volume 3, Image Map 5, where it is evident that the wetted areas that remained following the 1998 flood were much larger and wider along this western channel, than along the central one that passes Chukurkak. (The images in Volume 3 show conditions in mid- 2000.) * Calculations have not yet been done to estimate whether the drain water, in future, will flow continuously to the Jana Darya and on to the Aral Sea, or will terminate somewhere between. This point will determine the water quality of proposed wetlands. * The herders will need sufficient bridges to allow animals to move between grazing areas. These may be more expensive to provide, if relatively wide wetland zones must be crossed. The last two of these points affect the Akcha Darya Delta also, possibly to a greater degree than the Passage. Discussion of them is included in Section 4.9.3 and 4.9.4. The Akcha Darya Passage has been receiving drainage water for a number of years now. Herders from the Bukhan Merei co-operative in Ellikala district (which is responsible for the Chukurkak village) say that they have already lost some 50 km2 of former grazing land in this vicinity (Kenesbai, Tazhikazgan, Kalamkas, Baimurat, Alpys; Social Impact Assessment, Section 4.4.2). However, it would normally be expected in such an environment, that the best grazing would be found in the depressions of the land, where any rain-water and snowmelt would accumulate. These are likely to be the same areas that would be inundated, under a policy of wetlands formation. Other objections expressed by herders, against the policy of forming wetlands, are recorded in the Social Impact Assessment, chapter 4. They include: * Several herders say that animals died in the neighbourhood of the wetted areas, after the 1998 - 99 flooding, because they endeavoured ENVIRONMENTAL RFSOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 177 to approach the water, and became stuck in the fine, moist clay mud that surrounded those areas. This, we assume, would be more likely to happen some time after the inundation, when water would retreat and leave a surrounding margin of wet mud. * Herders say that diseases among the animals increased after the inundation. Most attribute this to an increase in populations of insects. * People in Chukurkak say that houses in the village were flooded in 1998, and that they fear the Main Collector will cause this to occur again. The herders were not asked specifically, during field work for the Social Impact Assessment, for their opinions about the proposal to establish continuous wetlands and associated fisheries along the Passage and in the Delta, because the proposal to do this had not been made at the time of that field work. However, we do not think they would have favoured this strategy. One of the conclusions stated in the Social Impact Assessment (Section 4.4.2, concerning the herders of Ellikala who use the Akcha Darya Passage) is: "Overall, the herders' reaction to the collector is negative. They perceive it as bringing very few benefits to them while potentially bringing disadvantages of a catastrophic nature. However, they recognise that the collector is probably here to stay. In view of this, they argue that the impact of the collector on them can be reduced if its construction is improved to reduce flooding and to ensure water is constantly flowing through it and not allowed to stagnate." 4.8.2 Consequences of previousflooding The following paragraphs aim to describe what happened during the flood events of 1998. It appears necessary to try to understand these events, as they have influenced the perceptions of the existing users of the land. It is also important to form an opinion as to whether similar events may happen in the future, or whether the design and operation of the new Collector can be done in such a way as to avoid this kind of result. The description that follows is not based on direct observation, as these events took place before the present stuct,v was initiated. Because of the remoteness of the affected places, there is as far as we are aware no formal account of the events. This description is therefore inferred, by assembling various pieces of information. These events refer to the Akcha Darya Delta as well as the Akcha Darya Passage. A large flow passed down the Akcha Darya Passage in 1998. It is not clear whether this was a single event, or for how long it lasted. It is also not clear whether this was a flow that originated as normal drainage water, or was a ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLICOFUZBEKISTAN / TAOS / WORLD BANK 178 special event. The data of Table 4.2 show that, through June, July and August of 1998, there was a problem at Tuyamuyun Dam. The flows being released from the dam in early June 1998 exceeded the limit beyond which flooding would become serious in North Karakalpakstan. -From the end of June, the amounts being abstracted from the Amu Darya were increased, and this continued throughout July and into August. We understand that in this period the Right Bank Main Canal from the dam was also kept operating at or near full capacity, to relieve the situation in the river. This does not seem to be indicated by the data of flows to the drainage systems. Tables 2.18 (irrigation water inputs) and 2.20 (drainage water outflows) do not indicate any period of abnormal discharges. It has been suggested that there were large unaccounted flows in the gravity drains VST 1 and VST 2, but we have seen no evidence of that. In 1998, the construction of the Main Collector channel had reached a point about 40 km north of Chukurkak. It appears that a large flow of water reached that point, and (since there was no channel beyond) the water spread over the landscape, where gradients are very slight. Two areas were inundated. These can be seen on the satellite imagery (Volume 3, Image Map 4). Water spread over the right bank of the Collector channel, forming Wetland IV, which is relatively narrow and elongated, covering some 10 km2. Farther downstream, water also spread to the left, at the point where the channel then terminated. At this place a lake formed, covering an area of at least 10 km2. We are not able to say whether these areas were inundated simultaneously or at different times. There may have been some further flow into these areas during 1999. From 2000 until 2002, it appears there has been no flow to these inundated areas, and probably no new flow reaching the road bridge at Chukurkak. Our monitoring programme, begun in August 2001, has registered no flow at all under that bridge. Table 4.8 shows that flow in the Akcha Darya, at a station some 65 km south of Chukurkak, resumed on 14 February 2002, and continued thereafter at low rates, which are evidently not sufficient to cause any water to reach Chukurkak. The effects of this very varied pattern of flows have not been beneficial downstream, in the Passage or the Delta. The high discharge of 1998 created lakes and wetlands. The absence of discharge in 2000 - 2002 has meant that those areas have evaporated gradually. The water initially was moderately saline. It has since become very saline, as its volume has been reduced by evaporation. 4.8.3 Cultural sites We can assume that a collector deeply cut into the ancient watercourse will not cause a negative impact on the archaeological monuments located in the Akcha Darya Passage. Furthermore, a deeply incised flowing collector with discharge into the Aral Sea might facilitate desalinisation of the adjacent ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 179 territories. There appears to be no necessity of special measures of protection of archaeological monuments along the Akcha Darya Passage. Minimal efforts are required to investigate the location of archaeological sites so as to prevent their possible destruction during construction work. 4.8.4 Mitigation of adverse impacts The idea of creating wetlands and fisheries along the Akcha Darya seems difficult, but probably not impossible in a technical sense. It has been seen in 2000 - 2002 that there may be periods when these wetlands would receive little or no water, perhaps for prolonged periods. If that happens, the provision of small weirs to retain water would not solve the problem, as water would still evaporate, so its salinity would increase, perhaps to a degree that would be unacceptable for fish survival. The weirs proposed have generally heights less than 1 m, so they would retain water for less than one year in conditions where evaporation exceeds 1 m/y. There may also be problems in winter, when these wetlands will freeze to a certain depth. Shallow wetlands, for this reason, will probably not develop economically useful populations of fish. It is not clear who would be the beneficiaries of this strategy, nor how fish could be marketed or stored. We assume that the herder community would be the beneficiaries, as we know no other likely group, although it may be possible to consider transferring some of the present fishing community from Lake Ayazkul. The system would require careful management, and its water supply would have to be managed as a unified entity. More significant than these difficulties, perhaps, is that the existing herder population would have to accept further reductions of grazing area, due to inundation of pastures. The herders are therefore invited, by this proposal, to accept a change of lifestyle, partially at least, from herding to fishing. We do not think that they would be likely to want this kind of change. We accept the opinion quoted above, that the channel of the Main Collector should be confined, that flooding of land around it should be prevented, and that water in it should flow as continuously as possible, rather than being allowed to stagnate. In regard to the Akcha Darya Passage, these principles mean that a confined channel will be required particularly in the approach to Chukurkak. If water escapes to the left side in that area, it seems likely that it will flow north- westward and it will be difficult to contain it again and bring it under the Chukurkak bridge. It may be possible to retain Wetland III without canalising the flow in that area. The criterion of this should be that it must be possible to embank the area immediately downstream (north) of Wetland III in such a way as to ensure that all water flowing from it will be captured and contained in a ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMLNT REPUBLICOFUZBEKISTAN / TAOS / WORLD BANK 180 channel, either below ground level or between secure banks, until it passes under the Chukurkak bridge. Investigation of this will require some new survey of the area around the north end of Wetland III. Retention of that wetland may have some environmental benefits, in terms of bird habitats, and if it can be used as a part of the Main Collector some cost of channel excavation may be saved. 4.9 CHUKURKAKAND THEAKCHA DARYA DELTA 4.9.1 Issues associated with the project Several of the issues arising in the Akcha Darya Delta are similar to those in the Passage, and have been described in Section 4.8.1. In addition to the problems created for the herders by unplanned wetland formation during the 1998 flooding, other issues that are expected in the final sector of the Main Collector are these: * There are numerous archaeological sites, of the Bronze and Iron Ages, in this general area. Most of these have been explored only slightly or not at all. There have been several cases of partial or total loss of such cultural relics due to irrigation development, both in South and North Karakalpakstan, in recent decades. The high salinity of the drainage water increases the significance of this problem. It seems most unlikely that the route or the construction of the Main Collector will impact directly on any significant archaeological relics, but there is a risk that saline water spilling or seeping from it may damage sites that are near the route. * Four different herder farms have territories along the route, in Takhtakupir as well as Ellikala districts. They will seek adequate crossing points for their animals over the Main Collector. * The herders are dependent on ground-water for both their own and their animals' needs. Some wells have ceased to operate due to mechanical defects, and the herders have expressed concern at the possibility of losing more if flooding or wetland formation is allowed. It is said by the herders that three boreholes were submerged by the 1998 events, and their water contaminated. * People in Chukurkak have complained that houses there were flooded in 1998, and fear that this will recur since the Main Collector is intended to take discharge from a larger area than before (Social Impact Assessment, Section 4.4.2). * It is not yet known whether the Main Collector will flow continuously, and throughout its whole length. The experience of 2000 - 2002 has shown that, when flow ceases, the salts in the residual water of ponds or wetlands rapidly become more concentrated due to ENVIRONMENTAL. RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TAOS / WORLD BANK 181 loss of water by evaporation, rendering these bodies of water useless for human or animal use. * It is not yet known whether the flow will ever reach the Aral Sea, or if it does, what quantities and how frequently this will occur. If the flow does not reach the Aral Sea, the salts it carries (about 2.5 million tonnes per year) will remain and accumulate along the collector route, with consequent risks of gradual salinisation of the grazing areas nearest to it, and of any shallow wells. * The Feasibility Report appears to assume that the route of the Main Collector will follow the same route as the channel that has already been excavated as far as km 65. In some places the choice of route does not appear to be optimal. There is therefore a need to consider whether to make some adjustments to the route that now exists, especially to minimise seepage but also to make maintenance easier. The degree of some of these impacts will depend on strategies adopted upstream. If Lake Ayazkul is retained, evaporation from its surface will reduce by a further 6% the amount of water that has to be conveyed to the Akcha Darya. 4.9.2 Archaeological sites Three routes of the Main Collector drain were considered in the Feasibility Report. One option (Green Route) provides for usage of ancient dry channels of the western-direction watercourses within the Northern Delta. Another (White Route) provides for the collector drain's route to by-pass the Beltau Hills in the east and north-east and to dispose of drainage water into the depression of the former Akpetky archipelago in the south-eastern Aral Sea. The option (Blue Route) now accepted goes mainly in the direction of the meridian and uses the ancient channels of the central direction within the Northern Delta. An archaeological survey of this alignment was carried out from 16 to 26 October 2002. A strip 4 km wide (2 km on each side of the alignment) was investigated. Archaeologists implemented the survey using the search technique for archaeological sites that are not visible on the land surface. The survey covered the distance from the Jana Darya channel (km 0) to the apex of the Akcha Darya delta, 8-10 km south of Chukurkak (km 150). Section 0 - 20 km. Artesian Well Komsola The site of the Kokchatengiz Culture Kosmola-1. Co-ordinates: 430 39' 38.2" N, 610 24' 38.2" E; elevation 64 - 65 m. It is located in an inter-ridge depression at the eastern edge of a sandy ridge stretching in the meridian direction 0.5 km from an ancient channel, along which the Collector aligmnent is planned. Section 20 - 40 km. Artesian Well Aksulu. The site of the Kokchatengiz Culture Aksulu-1. Co-ordinates: 430 33' 10.1" N, 61° 26' 34.8" E ; elevation 62 - 63 m. It is located in an inter-ridge depression ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISrAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 182 stretching in the meridian direction, 0.5 - 0.6 km east of an ancient channel along which the Collector alignment is planned. Single finds of modelled ceramics, probably the same Kokchatengiz Culture, were marked in the vicinity of the well in the inter-ridge depressions at about the same elevations. Section 40 - 50 km. Artesian Well Korjznkak. The Bronze Age site Tuyakbay-1 is located 1.8 - 2.0 km west of an ancient channel along which the Collector alhgnment is planned, at one of the highest points of a low sandy ridge (elevation 62 - 63 m) stretching in the direction of the meridian. Co-ordinates: 430 20' 28.4" N, 610 23' 34.6" E. Moreover, rare finds of modelled ceramics are marked at the transition from ridge slopes to surrounding flat takyrs. There is a sandy ridge with a high sandy hill in its southern part, stretching in the meridian direction about 3 km west of the Collector's alignment. The Bronze Age site Tez-1 is located at the takyr bed of the inter-ridge depression (elevation 62 - 63 m), presented by local congestion of fragments of modelled ceramics. Co-ordinates: 430 20' 42.4" N, 610 21' 10.2" E. The site Tez-2 is located 50 m north of Tez-1. Co-ordinates: 43° 20' 3" N, 610 21' 10.1" E. Type of finds and conditions of their arrangement are similar to the site Tez-1. Single finds of modelled ceramics of the Bronze Age and fragments of medieval gray-clay easel ceramics were marked on surrounding takyrs at the border between sandy slope and flat takyr surface. A search of archaeological sites was undertaken outside the two-kilometre strip directly adjacent to the Collector alignment, in the area of possible flood risk near the collector. A large sandy ridge 7 km east of the collector's route stretching in the meridian direction, which was overgrown by Haloxylon and surrounded by takyrs from every quarter, was surveyed. Two Early Iron Age sites were found within the area of the ridge. The site Korjinkak-1. Co-ordinates: 430 23' 24.6" N, 610 27' 00.1" E. It is located on the western slope of one of the deep inter-ridge depressions at elevation 63 - 64 m, and represents a temporary cattle-breeding site, indicated by local congestion of fragments of modelled ceramics, without any traces of a stationary dwelling. According to tentative evaluation the site can be attributed to the Kokchatengiz Culture. The site Korjinkak-2. Co-ordinates: 430 23' 16.3" N, 610 26' 56.1" E. It is located on the western slope of one of the big inter-ridge depressions. There are remains of a temporary cattle-breeding site without any attributes of a stationary dwelling. It is presented by a local congestion of fragments of modelled ceramics. According to a tentative assessment it can be determined as belonging to the Kokchatengiz Culture. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TAOS / WORLD BANK 183 Section 50 - 150 km. The Collector route, somehow or other, passes through ancient channels along all its length. However, well-marked archaeological sites within a four- kilometre strip along the route are absent. Only single finds of modelled ceramics were noted in some places within inter-ridge depressions. By preliminary assessment these ceramics can be attributed to the Bronze Age. Single finds in the district of the sandy Northern Kongurtay Hill. The hill is within an extended sandy ridge 0.5 km east of the route. There are single finds of Bronze Age ceramic fragments on the slopes of inter-ridge depressions. Co-ordinates: 430 06' 13.4" N, 610 26' 18.5" E. Single archaeological finds of the Bronze Age in the district of Davletchike Hill. The hill is at the northern end of a big sandy ridge stretching in the meridian direction 1 km east of the Collector route. Finds are dispersed within inter- ridge depressions and also on the western base of the ridge slope, on takyr. Co-ordinates: 420 57' 55" N, 610 31' 11" E. Archaeological finds of the Bronze Age in the district of the Erka Hill. The hill is 2 km east of the route, on a developed sandy ridge stretching in the meridian direction. It is sharply distinguished by its elevation (105.1 m above Baltic Sea Datum). Extensive takyrs are around the ridge, representing ancient floodplains of the Akcha Darya. The ridge, probably, was an island within the Northern Delta. There are numerous depressions. Single finds were noted on slopes of depressions and also on adjacent takyrs. Co-ordinates: 420 35' 36" N, 610 32' 16" E. The first issue that it is necessary to note in connection with the problem of protection of the archaeological sites along the collector-drainage route in the Northern Delta, is that the Collector was designed in such a way that its alignment runs mainly through ancient channels of the Akcha Darya where archaeological monuments are certainly absent. The archaeological survey of the route in the Northem Delta of the Akcha Darya, over a distance of 150 km from the outlet of the Akcha Darya Passage to the dry channel of the Jana Darya, allowed ascertaining unambiguously that, within a strip 2 km wide along the collector-drainage route, archaeological sites (monuments of the Adobe Culture, pristine sites with a preserved occupational layer, remains of irrigation infrastructure and manufacturing centres, etc.), which require special protective measures owing to the construction of the Collector, are completely absent. At the same time, there is the problem of preserving archaeological sites of another type, namely the cattle-breeding sites of the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age, which do not have the occupational layer. The scientific significance of this category of archaeological sites is high enough since they are the single source for studying the culture of the Bronze Age tribes as well as the Saxon tribes who settled the territory of the Northern Delta in the 2nd and Ist millennia BC. These sites are usually situated on the high sandy ridges stretching in the meridian direction and within inter-ridge depressions having elevation from 50 m to 65 m above Baltic Sea Datum. Finds of such archaeological sites are, as a rule, absent from the low sandy ridges. The alignment of the Collector ENVIRONMENTALRESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 184 goes through ancient channels on the lowest elevations. As a consequence, the construction and subsequent operation of this collector do not have to impact the archaeological sites of the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age situated on the high sandy ridges. However, it is necessary to note one circumstance, which makes the situation more'ambiguous. During survey of Wetlands IV and V it was established that, owing to flooding of these territories, the ground-water table has risen and surrounding takyrs have become soggy. Salinisation processes were also noted. Foundations of sandy ridges adjacent to takyrs have also got wet. In forecasting future processes, it is impossible not to recognise that some sites located in inter-ridge depressions can be impacted. 4.9.3 Ecological impacts From the point of view of flora and fauna diversity, the most important habitats in the Akcha Darya Delta are the desert vegetation associated with the artesian wells. This combination allows the existence of populations of threatened birds like Sand-grouse (Pterocles alcata, Pterocles orientalhs, Syrrhaptes paradoxus), Houbara bustard (Clamydotis undulata) and raptors like the Saker falcon (Falco cherrug). Further, the wells are of great importance as resting and feeding (drinking) places for migrating birds. Implementation of the core option is supposed to mean that more water will be available for formation of wetlands. However, those wetlands will be of very little value, unless a stable supply of water is ensured. The existing more or less temporary wetlands are of little value as habitats for waterfowl, due to the great discontinuity of water supply, which also is the reason for a very varying content of salts. The planned route for the collector comes close to at least two artesian wells in the Akcha Darya Delta. It should be ensured, that those wells are not polluted with collector water from seepage or any other way of contamination, because of the great value of these wells as drinking places for man, animals and birds. 4.9.4 Continuity and extent of flows in the Main Collector For proper analysis of some of these issues, it will be necessary to formulate predictions of the fate of water flowing into this Main Collector channel. The usual way of doing this would be by a mathematical model of the flow system. We understand that the design consultants are developing such a tool. In 1998 - 99 water flowed in this drain channel as far as km 86. The quantity arriving there must have been substantial, as it created a lake and associated wetlands with an area that was at least 20 km2, perhaps initially as much as 30 km2. The flow also formed other extensive wetlands, as mentioned in Section 4.8, south-west of Chukurkak. It seems virtually sure that these flows of 1998 - 99 would have been sufficient to bring water to the Jana Darya, if the Main Collector channel had been completed at that time. ENVIRONMENTAL REsoURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / 1 ACIS / WORLD )3ANK 185 On the other hand, in 2002 no water at all flowed past km 197 at the beginning of the year (Table 4.8). No drainage water reached Chukurkak during 13 months of monitoring. Thus, in existing conditions, the end-point of water flow in the Collector may vary over a range of more than 110 km (between km 86 and km 197). The range of variation in the future, after full implementation of the Core Project or other alternatives, needs to be predicted, so that proposals such as those for developing fisheries in the wetlands can be assessed. It has become clear, from experiences since 1998, that when new flow ceases in the Collector, the bodies of water remaining from previous flows will rapidly become very saline. This makes the survival of fish, birds and plants in these water bodies doubtful, and causes numerous difficulties for livestock. In the absence of any prediction of the extent and continuity of flow in future, it has not been possible to explain to affected people (especially the herder community) what conditions they should expect. 4.9.5 Route adjustments There are a number of places where the route selection seems unsatisfactory. For example, a short distance north of Chukurkak the existing channel, excavated probably about 7 years ago, enters an area of sandy hills, where it appears that a more favourable route could have been identified a few kilometres farther to the west (see Volume 3, Image Maps 4 and 5). Other parts of the channel where the route selection does not seem to be optimal lie farther north, and also in the Akcha Darya Passage. This may lead to excessive seepage from the Collector in such areas, which could in turn cause undesirable wetland formation. In addition, these stretches of the channel are likely to receive more windblown sand, so their maintenance will be more costly. We have not made a survey to identify all such places, but there appears to be a specific problem between about km 90 and km 130. In that stretch, the satellite imagery seems to indicate a route, approximately parallel but farther west, that may be more favourable. 4.9.6 Mitigation of adverse impacts The principal steps required to mitigate the impacts of the Main Collector in the Akcha Darya Delta are: * Predictions of the extent and continuity of flow in the Collector should be developed by a mathematical model. Such a model should be improved and validated during the early years of operation of the Collector, and should then be made available to the organisation that will be responsible for operation and maintenance of the Collector. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLICOFUZBEKISTAN / TACOS / WORLD BANK 186 Management of the Collector should be organised with the objective of sustaining flow at a rate as steady as possible, and of avoiding the kind of large ranges of variation discussed above in Section 4.9.3. * During the archaeological survey of Wetlands TV and V it was established that, owing to flooding of these territories, the ground- water table has risen and surrounding takyrs have become soggy. Salinisation processes were also noted. Foundations of sandy ridges adjacent to takyrs have also got wet. In forecasting future processes, it is impossible not to recognise that some sites located in inter-ridge depressions can be impacted. Two actions are recommended for solving this problem: > As the direction and scale of the above-mentioned issues are not clear, archaeological monitoring should be implemented during construction of the Main Collector, and especially during the first years of its operation; > Scientific documentation for the archaeological sites within the affected zone (maps, and full scientific study of them) should be prepared. Taking into consideration lack of the occupational layer, it can be assumed that such works would not require a lot of time and funds. Based on events that have already been observed during construction, we consider that the potentially affected zone, for this purpose, should be considered to extend for 10 km on the west side, and 5 km on he east side, of the Main Collector route. * The proposal to develop fisheries, and to facilitate these by constructing small retaining weirs and fish passes between wetland zones, seems unlikely to succeed and should be abandoned. The reasons for this view are that it will be very difficult to maintain a sufficiently stable environment for these fish; the present users of the land seem unlikely to want to use it in this way; and it will be difficult to bring such fish to market unless other facilities, for refrigeration and transport, are also provided. * Bridges should be provided across the Collector, for the transit of animals. The locations of these should be selected in consultation with the herders. These should not be regarded as a measure to help the herders, but as a necessary protection of the channel itself, because, in the absence of bridges, animals will cross the channel by scrambling up and down its banks, thereby causing damage and increased maintenance costs. * All existing ground-water sources (boreholes or shallow wells) that lie within 10 km of the route of the Main Collector should be protected against the possibility of inundation, by surrounding them with low bunds, or other measures as may be appropriate. * Concerning the possibility of future flooding in Chukurkak village, we consider that the reported flooding there in 1998 may have been caused by some special local circumstances leading perhaps to a temporary blockage of the channel immediately downstream. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISI AN / TAOS / WORLD BANK 187 Therefore we think that no adjustments of the Collector's design are necessary here; but the mathematical model recommended above should be used to verify this, and the situation should be reviewed under the actual operation of the Collector. o There should be fresh consideration of the alignment of the first 40 km north of Chukurkak (km 90 to 135, approximately) where some parts of the route appear to pass through sandy areas that are likely to be more permeable. Imagery of the area suggests that a better route may be available to the west of the existing line. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 188 30 0 30 km Project: 500 000 Environmental Assessment of * ' 1'1 500 000 Daymgation and Drainage in the Amu Darya Basin - Phase III, Stage It N South Karakalpakstan Main Colliector U~~~~~~~~~~2 Client: Republic of Uzbekistan, Ministry u gctu and Water Resources % / - '' \ Prepared By: ERM % Republic of ! , - ,_ - N. Kazakhstan Karakalpakstan - . Takhtakupir Chukurkak N. Xs Nukus ' Khpchak | l Y r~~~~~~~~~~Kok Darya rLake i 5_ \ ~Lake - Ayazkul I \ Akshakul i \ ,~~Akch Turkmenistan , Urgench J Tunrkul,. Legend A *.A Intemational Boundary S Main Town 0 Village A * Gauging Station * River Tuyamuyun 2T fU . Jana Darya Dry Watercourse Existing Main Collector Drain Collector Drain (partially constructed) ',- Ma in Irrigation Area Map 4.1: Location of Gauging Stations Republic of Karakalpakstan Ap G auging ______________ Along the Amu Darya River Project: 10 0 10 km Environmental Assessment of Irrigaton and Drainage in the Amu 1 500 000 Darya Basin - Phase-III, Stage 11 South Karakalpakstan Main Colliector N Client: Republic of Uzbekistan, Ministry of Agnculture and Water Resources W E Prepared By. / ERM Kok Darya Baday Tugai ~~ Reserverv Averag deth fro lan sufc Map 42: Depths toGroundwe. .. . r...... .. ____________ ________ _ in the Irrigat.on.Syste ms ... " \............... . . 0 t.. . . :. . . .: :: ::::::x:::. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . z r : ; A:.. . . . . . . . .E: t n l ..: ,3 1 r ' .: .j .... .. . ........ ... v t} H *--C ;;, sS. . . . . . S. . . . . . . . .. :\:: Legend.\ (D~~~~~~~ Mai Town:. i.''... . River< ',''f Reserve ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ _ ...... Elevabon of water-table....... Avergeend.fomlndsrfc Elvaono water-table _1 98) 0- 31-3 : 5 -5 Map 4.2: Depths to Groundwater No Data in the Irrigation Systems Project, *10 0 10 km Envronmental Assessment of Imgaton and Drainage in the Amu 1'500 000 Darya Basin - Phase iII, Stage II South Karakalpakstan Main Colilector N Client: Republic of Uzbekistan, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources Prepared By. Lake Baday Tugai .......... ..... "// i >-- ~Reserve ,, 0 Legend ...91 S) Main Town ...l := Water .. r 1A/ Existing Main Collector Drain //Existing Irngatbon Canals \ 7 ?f un , Reserve e n Main lrngation Area Soil Salinity L Slightly Saline 2 - 4 dS/m Medium Saline 4 - 8 dS/m Map 4.3: Soil Salinity in the = Heavily Saline >8 dS/m Map gtin Iysem Irrigation Systems Table 4.1 Changes in the storage of water in Tuyamuyum Dam, 2002 Units: Mm3; % of total capacity March April May June July August September Plan 1,770 2,030 1,939 2,537 2,292 1,910 2,115 Actual 1,770 2,573 4,313 5,741 6,287 6,293 Plan 24.3% 27.9% 26.7% 34.9% 31.5% 26.3% 29.1% Actual 24.3% 35.4% 59.3% 79.0% 86.5% 86.6% Notes: Total capacity including dead storage is 7,270 Mm3 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCFS MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACS / WORLD BANK 192 Table 4.2 Flow rates in Amu Darya at Tuyamuyun and Kipchak, during high flow period in 1998 June July August T'muyun Kipchak Difference T'muyun Kipchak Difference T'muyun Kipchak Differenc 1 3,930 3,250 680 2,020 1,200 820 4,170 3,050 1,120 2 4,050 3,290 760 2,420 1,320 1,100 4,080 2,930 1,150 3 4,130 3,550 580 2,680 1,280 1,400 3,910 2,870 1,040 4 4,130 3,830 300 3,030 1,530 1,500 3,790 2,630 1,160 5 4,150 4,000 150 3,270 1,900 1,370 3,570 2,530 1,040 6 4,130 4,040 90 2,960 2,300 660 3,420 2,340 1,080 7 4,130 3,970 160 3,360 2,250 1,110 3,310 2,170 1,140 8 4,170 3,900 270 3,540 2,070 1,470 3,210 2,070 1,140 9 4,170 3,830 340 3,680 2,380 1,300 3,090 2,030 1,060 10 4,190 3,860 330 3,740 2,460 1,280 3,030 1,950 1,080 11 4,110 3,830 280 3,700 2,530 1,170 3,040 1,800 1,240 12 3,910 3,790 120 3,720 2,560 1,160 2,910 1,820 1,090 13 3,810 3,580 230 3,830 2,510 1,320 3,100 1,800 1,300 14 3,850 3,450 400 3,830 2,580 1,250 3,100 1,710 1,390 15 3,790 3,380 410 3,830 2,680 1,150 3,110 1,730 1,380 16 3,610 3,320 290 3,950 2,630 1,320 3,130 1,910 1,220 17 3,590 3,020 570 4,120 2,660 1,460 3,100 2,080 1,020 18 3,570 2,660 910 4,190 2,710 1,480 2,980 2,080 900 19 3,540 2,580 960 4,310 2,870 1,440 2,830 2,050 780 20 3,450 2,580 870 4,370 2,960 1,410 2,840 1,930 910 21 3,010 2,530 480 4,510 3,100 1,410 2,740 1,850 890 22 2,750 2,130 620 4,490 3,160 1,330 2,680 1,850 830 23 2,680 1,700 980 4,490 3,160 1,330 2,680 1,760 920 24 2,480 1,600 880 4,510 3,190 1,320 2,670 1,740 930 25 2,400 1,500 900 4,510 3,220 1,290 2,670 1,740 930 26 2,260 1,420 840 4,530 3,220 1,310 2,650 1,730 920 27 2,100 1,380 720 4,510 3,320 1,190 2,570 1,740 830 28 2,140 1,280 860 4,490 3,380 1,110 2,500 1,740 760 29 2,050 1,230 820 4,410 3,410 1,000 2,440 1,680 760 30 2,250 1,250 1,000 4,350 3,380 970 2,330 1,640 690 31 4,270 3,160 1,110 2,180 1,570 610 Mean 3,418 2,858 560 3,859 2,615 1,243 3,027 2,017 1,010 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACS / WORLD BANK 193 Table 4.3 Daily discharge of Location A (outfallfrom Beruni Pump Station), August 2001 to August 2002 Date Aug 01 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan 02 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 1 0.138 0.036 0.074 0.160 0.181 0.120 0.073 0.284 0.163 0.639 0.676 0.498 0.630 2 0.119 0.127 0.099 no flow 0.159 0.103 0.152 0.469 0.768 0.668 0.652 0.407 0.727 3 0.119 0.070 0.050 0.161 0.137 0.050 0.105 0.433 0.948 0.804 0.611 0.612 0.653 4 0.409 0.180 0.163 0.153 0.148 0.180 0.153 0.086 0.740 1.242 0.547 0.712 0.693 5 no flow 0.281 0.057 0.144 0.141 no flow 0.152 0.530 0.584 0.779 0.808 0.676 0.682 6 0.120 0.159 0.180 0.009 0.120 0.158 0.156 0.547 0.598 0.593 0.824 0.709 0.658 7 0.099 0.080 0.198 0.087 0.089 0.150 0.177 0.371 0.409 0.795 0.577 0.408 0.498 8 0.092 0.159 0.102 0.131 0.101 0.122 0.138 0.708 0.312 0.708 0.854 0.279 0.495 9 0.251 0.175 0.088 0.135 0.167 0.068 0.136 0.401 0.349 0.704 0.672 0.408 0.602 10 0.226 0.125 0.055 0.063 0.159 0.148 0.082 0.472 0.187 0.701 0.816 0.763 0.692 11 0.237 0.214 0.168 0.061 0.095 0.151 0.180 0.322 0.278 0.665 0.854 0.754 0.707 12 0.101 0.058 0.120 0.153 no flow 0.161 0.220 0.320 0.285 0.473 0.866 0.416 0.774 13 0.139 0.000 0.110 0.080 0.104 0.134 0.164 0.656 0.295 0.191 0.779 0.498 0.690 14 no flow 0.033 0.300 0.034 0.248 0.078 0.192 0.538 0.342 0.398 0.791 0.726 0.764 15 0.193 0.191 0.185 0.058 0.075 0.091 0.180 0.626 0.306 0.471 0.811 0.716 0.752 16 0.156 0.109 0.183 0.116 0.153 0.144 0.201 0.531 0.367 1.225 0.811 0.613 0.610 17 0.117 0.108 0.088 0.200 0.049 0.086 0.182 0.605 0.407 0.834 0.847 0.550 0.567 18 0.097 0.096 0.170 0.120 0.150 0.071 0.171 0.624 0.453 0.277 0.856 0.842 0.832 19 0.079 0.098 0.270 0.150 0.084 no flow 0.190 0.604 0.452 0.440 0.878 0.721 0.751 20 no flow 0.123 0.360 0.187 0.167 0.178 0.154 0.609 0.515 0.585 0.458 0.725 0.738 21 0.175 0.328 0.098 0.117 0.159 0.112 0.183 0.524 0.313 0.576 0.504 0.640 0.625 22 0.185 0.172 0.099 0.000 0.256 0.076 0.233 0.518 0.493 0.403 0.530 0.592 0.578 23 0.132 0.193 0.119 0.174 0.176 0.108 0.233 0.597 0.143 0.514 0.472 0.513 0.263 24 0.149 0.094 0.130 no flow 0.139 0.280 0.268 0.614 0.483 0.428 0.791 0.541 0.523 25 0.173 0.176 0.146 0.057 no flow 0.123 0.276 0.606 0.621 0.493 0.673 0.586 0.551 26 0.066 0.061 0.152 0.069 0.135 0.139 0.280 0.618 0.302 0.575 0.797 0.492 0.490 27 0.102 0.021 0.124 0.103 0.136 0.143 0.251 no flow 0.513 0.579 0.588 0.694 0.635 28 0.190 0.190 0.140 0.121 0.123 0.147 0.269 no flow 0.624 0.571 0.953 0.748 0.722 29 0.038 0.029 0.139 0.149 0.158 0.193 no flow 0.632 0.663 0.557 0.676 0.623 30 0.036 0.019 0.126 0.170 no flow 0.054 0.044 0.616 0.786 0.341 0.695 0.638 31 0.045 0.167 0.083 0.175 0.111 0.758 0.724 0.698 Total 3.98 3.71 4.46 3.16 3.89 3.74 5.15 13.37 13.50 19.54 21.19 18.94 19.86 Units: Million m3 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TAOS / WORLD BANK 194 Table 4.4 Daily Discharge of Location B (between Kyzyl-kum Pump Station and Lake Ayazkul), August 2001 to August 2002 Units: Million ni3 Date Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 01 02 1 0.046 0.044 0.057 0.036 0.035 0.096 no 0.125 0.170 0.233 0.273 0.335 0.390 flow 2 0.060 0.034 0.060 0.035 0.043 0.114 no 0.114 0.183 0.233 0.290 0.347 0.390 flow 3 0.061 0.019 0.054 0.033 0.086 0.114 0.154 0.105 0.191 0.510 0.282 0.280 0.490 4 0.051 0.052 0.053 0.056 0.089 0.076 0.154 0.110 0.271 0.241 0.341 0.353 0.390 5 0.059 0.058 0.058 0.029 0.318 0.146 0.164 0.087 0.133 0.233 0 241 0.317 0.390 6 0.030 0.058 0.051 0.090 0.296 0.134 0.150 0.089 0.122 0.550 0.252 0.311 0.390 7 0.025 0.058 0.055 0.103 0.196 0.029 0.154 0.089 0.209 0.571 0.260 0.307 0.490 8 0.067 0.058 0.060 0.090 0.089 0.146 0.164 0.183 0.186 0.432 0.219 0.334 0.540 9 0.067 0.058 0.015 0.090 0.099 0.146 0.164 0.179 0.140 0.495 0.241 0.250 0.540 10 0.067 0.065 no 0.051 0.093 0.146 0.147 0.180 0.138 0.331 0.263 0.284 0.490 flow 11 0.070 0.047 0.004 0.043 0.043 0.146 no 0.115 0.245 0.315 0.269 0.237 0.390 flow 12 0.069 0.047 0.056 0.012 0.099 0.146 0.133 0.136 0.147 0.315 0.279 0.252 0.305 13 0.026 0.114 0.052 0.115 0.099 0.146 0.133 0.184 0.192 0.278 0.279 0.290 0.312 14 no 0.058 0.047 0.138 0.099 0.148 0.133 0.176 0.162 0.387 0.279 0.219 0.302 flow 15 no 0.114 0.047 0.036 0.099 0 146 0.175 0.180 0.185 0.367 0.382 0.282 0.305 flow 16 no 0.058 0.054 0.136 0.099 0.161 0.169 0.176 0.185 0.367 0.279 0.263 0.268 flow 17 0.068 0.024 no 0.058 0.050 0.146 no 0.087 0.187 0.414 0.317 0.283 0.300 flow flow 18 0.044 0.054 0.051 0.058 0.080 0.075 0.120 0.088 0.161 0.486 0.318 0.274 0.311 19 0.044 0.055 0.091 0.059 0.139 0.146 0.085 0.113 0.203 0.260 0.258 0.251 0.284 20 0.026 0.059 0.091 0.170 0.099 0.199 0.082 0.159 0.203 0.222 0.294 0.286 0.320 21 0.050 0.058 0.093 0.163 0.098 0.094 0.167 0.146 0 158 0.296 0.265 0.315 0.286 22 0 050 0.059 0.050 0.038 0.089 0.152 0.116 0.162 0.198 0.296 0.191 0.250 0.280 23 0.060 0.019 0.049 0.205 0.089 0.142 0.088 0.162 0.062 0.262 0.287 0.260 0.279 24 0.060 0.017 0.155 0.129 0.030 0.090 0.081 0.172 0.294 0.333 0.287 0.250 0.257 25 0.060 0.103 0.047 0.201 0.028 0.061 0.162 0.184 0.277 0.276 0.257 0.259 0.243 26 0.059 0.200 0.047 0.146 0.042 0.092 0.094 0.265 0.298 0.266 0.312 0.265 0.257 27 0.077 0.070 no no 0.014 0.087 0.105 0.265 0.229 0.093 0.310 0.265 0.252 flow flow 28 0.077 0.069 no 0.111 0.029 0.094 0.140 0.253 0.203 0.415 0.333 0.348 0.256 flow 29 0.077 0.072 0.036 0.029 0.079 0.000 0.253 0.210 0.488 0.333 0.318 0.298 30 0.077 0.071 0.039 0.049 0.078 0.120 0.253 0.214 0.369 0.343 0.328 0.285 31 0.020 0.017 0.013 0.150 0.253 0.323 0.328 0.231 Total 1.55 1.87 1.49 2.51 2.84 3.68 3.23 5.04 5.76 10.65 8.54 8.94 10.52 Source: Monitonng programme ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACS / WORLD BANK 195 Table 4.5 Daily discharge of Location C (Ayazkalinski Collector, downstream of Lake Ayakzul), August 2001 to August 2002 Unts: Mllion m3 Date Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 01 02 1 0.007 no no no no no 0.04 0.049 no no no no 0 08 flow flow flow flow flow 0 flow flow flow flow 6 2 0.005 no 0 04 0.043 0.08 flow 4 4 3 0.004 0.114 0.04 0.038 0.08 0 6 4 no 0.114 0.04 0.031 0.08 flow 1 4 5 0.112 0.04 0.027 0.08 1 6 6 0.098 0.04 0.024 0.08 1 6 7 0.104 0.04 0.020 0.08 1 4 8 0.102 0.04 no 0.08 I flow 9 9 0.105 0.04 0.09 1 4 10 0.000 0.04 0.08 1 9 11 0.000 0.03 0 001 0.08 2 6 12 0.104 0.03 0.028 0.08 8 9 13 0.104 0.04 0.062 0.08 1 0 14 0.104 0.04 0.068 0 07 1 4 15 0.101 0.03 0 077 0.06 8 8 16 0.105 0.04 0.092 0.06 2 5 17 no 0.04 0 089 006 flow 0 3 18 0.04 0.092 0.06 0 7 19 0.04 0 095 0.07 0 4 20 0.04 0.086 0.07 2 8 21 0.040 0.04 0.089 0.08 5 0 22 0.039 0.04 0.086 0.08 1 4 323 0.039 0.04 0.078 0.07 0 8 24 0.039 0.04 0.089 0 07 5 5 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLICOF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD 13ANK 196 Date Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 01 02 25 0.039 0.05 0.089 0.07 4 0 26 0.040 0.05 0.086 0.06 4 9 27 0.040 0.05 0.089 0.07 2 5 28 0.040 0.05 0.086 0.07 2 7 29 0.040 0.084 0.07 4 30 0.040 0.086 0.07 3 31 0.040 0.086 0.08 0 Total 0.02 0 1.27 0 0 0.44 1.18 0.23 0 0 0 1.64 2.45 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACGS / WORLD BANK 197 Table 4.6 Daily discharge of Location D (collector VST 1, upstream of its outlet), August 2001 to August 2002 Units: Million m3 Date Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 01 02 1 no no 0 003 0 001 0.002 no 0.012 0 079 0.095 0.061 0.073 0.064 0.080 flow flow flow 2 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.012 0.079 0.068 0.064 0.074 0.064 0.080 3 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.013 0.082 0.074 0.065 0.074 0.067 0 082 4 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.014 0.082 0.067 0.067 0.070 0.067 0.082 5 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.011 0.084 0.095 0.068 0.067 0.068 0.082 6 0.002 0 002 0.002 0.016 0.088 0.094 0 069 0.074 0.068 0.084 7 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.020 0.088 0.096 0.068 0.072 0.075 0.083 8 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.021 0.088 0.095 0.067 0.070 0.065 0 084 9 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.022 0.088 0.095 0.069 0.074 0.066 0.084 10 0.003 0 002 0.002 0.002 0.024 0.088 0.094 0.070 0.073 0 067 0.084 11 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.025 0.089 0.092 0.065 0.071 0.068 0.084 12 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.025 0.104 0.092 0.065 0.068 0.069 0.086 13 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.024 0.091 0.091 0 066 0.063 0.070 0.084 14 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.025 0.093 0.089 0.065 0.062 0.070 0.084 15 0.003 0 002 0 002 0.002 0.025 0.086 0.091 0.064 0 064 0.070 0.083 16 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.025 0.089 0.087 0.063 0.061 0.072 0.084 17 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.036 0.087 0 087 0.063 0.067 0.074 0.081 18 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.002 0 039 0.085 0.088 0.068 0.060 0.073 0.085 19 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.039 0.084 0.083 0.068 0.067 0.072 0 082 20 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.039 0.089 0.083 0.078 0.065 0.075 0.084 21 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.038 0.093 0.086 0.080 0.055 0.075 0 086 22 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.038 0.097 0.089 0.083 0.057 0.076 0.082 23 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.038 0.101 0.093 0.082 0.069 0.076 0.085 24 0.003 0.002 no 0.002 0.039 0.109 0.098 0.077 0.070 0.077 0 084 flow 25 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.033 0.121 0.098 0.077 0.068 0.077 0.087 26 0.003 0.002 0 002 0.035 0.123 0.101 0.076 0.068 0.078 0 080 27 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.039 0.124 0.105 0.062 0.068 0.079 0.078 28 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.043 0.102 0.107 0.061 0 066 0.079 0.082 29 0.003 0.002 0.002 0.089 0 108 0 058 0 066 0.079 0.080 30 0.003 0.003 0.002 0 090 0.109 0.063 0.066 0.080 0.086 31 0.003 0.002 0.092 0.062 0.081 0.078 Total 0.06 0.07 0.04 0.05 0.00 0.77 2.88 2.75 2.11 2.02 2.24 2.57 Source: Monitonng programme ENVIRONMENTALRESOURCESMANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN/ IACIS / WORLD 3ANK 198 Table 4.7 Daily discharge of Location E (collector VST 2, upstream from its outlet), August 2001 to August 2002 Units: Million m3 Date Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 01 02 1 no no no no no no no no 0.005 0.007 0.008 0.005 0.007 flow flow flow flow flow flow flow flow 2 0.005 0.007 0.007 0.005 0.007 3 0.005 0.007 0.008 0.005 0.006 4 0.005 0.007 0.008 0.005 0.006 5 0.005 0.007 0.007 0.005 0.006 6 0.005 0.007 0.007 0.005 0.006 7 0.005 0.007 0.007 0.005 0.006 8 0.006 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.007 9 0.006 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.006 10 0.006 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.006 11 0.006 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.006 12 0.006 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.006 13 0.002 0.006 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.006 14 0.002 0.006 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.006 15 0.002 0.007 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.006 16 0.002 0.007 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.006 17 0.003 0.007 0.007 0.007 0.005 0.006 18 0.003 0.007 0.007 0.007 0.005 0.006 19 0.003 0.007 0.007 0.007 0.005 0.006 20 0.003 0.007 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.006 21 0.003 0.008 0.007 0.006 0.006 0.007 22 0.003 0.008 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.006 23 0.003 0.008 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.005 24 0.004 0.008 0.007 0.006 0.006 0.005 25 0.004 0.008 0.007 0.005 0.006 0.006 26 0.004 0.008 0.007 0.005 0006 0.006 27 0.004 0.008 0.007 0.005 0.005 0.006 28 0.004 0.008 0007 0.005 0.005 0.005 29 0.004 0.008 0.007 0.005 0.006 0.006 30 0.004 0.008 0.007 0.005 0.006 0.006 31 0.004 0.008 0.006 0.007 Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.06 0.20 0.21 0.19 0.16 0.19 Source: Monitoring programme ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACS / WORLD BANK 199 Table 4.8 Daily discharge of Location F (Akcha Darya, downstream of VST 2), August 2001 to August 2002 Units: Million m3 Date Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 01 02 1 no no no no no no no 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.016 0.008 flow flow flow flow flow flow flow 9 4 4 6 2 no 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.015 0.009 flow 9 2 4 3 3 no 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.014 0.009 flow 9 0 4 2 4 no 0.03 0 01 0.01 0.02 0.014 0.009 flow 0 0 4 2 5 no 0.03 0.01 0.01 0.02 0 014 0.009 flow 0 0 2 0 6 no 0.03 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.012 0 009 flow 0 0 1 0 7 no 0.02 0.00 0 01 0.01 0.012 0.009 flow 8 9 0 9 8 no 0 02 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.012 0.009 flow 8 9 9 9 9 no 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.01 0 012 0 009 flow 7 0 9 9 10 no 0.02 0 00 0.01 0.01 0.011 0.009 flow 6 9 9 9 11 no 0.02 0.00 0.01 0.01 0 011 0.009 flow 6 9 5 9 12 no 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.011 0.009 flow 5 9 9 9 13 no 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.01 0 011 0.009 flow 2 9 9 9 14 0.001 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.010 0.009 0 8 9 9 15 0.001 0.01 0.00 0 00 0.01 0 009 no 8 6 9 9 flow 16 0.001 0.01 0 00 0.00 0.01 0 009 0.009 8 7 9 7 17 0.002 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.010 0.008 7 7 9 4 18 0.003 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.010 0 009 7 7 9 3 19 0.005 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.010 0.009 8 7 9 6 20 0.008 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.011 0 009 5 7 0 7 21 0.014 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.01 no 0 009 4 9 0 4 flow 22 0.015 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.01 no 0.009 5 9 0 6 flow 23 0 018 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.02 no 0.009 2 0 0 0 flow 24 0.022 0.01 0.01 0 01 0.01 no 0.010 5 1 0 9 flow 25 0.025 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 no 0.009 ENVIRONMENTALRESOURCESMANAGEMENT REPUBLICOFUZBEKISTAN/ TACIS/ WORLDBANK 200 Date Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 01 02 6 1 0 7 flow 26 0.028 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 no 0.009 4 0 2 flow 27 0.027 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.00 no 0.009 0 3 0 0 flow 28 0.028 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 no 0.009 4 4 2 0 flow 29 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 no 0.009 5 4 0 0 flow 30 - 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 no 0.009 6 4 0 0 flow 31 0.01 0.01 0.008 0.009 5 6 Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.20 0.61 0.30 0.34 0.47 0.24 0.28 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKLSTAN / TACOS / WORLD BANK 201 Table 4.9 Inputs and outputs of water in the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems, August 2001 to August 2002 Units: Mm3 River flow Gravity inputs Pump inputs Drain outflows Tuyamuyun Kipchak RB Canal Pakhta-arna Turtkul Ellikala Berum Total inputs Berum Kyzyl VST 1 VST 2 Total -kum drained Aug 01 974 405 70.00 0.00 0.00 7.43 22.81 100.24 3.98 1.55 0.00 0.00 5.53 Sep 01 719 372 36.30 0.00 0.00 3.62 10.97 50.89 3.71 1.87 0 06 0.00 5.64 Oct 01 437 239 21.90 0.00 0.00 11.29 0.00 33.19 4.46 1.49 0.07 0 00 6.02 Nov 01 319 193 16.10 0.00 0.00 2.59 0.86 19.55 3.16 2.51 0.04 0 00 5.71 Dec 01 377 209 4.90 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.95 7.85 3.89 2.84 0.05 0 00 6.78 Jan 02 317 162 5.30 0.00 0.00 0.86 8.31 14.47 3.74 3.68 0.00 0.00 7 42 Feb 02 652 269 40.30 0.00 0.00 2.90 8.90 52.10 5.15 3.23 0.77 0.00 9.15 Mar 02 1,307 587 81.10 0.00 1.73 17.88 43.22 143.93 13.37 5.04 2.88 0.00 21.29 Apr 02 1,130 553 49.30 0.00 0.00 1.90 11.83 63.03 13.50 5.76 2.75 0.20 22.21 May 02 2,259 1,326 113.50 3.60 2.26 6.77 37.36 163.49 19.54 10.65 3.12 0.21 33.52 Jun 02 4,285 2,970 142.20 14.90 1 72 3.62 45.54 207.98 21.19 8.54 2.02 0.19 31.94 Jul 02 4,608 3,089 203.40 23.60 3 62 11.94 103.89 346.45 18.94 8.94 2.24 0.16 30.27 Aug 02 3,873 2,333 191.10 25.20 5.35 7.35 95.96 324.96 9.26 4.89 1.33 0 10 15.58 Total 21,256 12,710 975.4 67.3 14.7 78.1 392.6 1,528.1 123.9 61.0 15.3 0.9 201.1 Source: Amu Darya River Basin Organisation (for inputs); Monitoring programme (for drain flows) ENVIRONMENTrAL RESOURCE5 MANAGENENr REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISFAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 202 Table 4.10 Ratio between water drained to Main Collctor and irrigation inputs Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Outflows to drams 1998 17.4 25.3 77.8 86.7 74.0 68.6 62.1 79.2 61.6 49.1 47.9 43.9 693.6 1999 50.7 50.9 77.0 63.1 65.2 66.9 75.4 77.3 87.2 59.4 46.4 48.6 768.1 2000 57.8 58.7 79.9 75.4 52.7 51.5 31.8 37.6 28.0 22.2 19.7 21.4 536.7 2001 5.5 5.6 6.0 5.7 6.8 2002 7.4 9.2 21.3 22.2 33.5 31.9 30 3 15.6 Irrigation inputs 1998 1483. 1 1999 55.1 165. 141 92.1 188. 208. 236. 236. 82.5 96.1 68.7 58.8 1630. 6 1 3 6 7 9 3 2000 52.2 112. 223. 110. 104. 170. 198. 126. 73.3 48.6 35.0 30.0 1285. 0 2 9 2 7 5 5 0 2001 100. 50.9 33.2 19.6 7.9 2 2002 14 5 52.1 143. 63.0 163. 208. 346. 325. 9 5 0 5 0 Drainage ratio 1998 0.468 1999 0.92 0.30 0.54 0.68 0.34 0.32 0.31 0.32 1.05 0.61 0.67 0.82 0.471 0 7 6 5 6 1 9 6 7 8 5 7 2000 1.10 0.52 0.35 0.68 0.50 0.30 0.16 0.29 0.38 0.45 0.56 0.71 0.418 7 4 8 0 6 2 0 7 2 7 3 3 2001 0.05 0.11 0.18 0.29 0.86 5 1 1 2 4 2002 0.51 0.17 0.14 0.35 0.20 0.15 0.08 0.04 3 6 8 2 5 4 7 8 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 203 Table 4.11 Summary of key water-table statistics, 1981 to 2000 Turtkkul Ellikala Beruni Annual average depth to water- Mimmum 1.32 1.49 1.25 (1982) table (metres) (1982) (1999) Mean 1.83 1.88 1.61 Maximum 2.37 2.35 1.85 (1985, (1990) (2000) 2000) Average extent of high water- Above 1.5 m 23.1 19.9 36.5 table (%) Above 2.0 m 74.1 78.6 91.6 Extent of salinised soils, 1997 - Highly salme (>6 g/l) 12.1 11.4 7.7 98 (%) Medium and high (>* 36.6 32.6 40.8 g/l) Trend of rise (-) or fall (+) of 1981 - 2000 +0.017 +0.001 +0.002 water-table (m/y) 1981 - 1999 +0.015 - 0.007 - 0.001 Source: Tables 2.6 to 2.8 and 2.23 ENVIRONMEN;IAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 204 Table 4.12 Effects of leaching on soil salinity Units: dS/m (electrical conductivity) Before leaching (Oct 99) After leaching (Apr 00) Turtkul 4.56 3.23 Ellikala 4.08 2.74 Beruni 4.26 3.17 Overall 4.30 3.05 Source: Hydro-geological Survey of Karakalpakstan, Nukus ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLICOFUZBEK6STAN / TACS / WORLD BANK 205 Table 4.13 Depth to water-tables in observation wells at Baday Tugai, August- September, 2001 Umnts: metres below local ground-level August Sept 2001 2001 Well no. Ground 2 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 level 1 87.58 2.66 2.67 2.69 2.71 2.73 2.75 2.72 2.67 2 88.13 4.35 4.30 4.25 4.17 4.05 3.99 4 20 404 3 88.76 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 4 89.04 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5 00 >5.00 5 89.61 4.87 4.87 4.87 4.88 4.88 4.89 4.98 4.96 6 89.11 4.13 4.16 4.19 4 22 4.23 4.25 4.16 4.25 7 88.54 4.96 4.86 4.71 4.61 4.56 4.51 4.59 4.63 8 87.91 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 4.90 9 87.72 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 4.99 4.96 4.94 4.94 4.92 10 87.85 >5.00 4.19 4.14 4.09 3.99 4.05 4 36 4.17 11 87.00 4.80 4.63 4.55 4 33 4.13 3.93 3.90 3.88 12 87.06 4.56 4.58 4.60 4.63 4.67 4.70 4.68 4.66 13 88.61 4.48 4.52 4.57 4.70 4.78 4.89 >5.00 >5.00 14 88 84 4.00 3.95 3.79 3.70 3.57 3.45 3.59 3.64 15 88.46 4.06 4.10 4.06 4.08 4.09 4.09 3.99 4 01 16 87.68 4.75 4.99 4.95 4.87 4.78 4.70 4 85 4.83 17 87.76 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 18 87.37 4.31 4.32 4.30 4.32 4.31 4.33 4.30 4 28 19 86.87 3.76 3.76 3.77 3.78 3.77 3.77 3 79 3.72 20 87.28 414 4.15 4.14 4.15 4.15 4.16 4 14 4.09 21 88.15 4.01 4.04 4.08 4.11 412 4.16 4.13 4.03 Mean 88.06 4.47 4.43 4.41 4.40 4 37 4,36 4.40 4.40 ENVIRONMFNTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TAOS / WORLi) BANK 206 Table 4.14 Depth to water-table in observation wells in Baday Tugai, October-December 2001 Umnts: metres below local ground-level Oct Nov Dec 2001 2001 2001 Well 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 no. 1 2.74 2.71 2.60 2.56 2.57 2.59 2.58 2.49 2.47 2.44 2 43 2.46 2 4.07 4.05 4.02 4.09 3.98 3.94 3.96 3.95 3.96 3.92 3.87 3.89 3 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 4 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 5 4.93 4.92 4.94 5.00 4.92 4.87 4.90 4.98 4.98 4.91 4.87 4.88 6 4.15 4.17 4.18 4.20 4.21 4.13 4.11 4.19 4.18 4.16 4.15 4.17 7 4.50 4 49 4.47 4.54 4.40 4.29 4.28 4.25 4.22 4.23 4.21 4.20 8 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 4.96 4.96 4.96 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 9 4.86 4.85 4.84 4 85 4.77 4.81 4.87 4.73 4.67 4.65 4.63 4.83 10 3.97 3.89 3.82 3.81 3.79 3.73 3.70 3.64 3.72 3 61 3.56 3.57 11 3.86 3.84 3.82 3.86 3.75 3.79 3.64 3.70 3.72 3.67 3.63 3.57 12 4.65 4.67 4.60 4.58 4.55 4.53 4.47 4.48 4.50 4.44 4.40 4.42 13 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 14 3.61 3.57 3.69 3.99 4.04 3.92 3.90 3.97 4.10 4.06 3.64 3.42 15 3.97 3.96 4.02 4.06 4.07 4.05 4.06 4.08 4.09 4.06 3.93 3.84 16 4 79 4.77 4.76 4.83 4.79 4.77 4.72 4.74 4.77 4.73 4.68 4.76 17 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 18 4.27 4.24 4.19 4.14 4.13 4.15 4.03 4.04 3.95 3.93 3.87 3.81 19 3.71 3.67 3.60 3.58 3.59 3.61 3.48 3 46 3.43 3.41 3.35 3.36 20 4.08 4.02 3.99 3.99 3.94 3.98 3.88 3.89 3.88 3.86 3.78 3.77 21 4.05 4.06 4.08 4.09 4.02 4.05 4.20 4.23 4.22 4.25 4.12 3.91 Mean 4.34 4.33 4.32 4.34 4.31 4.29 4.27 4.28 4.28 4.25 4.20 4.18 Note: Mean includes all values, treating those >5.00 as equal to 5.00 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TAOS / WORLD BANK 207 Table 4.15 Depth to water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, January-March 2002 Units: metres below local ground-level Jan Feb Mar 2002 2002 2002 Well 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 no. 1 2.48 2.42 2.14 2 22 2.23 2.14 2.20 2.23 2.16 2.15 1.92 1 70 2 3.91 3.82 3.87 3.65 3.70 3.76 3.59 3.59 3.55 3.59 3.53 3.54 3 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5 00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 4 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5 00 >5 00 >5 00 5 4.90 4.88 4.85 4.98 4.93 4.95 4.92 5.00 4.74 4.80 4.79 4 74 6 4 19 4.15 4.03 3.85 3.86 3.93 3.93 3.95 3.78 3.80 3.62 3.56 7 4.24 4.19 4.13 3.94 3.94 3.96 3.92 3.97 3 90 3.92 3.83 3.80 8 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5 00 >5 00 >5 00 9 4.80 4.73 4.65 4.78 4.78 4.60 4.56 4.60 4.45 4.43 4.34 3.82 10 3.59 3.53 3.41 3.29 3.27 3.34 3.18 3.24 3.15 3.13 3.09 3.11 11 3.62 3.50 3.39 2.91 2.93 2.61 2.91 3.24 3.23 3.22 3.19 3.09 12 4.43 4.39 4.35 4.19 4.19 4.38 4.40 4.46 4 13 4.11 4.08 4.09 13 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 14 3.46 3 39 3.42 3.75 4.29 4.18 4.18 3.07 2.75 2 75 2.85 2 75 15 3.85 3.94 4.08 3.82 3.87 3.83 3.82 3.72 3.63 3 56 3.55 3.54 16 4.76 4.65 4.51 4.55 4.59 4.88 4.82 4.51 4.03 4 01 4 03 4 02 17 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 4.84 4.78 4.82 5.06 4.60 4.55 4.43 18 3.86 3.73 3.56 3.28 3.36 3.32 3.27 3.18 3.15 3.05 2.71 2.60 19 3.38 3.28 3.22 3.13 3.16 3.11 3.06 3.04 3.01 3.07 3 05 2.92 20 3.79 3.73 3.62 4.00 4.03 2.99 3.01 3.54 3.49 3.48 3.49 3 41 21 3.94 3.90 3.88 3.96 3.97 3.87 3.91 3.58 3.36 3.34 3.33 3.26 Mean 4.20 4.15 4.10 4.06 4.10 4.03 4.02 3.99 3.88 3.86 3.81 3.73 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / 1TAOS / WORLO BANK 208 Table 4.16 Depth to water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, April-June 2002 Units: metres below local ground-level Apr May Jun 2002 2002 2002 Well 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 no. 1 1.79 1.76 1.87 1.70 1.73 1.75 1.97 1.93 2.18 2.20 2.15 2.22 2 3.52 3.51 3.45 3.54 3.52 3.49 3.41 3.44 3.70 3.83 3 61 3.69 3 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 4 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 5 4.72 4.75 4.79 4.74 4.76 4.73 4.71 4.75 4.12 4.15 3.52 4 10 6 3.54 3.72 3.78 3.56 3.58 3.52 3.43 3.57 3.63 3.70 3.43 3.47 7 3.77 2.49 3.76 3.80 3.78 3.75 3.76 3.74 4.99 5.07 3.95 4.99 8 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 9 3.73 3.44 4.39 4.82 4.80 4.73 4.23 4.24 4.22 4.72 4.14 4.24 10 3.06 2.58 2.89 3.11 3.47 3.15 3.08 3.04 3.30 3.32 3.28 3.37 11 3.19 3.90 3.03 3.09 3.13 2.98 3.02 3.04 3.19 3.14 3.14 3.27 12 4.07 3.43 4.05 4.15 4.12 4.06 4.08 4.12 4.19 4.23 4.18 4.19 13 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 14 3.15 3.15 3.24 2.75 2.47 2.35 3.08 2.37 2.48 2.21 1.58 1.66 15 3.33 3.33 3.28 3.54 3.29 3.53 3.19 3.10 3.12 3.15 2.99 3.01 16 3.93 3.92 3.98 4.02 3.93 3.82 3.88 3.87 3.93 3.96 3.47 3.47 17 4.30 429 3.95 443 4.23 4.18 3.91 4.15 4.23 4.39 4.30 4.29 18 2.60 2.67 2.83 2.60 3.09 2.95 2.99 3.05 3.23 3.19 3.26 3.29 19 2.86 2.86 2.76 2.92 2.94 3.16 2.81 2.77 2.84 2.79 2.69 2.77 20 3.39 3.39 3.34 3.21 3.19 3.69 3.32 3.29 3.35 3.32 3.22 3.35 21 3.30 3.30 3.31 3.18 3.11 3.66 2.80 2.81 2.91 3.29 2.36 2.42 Mean 3.73 3.64 3.75 3.77 3.77 3.79 3.70 3.68 3.79 3.84 3.58 3.70 Note: Mean includes all values, treathng those >5.00 as equal to 5.00 ENVIRONMENTALRFsoURCESMANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKESTAN/ TAOS / WORLD BANK 209 Table 4.17 Depth to water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, July-August 2002 Umnts: metres below local ground-level Jul Aug Mean, Aug 2002 2002 2001 - Aug 2002 Wei no. 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 1 2.29 2.35 2.32 2.57 2.64 2.59 2.67 2.66 2.34 2 3.61 3.71 3 60 1.99 2.06 2.04 3 92 3.93 3.71 3 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 5 00* 4 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 5 00* 5 2.58 2 67 2.39 2.87 2.90 2.90 3.24 3.25 4.49 6 3.29 3.45 3.33 3.26 2.90 2.91 3.49 3.51 3.83 7 3.82 3.80 3.95 4.09 4.00 3.97 3.03 3.01 4 13 8 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 5.00* 9 4.21 4.23 3.67 3.56 3.58 3.61 4.24 4.23 4.51* 10 3.35 3.33 3.60 3.51 3.50 3.48 3.64 3.65 3.54* 11 3.34 3.37 3.39 3.46 3.44 3.44 3.47 3.47 3.51 12 4.31 4.34 4.47 4.52 4.51 4.52 3.98 4 04 4.35 13 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 >5 00 >5.00 >5.00 >5.00 4.96* 14 1 58 1.58 1.61 1.98 1.99 2.04 2.16 2.18 3 12 15 2.86 2.87 2 92 2.94 2.94 3.02 3.23 3.26 3.63 16 4.13 4.17 4.27 4.31 4.30 4.26 4.27 4.3 4.41 17 4.38 4.42 4.51 4.66 4.64 4.70 4.53 4.59 4.71* 18 3.39 3.37 3.31 3.59 3.60 3.58 3.76 3.79 3.59 19 2.71 2.75 2.85 2 72 2.74 2.67 280 2.8 3.19 20 3.23 3.25 3.34 3.02 3.07 3.03 3.22 3.23 3.62 21 2.36 239 2.01 2.49 2.50 2.56 2.67 2.68 3.51 Mean 3.59 3.62 3.60 3.60 3.59 3.59 3.73 3.74 4.01 Note: Mean includes all values, treating those >5.00 as equal to 5.00 *: These mean values include some observations deeper tllan 5.00 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 210 Table 4.18 Elevation of water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, August- September 2001 Units: metres above Balthc Sea Datum August Sept 2001 2001 Well no. Ground 2 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 level 1 87.58 84.92 84.91 84.89 84.87 84.85 84.83 84.86 84.91 2 88.13 83.78 83.83 83.88 83.96 84.08 84.14 83.93 84.09 3 88.76 83.76* 83.76* 83.76* 83.76* 83.76* 83.76* 83.76* 83.76* 4 89.04 84.04* 84.04* 84.04* 84.04* 84.04* 84.04* 84.04* 84.04* 5 89.61 84.74 84.74 84.74 84.73 84.73 84.72 84.63 84.65 6 89.11 84.98 84.95 84.92 84.89 84.88 84.86 84.95 84 86 7 88.54 83.58 83.68 83.83 83.93 83.98 84.03 83.95 83.91 8 87.91 82.91* 82.91* 82.91* 82.91* 82.91* 82.91* 82.91* 83.01 9 87.72 82.72* 82.72* 82.72* 82.73 82.76 82.78 82.78 82.80 10 87.85 82.85* 83.66 83.71 83.76 83.86 83.80 83.49 83.68 11 87.00 82.20 82.37 82.45 82.67 82.87 83.07 83.10 83.12 12 87.06 82.50 82.48 82.46 82.43 82.39 82.36 82.38 82.40 13 88.61 84.13 84.09 84.04 83.91 83.83 83.72 83.61* 83.61* 14 88.84 84.84 84.89 85.05 85.14 85.27 85.39 85.25 85.20 15 88.46 84.40 84.36 84.40 84.38 84.37 84.37 84.47 84.45 16 87.68 82.93 82.69 82.73 82.81 82.90 82.98 82.83 82.85 17 87.76 82.76* 82.76* 82.76* 82.76* 82.76* 82.76* 82.76* 82.76* 18 87.37 83.06 83.05 83.07 83.05 83.06 83.04 83.07 83.09 19 86.87 83.11 83.11 83.10 83.09 83.10 83.10 83.08 83.15 20 87.28 83.14 83.13 83.14 83.13 83.13 83.12 83.14 83.19 21 88.15 84.14 84.11 84.07 84.04 84.03 83.99 84.02 84.12 Mean 88.06 83.59 83.63 83.65 83.67 83.69 83.70 83.67 83.66 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REI'UBLICOF UZBEKISTAN / TACLS / WORLD BANK 211 Table 4.19 Elevation of water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, October- December 2001 Units: metres above Baltic Sea Datum Oct Nov Dec 2001 2001 2001 Well 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 no. 1 84.84 84.87 84.98 85.02 85.01 84.99 85.00 85.09 85.11 85.14 85.15 85 12 2 84.06 84.08 84.11 84.04 84.15 84.19 84.17 84.18 84.17 84 21 84.26 84.24 3 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 * * * * * * * * * * * * 4 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84 04 * * * * * * * * * * * * 5 84.68 84.69 84.67 84 61 84.69 84.74 84.71 84.63 84.63 84.70 84.74 84.73 6 84.96 84.94 84.93 84.91 84.90 84 98 85.00 84.92 84 93 84.95 84.96 84.94 7 84.04 84.05 84.07 84.00 84.14 84.25 84.26 84.29 84.32 84.31 84.33 84 34 8 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.95 82.95 82.95 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 * * * * * * * * * 9 82.86 82.87 82.88 82.87 82.95 82.91 82.85 82 99 83.05 83.07 83.09 82.89 10 83.88 83.96 84.03 84.04 84.06 84.12 84.15 84.21 84.13 84.24 84 29 84.28 11 83.14 83.16 83 18 83.14 83.25 83 21 83.36 83.30 83.28 83.33 83.37 83 43 12 82.41 82.39 82.46 82.48 82.51 82.53 82.59 82.58 82.56 82.62 82.66 82.64 13 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83 61 83.61 83.61 83 61 * * * * * * * * * * * * 14 85.23 85.27 85.15 84.85 84.80 84.92 84.94 84.87 84.74 84.78 85.20 85 42 15 84.49 84.50 84.44 84.40 84.39 84.41 84.40 84.38 84.37 84.40 84.53 84.62 16 82.89 82.91 82.92 82.85 82.89 82.91 82.96 82.94 82.91 82.95 83.00 82 92 17 82.76 82.76 82.76 82.76 82.76 82.76 82.76 82.76 82.76 82.76 82.76 82.76 * * * * * * * * * * * * 18 83.10 83.13 83.18 83.23 83.24 83.22 83.34 83.33 83.42 83.44 83.50 83.56 19 83.16 83.20 83.27 83.29 83.28 83.26 83.39 83.41 83.44 83 46 83.52 83.51 20 83.20 83.26 83.29 83.29 83.34 83.30 83.40 83.39 83.40 83.42 83.50 83 51 21 84.10 84.09 84.07 84.06 84.13 84.10 83.95 83.92 83.93 83 90 84.03 84.24 Mean 83.72 83.74 83.75 83.72 83.71 83.73 83.75 83.78 83.78 83.81 83.87 83 88 ENVIRONMENTALRESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLICOFUZBEKISTAN / TACIS/ WORLD BANK 212 Table 4.20 Elevation of water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, January- March 2002 Units: metres above Baltic Sea Datum Jan Feb Mar 2002 2002 2002 Wel 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 no. 1 85.10 85.16 85.44 85.36 85.35 85.44 85.38 85.35 85.42 85.43 85.66 85.88 2 84.22 84.31 84.26 84.48 84.43 84.37 84.54 84.54 84.58 84.54 84.60 84.59 3 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 4 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84 04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 * * * * * * * * * * * * 5 84 71 84.73 84.76 84.63 84.68 84.66 84.69 84.61 84.87 84.81 84.82 84.87 6 84.92 84.96 85.08 85.26 85.25 85.18 85.18 85.16 85.33 85.31 85.49 85.55 7 84.30 84.35 84.41 84.60 84.60 84.58 84.62 84 57 84.64 84.62 84.71 84.74 8 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 * * * * * * * * * * * * 9 82.92 82.99 83.07 82.94 82.94 83.12 83.16 83.12 83.27 83.29 83.38 83.90 10 84.26 84.32 84.44 84.56 84.58 84.51 84.67 84.61 84.70 84.72 84.76 84.74 11 83.38 83.50 83.61 84.09 84.07 84.39 84.09 83.76 83.77 83.78 83.81 83.91 12 82.63 82.67 82 71 82.87 82.87 82.68 82.66 82.60 82.93 82.95 82.98 82.97 13 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 * * * * * * * * * * * * 14 85.38 85.45 85.42 85.09 84.55 84.66 84.66 85.77 8609 86.09 85.99 86.09 15 84.61 84.52 84.38 84.64 84.59 84.63 84.64 84.74 84.83 84.90 84.91 84.92 16 82.92 83.03 83.17 83.13 83.09 82.80 82.86 83.17 83.65 83.67 83.65 83.66 17 82.76 82.76 82.76 82.76 82.76 82 92 82.98 82.94 82.70 83.16 83.21 83.33 * * * * * 18 83.51 83.64 83.81 84.09 84.01 84.05 84.10 84.19 84.22 84.32 84.66 84.77 19 83.49 83.59 83.65 83.74 83.71 83.76 83.81 83.83 83.86 8380 83.82 83.95 20 83.49 83.55 83.66 83.28 83.25 84.29 84.27 83.74 83.79 83.80 83.79 83.87 21 84.21 84.25 84.27 84.19 84.18 84.28 84.24 8457 84.79 84.81 84 82 84.89 Mean 83.86 83.91 83.96 84.00 83.96 84.03 84.04 84.07 84.18 84.20 84.26 84.33 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TAaS / WORLD BANK 213 Table 4.21 Elevation of water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, April-June 2002 Units metres above Baltic Sea Datum Apr May Jun 2002 2002 2002 Well 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 no. 1 85.79 85.82 85.71 85.88 85.85 85.83 85.61 85.65 85.40 85.38 85 43 85.36 2 84.61 84.62 84.68 84.59 84.61 84.64 84.72 84 69 84.43 84.30 84.52 84.44 3 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83.76 83 76 83.76 83.76 * * * * * * * * * * * * 4 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84.04 84 04 * * * * * * * * * * * * 5 84.89 84.86 84.82 84.87 84.85 84.88 84.90 84.86 85.49 85.46 86.09 85 51 6 85.57 85.39 85.33 85.55 85.53 85.59 85.68 85.54 85.48 85 41 85.68 85.64 7 84.77 86.05 84.78 84.74 84.76 84.79 84.78 84.80 83.55 83.47 84 59 83 55 8 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 82.91 * * * * * * * * * * * * 9 83.99 84.28 83.33 82.90 82.92 82.99 83.49 83.48 83.50 83.00 83.58 83.48 10 84.79 85.27 84.96 84.74 84.38 84.70 84.77 84.81 84.55 84.53 84.57 84.48 11 83.81 83.10 83.97 83.91 83.87 84.02 83.98 83.96 83.81 83.86 83.86 83.73 12 82.99 83.63 83.01 82.91 82.94 83.00 82.98 82.94 82.87 82.83 82.88 82.87 13 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 83.61 * * * * * * * * * * * * 14 85.69 85.69 85.60 86.09 86.37 86.49 85.76 86.47 86.36 86.63 87.26 8718 15 85.13 85.13 85.18 84.92 85.17 84.93 85.27 85.36 85.34 85 31 85.47 85 45 16 83.75 83.76 83.70 83.66 83.75 83.86 83.80 83 81 83.75 83.72 84.21 84.21 17 83.46 83.47 83.81 83.33 83.53 83.58 83.85 83.61 83.53 83.37 83.46 83.47 18 84.77 84.70 84.54 84.77 84.28 84 42 84.38 84.32 84.14 84.18 84 11 84 08 19 84.01 84.01 84.11 83.95 83.93 83.71 84.06 84.10 84.03 84.08 84.18 84.10 20 83.89 83.89 83.94 84.07 84.09 83.59 83.96 83.99 83.93 83.96 84.06 83 93 21 84.85 84.85 84.84 84.97 85.04 84.49 85.35 85.34 85.24 84.86 85.79 85 73 Mean 84.34 84.42 84.32 84.29 84.29 84.28 84.36 84.38 84.27 84.22 84.48 84.36 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD I3ANK 214 Table 4.22 Elevation of water-table in observation wells at Baday Tugai, July-August 2002 Units: metres above Baltic Sea Datum Jul Aug Mean, Aug 2002 2002 2001 - Aug 2002 Wel no. 1 8 16 24 1 8 16 24 1 85.29 85.23 85.26 85.01 84.94 84.99 84.91 84.92 85.24 2 84.52 84.42 84.53 86.14 86.07 86.09 84.21 84.20 84.42 3 83.76* 83.76* 83.76* 83.76* 83.76* 83.76* 83.76* 83.76* 83.76 4 84.04* 84.04* 84.04* 84.04* 84.04* 84.04* 84.04* 84.04* 84.04 5 87.03 86.94 87.22 86.74 86.71 86.71 86.37 86.36 85.12 6 85.82 85.66 85.78 85.85 86.21 86.20 85.62 85.60 85.28 7 84 72 84.74 84.59 84.45 84.54 84.57 85.51 85.53 84.41 8 82.91* 82.91* 82.91* 82.91* 82 91* 82.91* 82.91* 82.91* 82.91 9 83.51 83.49 84.05 84.16 84 14 84.11 83.48 83.49 83.24 10 84.50 84.52 84.25 84.34 84.35 84.37 84.21 84.20 84.34 11 83.66 83.63 83.61 83.54 83.56 83.56 83.53 83.53 83.49 12 82.75 82.72 82.59 82.54 82.55 82.54 83.08 83.02 82.71 13 83.61* 83.61* 83.61* 83.61* 83.61* 83.61* 83.61* 83.61* 83.65 14 87.26 87.26 87.23 86.86 86.85 86.80 86.68 86.66 85.72 15 85.60 85.59 85.54 85.52 85.52 85.44 85.23 85.20 84.83 16 83.55 83.51 83.41 83.37 83.38 83.42 83.41 83.38 83.27 17 83.38 83.34 83.25 83.10 83.12 83.06 83.23 83.17 83.31 18 83.98 84.00 84.06 83.78 83.77 83.79 83.61 83 58 83.78 19 84.16 84.12 84.02 84.15 84.13 84.20 84.07 84.07 83.68 20 84.05 84.03 83.94 84.26 84.21 84.25 84.06 84.05 83.66 21 85.79 85.76 86.14 85.66 85.65 85.59 85.48 85.47 84.64 Mean 84.47 84.44 84.47 84 47 84.48 84.48 84.33 84.32 83.59 Note: *: Bottom of well: True level is below this ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEK;STAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 215 Table 4.23 Salinity of ground-water at Baday Tugai, August 2001-August 2002 Units: mg/litre Well Dept Date pH Total CO3 HCO3 Cl S04 Ca Mg Na K no. h (m) dissolve d salts 1 2.67 8.08.01 7.2 12,280 trace 836 3,687 3,518 640 540 2,635 1 2.75 8.09.01 7.2 11,084 659 3,368 3,423 600 468 1,516 1 2.72 16.09.01 7.4 10,768 12 778 3,133 3,262 600 528 2,100 8 1 2.60 16.10.01 7.3 10,080 4 854 2,781 3,023 540 480 2,105 8 1 2.58 16.11.01 7.1 7,796 134 2,429 2,584 352 374 1,780 18 1 2.43 16.12.01 7.0 7,092 trace 115 2,162 2,324 296 295 1,550 14 1 2.20 16.02.02 6.9 6,044 244 1,843 2,118 228 288 1,200 12 1 1.92 16.03.02 7.7 4,332 320 1,028 1,563 276 211 740 23 1 1.87 16.04.02 7.1 1 1.97 16.05.02 7.4 26,576 1 2.15 16.06.02 7.8 30,828 1 231 16.07.02 7.8 15,676 1 2.67 16.08.02 7.4 9,080 22 2,854 2,719 192 432 1,994 Mean 13,689 2 4.30 8.08.01 7.2 2,092 422 417 704 210 60 412 2 3.99 8.09.01 7.1 2,068 456 443 683 212 38 66 2 4.20 16.09.01 6.9 2,471 12 483 651 718 320 84 436 15 2 4.02 16.10 01 6.9 3,140 461 739 1,019 420 120 470 11 2 3.96 16.11.01 7.2 1,828 354 422 611 172 77 311 15 2 3.87 16.12.01 7.3 2,232 310 550 777 224 84 364 12 2 3.59 16.02.02 7.2 1,828 307 461 566 204 53 258 10 2 3.53 16.03.02 6.8 1,864 210 523 566 232 67 254 9 2 3.45 16.04.02 7.4 1,708 2 3.41 16.05.02 7.6 1,932 2 3 61 16.06.02 7.6 2,188 2 3.60 16.07.02 7.1 2,212 2 3 92 16.08.02 7.0 1,900 83 611 625 288 72 180 Mean 2,113 3 >5.00 4 >5.00 5 4.87 8.08.01 7.9 1,096 2.40 205 230 421 210 66 65 5 4.98 16.09.01 7.4 1,500 7.30 220 387 41 160 60 235 7 5 4.94 16.10.01 7.3 2,040 .- 704 912 220 204 170 9 5 4.90 16.11.01 7.4 2,784 51 700 1,050 160 48 105 18 5 4.87 16.12.01 7.3 2,668 10 815 1,157 132 101 80 14 5 4.92 16.02.02 6.9 2,780 727 1,292 192 89 107 36 5 4.79 16.03.02 7.4 2,630 744 1,241 150 108 72 13 5 4.79 16.04.02 7.1 2,664 5 4.71 16.05.02 6.8 2,380 5 3.52 16.06.02 7.6 2,492 5 2.39 16.07.02 6.9 2,400 5 3.24 16.08.02 6.8 4,252 293 895 1,741 528 137 610 Mean 2,474 ENVIRONMENTALRESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZUEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 216 Well Dept Date pH Total CO3 HCO3 Cl S04 Ca Mg Na K no. h (m) dissolve d salts 6 4.16 8.08.01 7.6 1,104 3.60 171 257 379 160 42 152 6 4.25 8.09.01 7.1 1,288 337 257 331 165 38 194 6 4.16 16.09.01 7.1 1,716 11.00 329 422 425 200 84 258 8 6 4.16 16.09.01 7.1 1,716 11.00 329 422 425 200 84 258 8 6 4.18 16.10.01 7 0 1,224 3.80 154 299 392 140 48 163 5 6 4.11 16.11.01 7.4 1,664 139 334 747 232 77 184 6 6 4.15 16.12.01 7.3 1,136 273 257 370 160 67 146 12 6 3.93 16.02.02 7.6 1,372 234 337 481 176 43 178 24 6 3 62 16.03.02 7.0 2,084 276 328 846 252 67 278 9 6 3.78 16.04.02 7.1 1,932 6 3.43 16.05.02 6.6 1,816 6 3.43 16.06.02 8.0 1,284 6 3.33 16.07.02 7.3 912 6 3.39 16.08.02 7.9 1,036 278 222 326 108 38 185 Mean 1,428 7 4.51 8.09.01 7.1 1,548 310 355 428 216 31 260 7 4.59 16.09.01 7.3 2,008 6.00 261 563 522 240 72 316 13 7 4.47 16.10.01 7.5 1,548 46 422 474 200 60 166 9 7 4.28 16.11.01 7.6 1,928 193 493 548 240 96 174 74 7 4.21 16.12.01 7.2 2,120 37 691 634 272 74 256 12 7 3.92 1602.02 8.0 2,640 4.80 198 798 810 252 84 424 10 7 3.83 16.03.02 6.8 2,560 249 709 769 292 84 354 10 7 3 76 16.04.02 6.9 2,256 7 3.76 16.05.02 6.8 2,848 7 3.95 16.06.02 7.9 2,532 7 3.95 16.07.02 7.8 8,528 7 3.03 16.08.02 7.7 7,208 76 1,489 3,253 952 540 327 Mean 3,144 8 >5.00 9 >5.00 8.08.01 9 4.94 8.09.01 6.9 12,712 166 3,589 4,205 510 288 3,405 9 4.63 16.12.01 7.5 36,400 18,611 5,377 692 1,265 6,400 42 9 4.56 16.02.02 7.9 33,040 15,421 5,519 70 1,932 6,140 32 9 4.34 16.03.02 7.8 32,476 14,356 5,802 310 1,848 6,600 31 9 4.39 16.04.02 7.6 31,256 9 4.23 16.05.02 7.1 31,836 9 4.14 16.06.02 7.5 29,456 9 3.67 16.07.02 7.6 30,784 9 4.24 16.08.02 7.7 33,384 7 15,154 5,308 720 1,818 7,756 Mean 30,149 10 >5.00 8.08.01 10 4.05 8.09.01 6.7 9,492 120 3,323 2,427 730 270 2,084 10 4.36 16.09.01 6.4 9,624 154 3,203 2,575 920 240 1,910 17 10 3.82 16.10.01 6.7 9,200 395 2,922 2,519 510 300 2,150 15 10 3.70 16.11.01 7.0 9,488 54 3,274 2,378 900 276 1,730 20 10 3.56 16.12.01 6.8 9,132 88 3,403 2,284 820 278 1,766 17 10 3.18 16.02.02 6.9 8,304 112 2,996 2,272 60 684 1,600 15 10 16.03.02 6.4 8,740 17 2,978 2,317 880 294 1,600 14 10 2.89 16.04.02 6.7 8,648 10 3.08 16.05.02 6.55 8,856 10 3.28 16.06.02 6.7 8,436 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANACEMENT REPUBLICOF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS WORLD BANK 217 Well Dept Date pH Total CO3 HCO3 Cl S04 Ca Mg Na K no. h (m) dissolve d salts 10 3.60 16.07.02 6.1 8,496 10 3.64 16.08.02 6.1 9,272 7 3,456 2,589 888 271 1,875 Mean 8,974 11 4.63 8.08.01 7.4 11,770 12.00 519 3,120 4,036 480 516 2,644 11 3.93 8.09.01 7.1 6,368 295 1,728 2,209 570 240 1,188 11 3.90 16.09.01 7.1 6,832 359 1,778 2,371 560 288 1,300 6 11 3 82 16.10.01 7.4 7,460 3.80 261 1,830 2,477 530 282 1,300 6 11 3.64 16.11.01 6.7 6,928 203 2,024 2,493 580 348 1,300 15 11 3.63 16 12.01 7.2 6,772 105 1,826 2,371 452 252 1,250 13 11 2.91 16.02.02 6.5 6,912 81 1,879 2,529 60 522 1,330 13 11 3.19 16.03.02 7.3 6,980 103 1,790 2,554 430 276 1,340 14 11 3.03 16.04.02 7 8,300 11 3.02 16.05.02 6.75 7,832 11 3.14 16.06.02 6.7 8,496 11 3.39 16.07 02 6.0 8,304 11 3.47 16.08.02 6.7 8,752 17 2,357 3,115 508 370 1,643 Mean 7,824 12 4.58 8.08.01 7.6 2,600 2.40 368 567 876 180 72 585 12 4.70 8.09.01 7.2 2,608 469 585 877 188 106 532 12 4.68 16.09.01 7 1 3,320 0.98 466 739 1,066 280 144 612 13 12 4.60 16.10.01 6.7 3,256 342 774 1,139 260 132 560 8 12 4.47 16.11.01 7.8 2,464 28.10 1,154 396 648 28 144 712 21 12 4.40 16.12.01 7.1 2,444 12.00 1,044 390 623 44 130 132 17 12 4.40 16.02.02 8.1 2,440 2.40 799 401 704 36 101 586 13 12 4.08 16.03.02 8.2 2,572 2.40 444 549 849 116 139 480 12 12 4.05 1604.02 8.0 2,712 12 4.08 16.05.02 7.8 2,476 12 4.19 16.06.02 8.1 2,376 12 4.47 16.07.02 7.6 2,644 12 3 98 16.08.02 7.9 2,816 286 620 992 224 110 509 Mean 2,671 13 4.52 8.08.01 7.7 1,672 1.20 188 386 584 130 102 260 13 4.89 8.09.01 7.2 1,772 300 408 620 128 77 419 13 >5.00 16.09.01 13 >5.00 16.11.01 13 >5.00 16.12.01 13 >5.00 16.2.02 13 >5.00 16.3.02 Mean 1,722 14 3 95 8.08.01 7.2 1,220 527 284 244 120 66 237 14 3.45 8.09.01 7.1 1,304 246 355 359 152 70 189 14 3.59 16.09.01 6.7 1,560 512 440 364 300 72 173 6 14 3.69 16.10.01 6.7 1,592 390 461 395 280 67 160 15 14 3 90 16.11.01 6.7 2,000 763 475 206 380 60 156 21 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 218 Well Dept Date pH Total C03 HCO3 Cl S04 Ca Mg Na K no. h (m) dissolve d salts 14 3.64 16.12.01 6.8 1,424 566 337 295 136 65 256 15 14 4.18 16.02.02 9.4 1,388 38.40 708 337 184 20 94 352 19 14 2.85 16.03.02 8.3 1,160 6.00 756 204 153 32 91 270 15 14 3.24 16.04.02 8.3 1,080 14 3.08 16.05.02 6.95 1,272 14 1.58 16.06.02 7.6 860 14 1.61 16.07.02 7.8 772 14 2.16 16.08.02 7 1,004 329 195 272 116 41 109 Mean 1,280 15 4.10 8.08.01 7.5 2,200 347 576 640 200 108 377 15 4.09 8.09.01 6.3 3,804 154 1,152 1,066 350 246 572 15 3.99 16.09.01 6.8 3,260 361 915 902 300 192 435 10 15 4.02 16.10.01 7.0 3,092 854 1,028 407 352 185 400 9 15 4.06 16.11.01 7.9 3,192 149 933 887 360 156 392 10 15 3.93 16.12.01 7.7 2,808 2.40 173 798 889 240 173 400 8 15 3.82 16.02.02 8.5 2,304 2.40 171 603 764 196 115 356 7 15 3.55 -16.03.02 8.3 2,090 6.00 142 567 657 170 162 276 7 15 3.28 16.04.02 8.1 2,216 15 3.19 16.05.02 6.7 2,324 15 2.99 16.06.02 7.9 1,284 15 2.92 16 07.02 7.2 1,204 15 3 23 16.08.02 7.2 1,760 Mean 2,426 16 4.99 8.08.01 16 4.70 8.09.01 7.2 1,564 254 328 558 172 58 269 16 4.85 16.09.01 6.8 2,200 8.50 268 458 819 360 48 289 16 4.76 16.10.01 5.9 2,440 46 567 963 428 53 195 19 16 4.72 16.11.01 5.0 2,024 22 546 721 300 48 150 14 16 4.68 16.12.01 5.9 2,156 37 567 879 116 110 160 16 16 4.82 16.02.02 5.9 2,030 15 514 851 190 108 143 9 16 4.03 16.03.02 5.8 2,280 399 1,162 140 144 170 33 16 3.27 16.07.02 6.5 2,404 16 3.27 16.08.02 6.6 1,024 15 346 402 76 41 78 Mean 2,014 17 >5.00 17 4.78 16.02.02 5.8 2,804 24 567 1,494 160 77 163 17 17 4.55 16.03.02 6.3 1,144 90 266 446 100 36 225 9 17 3.95 16.04.02 6.5 1,152 17 3.91 16.05.02 6.05 2,048 17 4.30 16.06.02 6 2,396 17 4.51 16.07.02 6 1,040 17 4.53 16.08.02 6 Mean 1,764 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISrAN / TAaS / WORLD BANK 219 Well Dept Date pH Total CO3 HCO3 Cl SO4 Ca Mg Na K no. h (m) dissolve d salts 18 4 32 8.08.01 7.7 2,310 12.00 445 505 773 140 60 601 18 4.33 8.09.01 6.9 2,324 83 709 833 164 115 411 18 4.30 16.09.01 7.1 1,828 359 616 395 120 96 400 5 18 4.19 16.10.01 6.8 2,208 700 638 337 192 115 370 8 18 4.03 16.11.01 8.2 2,168 4.90 237 581 601 176 98 346 9 18 3.87 16.12.01 8.5 2,164 363 461 737 208 96 340 9 18 3.27 16.02.02 7.9 2,336 354 532 797 168 91 384 9 18 2.71 16.03.02 7.1 2,856 386 656 940 270 126 420 18 18 2.83 16.04.02 7.1 2,476 18 2.99 16.05.02 8 2,576 18 3.26 16.06.02 7.7 2,804 18 3.31 16.07.02 7.2 2,996 18 3 76 16.08.02 7.3 2,840 242 709 1,030 344 96 245 Mean 2,453 19 3.76 8.08.01 7.1 10,800 720 3,226 3,147 750 576 1,921 19 3.79 16.09.01 6.8 11,276 620 3,925 3,385 780 666 2,150 13 19 3.60 16.10.01 7.2 10,884 759 3,279 3,114 708 638 1,850 27 19 3.48 16.11.01 7.6 10,040 739 2,992 2,987 660 564 1,725 27 19 3.35 16.12.01 8.3 9,084 549 2,677 2,717 676 480 1,500 21 19 3 06 16.02.02 7.6 7,728 2.40 151 2,482 2,473 580 442 1,300 18 19 3.05 16.03.02 7.1 9,130 549 2,482 2,845 480 450 1,900 17 19 2.76 16.04.02 7.1 8,296 19 2.81 16.05.02 6.6 7,756 19 2.69 16.06.02 6.6 8,568 19 2.85 16.07.02 6.8 9,140 19 2.80 16.08.02 6.6 8,120 300 2,801 2,528 620 478 1,493 Mean 9,235 20 4.15 8.08.01 7.6 10,000 12.00 378 2,747 3,205 480 420 2,123 20 4.16 8.09.01 7.1 9,676 339 2,747 3,205 600 450 206 20 4.14 16.09.01 6.8 9,944 6.10 642 2,658 3,186 680 456 1,830 8 20 3.99 16.10.01 7.0 9,180 759 2,428 2,942 540 427 1,890 21 20 3.88 16.11.01 8.2 9,472 8 50 493 2,710 3,098 500 480 1,870 22 20 3.78 16.12.01 8.6 10,008 854 2,712 3,186 536 454 2,050 19 20 3.01 16.02.02 7.8 10,732 787 3,031 3,171 404 461 2,500 18 20 3.49 16.03.02 6.5 8,008 124 2,428 2,554 640 432 1,200 18 20 3.34 16.04.02 6.8 9,044 20 3.32 16.05.02 6.05 10,280 20 3.22 16.06.02 6.7 9,032 20 3.34 16.07.02 7.2 9,548 20 3.22 16.08.02 6.9 8,736 461 2,553 2,834 456 410 1,809 Mean 9,512 21 4.04 8 08.01 7 1 3,420 714 842 922 350 156 560 21 4.16 8.09.01 7.2 3,440 332 975 1,142 348 113 498 21 4.13 16.09.01 6.9 3,068 4.90 517 616 976 380 132 372 5 21 4.08 16.10.01 6.2 2,004 946 443 263 388 86 234 5 21 4.20 16.11.01 8.2 1,108 4 90 185 246 408 132 48 144 11 21 412 16.12.01 7.9 1,204 12 319 479 116 98 140 6 21 3.91 16.02.02 7.5 1,216 5 355 456 128 41 163 9 21 3.33 16.03.02 8.0 1,244 293 248 400 116 58 190 6 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OFUZBEKISTAN / TACS / WORI.D BANK 220 Well Dept Date pH Total CO3 HCO3 Cl S04 Ca Mg Na K no. h (m) dissolve d salts 21 3.31 16.04.02 78 1,348 21 2.80 16.05.02 6.8 1,300 21 2.36 16.06.02 7.5 1,348 21 2.01 16.07.02 7.5 1,616 21 2.67 16.08.02 7 1,792 551 558 879 240 110 492 Mean 1,854 ENVIRONMENTAL RFSOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISrAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 221 Table 4.24 Relation of water-level to discharge, Tuyamuyun gauging station, 1987-1999 Year Water-level corresponding to discharge of: 1,000 m3/s 2,500 m3/s 1987 114.71 116.81 1988 114.37 116 03 1989 114.43 117.10 1990 114.40 116 49 1991 114.27 116.10 1992 113.84 115.29 1993 113.49 115.20 1994 113.49 115.07 1995 113.51 115.94 1996 113.50 115.65 1997 113.77 116.41 1998 113.38 114 91 Mean annual rate of change - 0.118 - 0.117 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUB.IC OF UZBEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 222 Table 4.25 Area and volume of Lake Ayazkul Elevation Eastern Western Whole (m above Basin Basin lake BSD) Area Volume Area Volume Area Volume (km2) (Mm3) (km2) (Mm3) (km2) (m3) 78.5 0.064 0.02 79.0 0.28 0.10 79.5 0.55 0.31 80.0 0.82 0.65 80.5 1.03 1.12 81.0 1.22 1.68 81 5 1.38 2.33 82.0 1.58 3.07 82.5 1.77 3.90 83.0 2.00 4.85 83.5 2.25 5.91 84.0 2.60 7.12 84.5 2.97 8.52 85.0 3.74 10.20 85.5 4.76 12.07 86.0 6.54 14.90 86.5 9.88 19.00 87 0 14.36 25.06 87.5 21.24 33.96 88.0 29.35 46.61 88.5 37.16 63.24 88.8 40.43 82.63 Note: These data were denvedfrom contour mappng of 1965, when the depressions that now contain the lake were still dry. Separate computations for the Eastern and Western Basins have not yet been obtained. ENVIRONMIENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKEsTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 223 Table 4.26 Analysis of twelve water samples takefrom Lake Ayazkul, October 2002 Assumed true location 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 Level Surface Bed Surface Bed Surface Bed Surface Bed Surface Bed Surface Bed Total salimty g/l 19.813 21.100 20.154 23.318 19.569 21.044 9.460 9.466 2.880 2.993 9.161 9.013 pH 7.90 7.38 7.95 8.25 7.55 8.25 7.93 7.93 8.31 8.39 8 11 8.09 COD mg/l 36.3 36.8 36.0 36.0 37.2 36.3 43.7 45.4 36.4 36.1 36.4 36.2 BOD mg/I 182 1.84 1.80 1.80 1 86 1 82 2.19 2.29 1.82 1.80 1.82 1.81 Hardness mg-eq/l 172.5 175.0 190.5 190.0 200.5 187.5 102.5 102.5 42.5 42.5 105.0 110.0 Ca mg/l 882 822 902 922 922 902 521 521 261 281 541 541 Mg mg/I 1,563 1,629 1,338 1,751 1,879 1,733 930 930 359 347 948 1,009 Na+K mg/i 4,174 4,319 3,824 4,522 3,262 4,100 1,384 1,360 132 170 1,228 1,060 Cl mg/l 9,926 10,210 10,990 11,344 10,210 10,990 4,226 4,041 932 929 4,211 4,155 S04 mg/I 3,072 3,072 2,016 2,688 2,208 2,208 1,824 2,016 883 960 1,632 1,632 HCO3 mg/i 146 181 143 146 146 143 192 192 201 207 192 192 Fe mg/ I 0.00 0.08 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 Cu mg/l 0.003 0.003 0.002 0.003 0.002 0.003 0.002 0.003 0.001 0.003 0.002 0.003 Zn mg/l 0.005 0.005 0.004 0.005 0.004 0.005 0.004 0.005 0.003 0.005 0.003 0005 Cr mg/I 0.000 0.00 0.001 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.001 0.0017 0.000 0.0011 Pb mg/ I 0 00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Mn mg/I 0 002 0.008 0.004 0.006 0.00 0.006 0.003 0.005 0.004 0.005 0.004 0.006 NH3 mg/l 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.02 001 0.03 0.00 0.01 0.01 NO2 mg/i 0.002 0.012 0.002 0.00 0.002 0.001 0.00 0001 0.001 0.002 0.001 0.001 NO3 mg/l 173.6 195.8 212.3 213.4 212.7 218.6 86.5 91.7 25.3 22.31 92.4 95.7 P04 mg/I 0.010 0.18 0.156 0.008 0.011 0.006 0.004 0.010 0.005 0.005 0.02 0.000 Si mg/l 1.1 2.7 0.6 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 3.3 3.4 0.05 0.5 F mg/l 0.98 0.96 0.68 0.65 0.75 0.93 1.56 1.46 0.89 0.63 0.68 089 Phenols mg/l 0.002 0.016 0.005 0.015 0.03 0.003 0.008 0.013 0.004 0.004 0.01 0.012 Oil Products mg/l 0.03 0.06 0.05 0.08 0.04 0.04 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.05 0 04 SAS mg/l 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 Hexachlorane pg/l 0.00 0.016 0.006 0.016 0.006 0.014 0.005 0 015 0.006 0.014 0.004 0.015 Lmdane pg/l 0.00 0.006 0.004 0.01 0 004 0.007 0.004 0 006 0.004 0.006 0.003 0.006 DDT pg/l 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0 00 Suspended matter ? 7.8 12.6 2.6 4.3 3.1 1.2 4.1 3 3 2.4 3.2 2.5 4.6 Transparency cm 14 13 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN/ TAaS / WORLD BANK 224 Table 4.27 Salt quantities in Lake Ayazkul Basin Water volume (Mm3) Mean salt concentration (kg/m3) Total mass of salts (t) Western 49.75 17.99 895,000 Eastern 12.44 6.01 74,000 Whole lake 62.19 15.60 970,000 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZEEKISTAN / TACIS / WORLD BANK 225 Table 4.28 Estimation of the rate of salt removalfrom Lake Ayazkul, under different input pumping rates % excess over Water inflow Salt inflow Water outflow Salt outflow Net salt stable rate (m3/d) (t/d) (m3/d) (t/d) increase/ decrease (t/d) 0 216,900 694.1 0 0 + 694.1 10 238,600 763.5 21,700 338.5 + 425.0 20 260,300 832.9 43,400 677.0 + 155.9 30 282,000 902.3 65,100 1,015.6 -113.3 40 303,700 971.7 86,800 1,354.1 - 382.7 50 325,400 1,041.1 108,500 1,692.6 - 651.5 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEK15TAN / TACIS / WORLD B,ANK 226 Table 4.29 Chemical analysis of water entering Lake Ayazkul, August 2001-August 2002 Units: mg/l (Hardness mg-equzv/l) Date pH TDS CO3 HCO3 Cl SO4 Ca Mg Na K Total hardness Aug 2001 1 7.2 6,440 154 1,795 2,303 300 360 1,250 23 44.58 10 7.4 6,100 139 1,690 2,213 300 324 1,220 22 41.62 20 7.3 6,252 0.3 137 1,654 2,246 320 312 1,250 23 41.63 Sept 2001 1 7.3 6,160 154 1,690 2,254 340 312 1,250 23 42.63 10 7.4 7,004 156 1,954 2,559 360 360 1,420 23 47.57 20 8.1 6,468 2.4 137 1,684 2,271 350 348 1,290 21 46.08 Oct 2001 1 8.2 6,628 2.4 146 1,897 2,388 260 360 1,250 21 47.57 10 8.4 6,660 3 141 1,808 2,246 360 324 1,350 21 103.84 20 8.0 6,296 0 142 1,666 2,231 340 378 1,175 22 48.06 Nov 2001 1 7.7 6,408 0 171 1,719 2,227 340 354 1,165 21 46.08 10 8.2 6,400 2.4 156 1,737 2,205 350 372 1,150 21 48.06 20 7.8 6,788 0 181 1,967 2,314 370 354 1,220 20 47.57 Dec 2001 1 8.0 6,292 4.8 156 1,790 2,222 360 288 1,150 21 41.64 10 8.2 6,648 6 203 1,808 2,273 360 324 1,240 19 44.61 20 8.1 6,032 2.4 202 1,577 2,080 330 312 1,150 19 42.13 Jan 2002 1 8.2 5,076 2.4 200 1,366 1,767 280 264 915 17 35.68 10 7.9 5,580 3.6 216 1,542 1,932 310 258 1,015 18 36.69 20 8.3 5,612 6 200 1,542 1,850 300 306 1,015 30 40.13 Feb 2002 1 8.06 5,620 12 178 1,478 1,950 320 270 1,060 8 38.17 10 8.05 6,020 207 1,566 2,016 370 282 1,030 9 41.65 20 8.0 5,500 212 1,443 1,921 340 276 1,000 8 39.77 Mar 2002 1 8.0 6,490 205 1,742 2,131 400 288 1,210 9 43.64 10 7 65 6,100 200 1,637 2,147 330 324 1,130 20 43.12 20 8.1 5,260 7 198 1,285 2,120 310 300 980 17 40.14 April 2002 10 7.55 5,380 20 7.7 5,460 30 7.65 5,370 May 2002 10 7.55 4,830 20 7.65 4,920 30 7.85 5,600 June 2002 10 7.9 4,044 20 7.7 4,260 30 7.9 5,084 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OFUZBEKiSTAN / TAGS / WORLD BANK 227 July 2002 10 8.2 4,416 20 8.0 5,950 30 8.05 4,590 Aug 2002 10 7.8 4,250 5 193 1,126 1,581 272 214 848 31 12 20 7.5 4,370 30 7.3 4,410 Source: Monitoringprogramme Note: TDS = total dissolved salts ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENr REPUBLIC OF UZBEKITrAN / TACS / WORLD BANK 228 1000 0 1000 Metres W E Kok DarYa S o:BS j-1 t\\eKs1e 1 sI-;EJ;.,7r.II, D - S\ - - 2 'N,- .$ ' Legend e I - ® W ell X- 20 Well Number -2 /\/ Road River ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Figure 4.1: Baday Tugai Reserve Baday Tugai ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Locations of Observation Wells 1000 0 1000 Metres W E S Legendl0W 20 Well Number\\X \ 87284 Ground Surface Elevation 2 87 584' /V Depths in Metres - 8 M\/ Maximum depth for healthy 5 forest conditions A/ Road River Figure 4.2: Baday Tugai Reserve Baday Tugai Depths from Ground Surface to Water Table 16 August 2001 1000 0 1000 Metres ., \ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~N W E IS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Legend ® Well r 20 Well Number °,' 87 284 Ground Surface Elevation tVA/ Depths -. / \\ y#NV/ Maximum depth for healthy I^/ forest conditions A/ Road River Figure 4.3: Baday Tugai Reserve Baday Tugai Depths From Ground Surface to Water Table 16 August 2002 1000 0 1000 Metres N~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ W E S 7-~ 2 - K1~~4 8842 ,I|i; li, .-~ 6' T6' \ -- liX L e g e n d ! 2 !' ' N N - ® Well ' 7' 20 Well Number - .. - 87 284 Ground Surface Elevation - - ty\/ Water Table Elevations e in Metres /\/ Road River Figure 4.4: Baday Tugai Reserve Baday Tugai Elevations Above Baltic Sea Datum 16 August 2001 1000 0 1000 Metres / ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~N s ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~6~8 Well X- -- i\> 20 Well Number \ 25 18 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 87 284 Ground Surface Elevation --- - ./\/ W ater Table Elevations - In Metres A/N Road River Figure 4.5: Baday Tugai Reserve Baday Tugai Elevations Above Baltic Sea Datum 16 Aug ust 2002 1000 0 1000 Metres ar E jl;0,, S 1/10 987 ---8 2t67 I1 8.0 0fi49 s t \ \ 1~~~~~~16i26 12 2 9\11 053-' Legend EN'4 , 0r,411 9722 3 X Well X J / 20 Well Number 9 700 Salinity (g/l) ,/\/ Road River Figure 4.6: Baday Tugai Reserve Baday Tugai Salinity of Water Table August to October 2001 1000 0 1000 Metres W E KokD[ary8~ S d > 14®2 |.879 I; 70 ---. IS X tbr;E,,, XS X A Legend .,a i.|-|, s Well / ; F!.t ... , : 4 1 1 5 8~~~~~~~~~~~~ 20 Well Number _ . 113.5_- = 114- -._ _ _._ _- _ 113.5 ----- ------ - ------. 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 Discharge 1998 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Mean discharge 114 610 1,030 725 2,400 3,420 3,840 3,040 1,280 593 609 646 Mean water-level 112.33 113.42 114.1 113.61 115.37 115.76 115.99 115.39 113.63 112.42 112.48 112.54 Stage-discharge, Tuyamuyun, 1998 117 115 I__ ____ 112- 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500 Discharge (m3/s) ENVIRONMfNTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / IACS / WORLD BANK 241 1~ I RJ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I -<~~~ 1 >9--d~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- J A~~~~~~~' _ uree in Lke Ayzuli -~~~~~~~~~~~~Otbr20 2~~~~~~~ Figure 4.13a .Lake Ayazkul Bed Cross-Sections (Section 1 ) 92 91 97 76 90te 79, lo Pace 6966446~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~iue .3 thstonce ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~aeAazu e rosScin noon teocon~ ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(ecin2 94 93 92 91 90 87 80 84 82 79 Su fcebenchmarks 01gg Mg 31 31 E 31 31 g 31 31 31 31 2 31 3131 1 01 01 Z9 Pocciosn~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8 9 98 9~~~~~~~~~~~~S 99 Dlistance Ch.ineT, 0 1 2 3 4 51 6 7 9 9 1 11 2 13 1410 196 I7 198 19 20 2'1 22 23 24 25 26 37 2 9 I0 3 32 33 34 30 39 37 398 39 4'0 4'1 42 4.3 4,4 401 Ki[ometer" 024 fnnOu TPOoCC Trace plan Figure 4.13c Lake Ayazkul Bed Cross-Sections (Section 3) lnlzeAV aiei AlddnS oi leuej maN JO a4no8 pasodOAd 5uOpg' SIaAa1 a)Ie1 t7L't7 ainl5! 94) 4a90001 09 90 0 190900090090 I;Z's I 099 99090 d , A 9 6 0 0 9 0 0 0 9 1 0 60 0 9 0 9 9 0 9 0 6 0 9 9990009 z01000 1 0101 1 1 1 .1 6 9 0 0 0 9990z 9 9 i0I 9. i 9 tii I i I I9I 9 9II90900 id 4 l id9I1' I 1 I I I1 I 1 N 0 96 888 S 0 S 695 99 8 688 0 8 SC 0 8 8 0~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6Z019 .90j 5 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PHYSICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS Table 5.1 provides a summary of the main impacts that would be expected after implementation of the Core Project in the form specified in Sechon 1.3, or any of the three main alternative strategies specified in Section 1.4. Table 5.1 Summary of expected impacts of the Core Project and three principal alternative strategies Project strategy > Core Project Alternative A Alternative B Alternative C (retention of Beruni Pump (retention of Lake Ayazkul) (confinement of flow in the Locations / Users w Station) Akcha Darya) Users downstream of Beruni Pump Station (North Karakalpakstan) Positive impacts Salt content of river water decreased by No change from present Same as Core Project Same as Core Project 7.7% Negative impacts Water flow of the river decreased by 1.1% No change from present Same as Core Project Same as Core Project Baday Tuzai Positive impacts Water-table salimty will decrease No change from present Same as Core Project Same as Core Project gradually on northern side. Negative impacts Water-table level will decline on northern No change from present Same as Core Project Same as Core Project side, probably becoming too deep for access of tree roots. Further degeneration of forest expected. These effects will lead to reduction and possible eventual elimmation of the herd of Bukhara Deer, a globally endangered species of which this is the largest extant community. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMEN r REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACS / WORLD BANK 247 Project strategy ' Core Project Alternative A Alternative B Alternative C (retention of Beruni Pump (retention of Lake Ayazkul) (confinement of flow in the Locations/ Users' Station) Akcha Darya) Lake Ayazkul Positive impacts None identified Same as Core Project Lake fishery will continue, and is Same as Core Project expected to improve. Nesting colonies of pygmy cormorants, great white pelicans and other large species will continue, and are expected to improve. Negative impacts Lake will disappear over 8 - 10 years. Same as Core Project None expected. Same as Core Project Fishery will end within 1- 2 years. . Nesting colonies of pygmy cormorants (globally endangered), great white pelicans glossy ibis (nationally endangered) and other large species will depart and will find no alternative locations in the project area. Lake bed will become a plain of crystalline salts, of about 1 - 2km2, surrounded by a ring of 40 - 50 km2 of salt-encrusted soils in which some halophyte vegetation can take root. Ayazkalinski Collector Positive impacts Lowering of water-table and reduction of Little change from present Same as Core Project Same as Core Project its salinity should reduce risks of damage to archaeological relics close to Collector Negative impacts Risks of damage to archaeological sites Risks same as Core Project but Risks same as Core Project, but Same as Core Project near the Main Collector, Kyzyl-kala, reduced, as quantity of discharge is slightly reduced as discharge is Ayazkala 3, Kurgashin-kala less slightly less ENVIRONMENTAL RESouRcEs MANAGEM4ENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TAaS / WORLD BANK 248 Project strategy 0 Core Project Alternative A Alternative B Alternative C (retention of Beruni Pump (retention of Lake Ayazkul) (confinement of flow in the Locations / Users- Station) Akcha Darya) Wetlands I and II Positive Impacts Wetlands will be enlarged and will receive No change from present Same as Core Project Same as Core Project more flow. Likely increases of some smaller bird species. Negative impacts None identified None identified None identified None identified Akcha Darvla Passage Positive impacts None identified None identified None identified None identified Negative impacts Loss of grazmg has occurred already and Same as Core Project. Same as Core Project. Possible recovery of some will not be rectified. grazmg lands after flooding ceases Chukurkak Positive impacts None identified None identified None identified None identified Negative impacts Risk of flooding and contammnation of Risks same as Core Project but Risks same as Core Project, but Risks similar to Core Project, water supphes reduced, as quantity of discharge is slightly reduced as discharge is but reduced to very small less. slightly less. probability if adequate mamtenance is done. Akcha Darya Delta Positive impacts None identified None identified None identified None identified Negative impacts Probable further losses of grazing areas. Risks same as Core Project but Risks same as Core Project, but Risks similar to Core Project, Probable mcreased weakening of hvestock reduced, as quantity of discharge is slightly reduced as discharge is but reduced to small due to greater migration distances. less. slightly less. probability if bridges are Risk to archaeological relics if seepage or constructed and adequate spillage of saline water occur mamtenance is done. Migration routes of some mammals (antelopes) wil be obstructed. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU FACIS / WORLD BANK 249 In view of these impacts, we propose that the Core Project be amended by adopting both Alternatives B and C, retention of Lake Ayazkul and confinement of the Main Collector in a defined channel north of Wetland I and II (subject to further survey as to whether it may be possible to retain also Wetland III). 5.1 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PHYSICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS The following is a summary of recommendations for measures to mitigate the impacts of this project. Each of these points has been explained in greater detail in the indicated paragraphs. They are brought together here for convenience of overview. * Ways should be sought for constraining and reducing the input of water to the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems, particularly in wet periods. The best way to achieve this objective would be to introduce a payment system, under which users of water such as districts, co- operative farms, and private farmers would request water from the supply system and would make payment according to the amounts requested and delivered. Such payment would not need to reflect the true cost of supplying water (Section 4.3.5). * The preceding recommendation can be implemented only if there are adequate facilities for measurement of the amounts of water delivered to users. The existing facilities at district and farm level are in many cases needing repair, and more such facilities would be required. It would be appropriate to investigate the amount of work required for implementing this, as the potential benefits from reducing water consumption seem large (Section 4.3.5). * Other institutional changes would also be beneficial. There should be a separate study to identify better ways of managing the supply / demand balance, in co-operation with the Tuyamuyun Dam Organisation and the Karakalpakstan Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management (Section 4.3.5). * A further study should be made, to investigate whether the discharge constraint below Takhiatash, due to inadequate capacity of channels, can be removed or reduced (Section 4.2.5). * To preserve the Baday Tugai forest, and its ecology, including endangered species such as the Bukhara Deer, the Khiva Pheasant and the White-backed Woodpecker, it is essential that a new source of fresh water be used to re-supply the Kok Darya, after the closure of the Beruni Pump Station. The preferred option for this is to re-open the whole length of the Kok Darya so that a small natural flow from the Amu Darya can again pass through it, at least during the high-flow months. Seed germination in the forest should be promoted by wild flooding from one ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBUCOFUZBEKISTAN / EUTACIS / WORLD BANK 250 or two floating pump stations in the Kok Darya during the critical period of July-August (Section 4.4.3). * If further studies indicate that this preferred option is not feasible, the next best option for preserving Baday Tugai is to install a fixed pump station on the Amu Darya bank, at the south-east corner of the reserve, and pump water from the river across the reserve, by pipeline or canal, into the Kok Darya. The capacity required should be about 2 m3/s (Section 4.4.3). The use of the Koksu Canal for supplying the Kok Darya may also be considered, but this alternative is less favourable as it would put the reserve into a potential conflict with existing users of that canal. * Various site-specific protective measules should be taken in order to ensure the preservation of the castles and other archaeological monuments along those parts of the route between Kyzil-kala and Kurgashin-kala (about km 215 to km 280). These sites are described in Section 2.8.2, and recommended protective measures are detailed in Sections 4.5.2, 4.6.4 and 4.7.2. * We recommend that Lake Ayazkul should be kept in existence by the installation of a pump station and a channel that would connect its south-western corner to the collector drainage system, enabling a flow of drainage water to be pumped into the lake. This flow would be in excess of the amount of water evaporating from the lake's surface, and would be managed so that, over a period of about five years, the concentration of salts in both the Eastern and Western Basins of the lake would be brought to a common level of less than 10 g/l. The expected benefits from this strategy are the retention and expansion of the present eco- system, including birds and fish, reduction of the amount of water flowing to the Akcha Darya, and avoidance of the problems of residual salinity in the lake bed, which may otherwise cause local difficulties such as crop damage by wind-blown salts reaching the South Karakalpakstan Irrigation Systems (Section 4.6.3). * Additional survey of the north end of Wetland III should be made, in order to assess the possible benefits of retaining this as a wetland rather than forming a confined channel through it (Section 4.8.3). * There should be fresh consideration of the alignment of the first 40 km north of Chukurkak (km 90 to 135, approximately) where some parts of the route appear to pass through sandy areas that are likely to be more permeable. Imagery of the area suggests that a better route may be available to the west of the existing line. As far as possible, the route should be chosen so that it will avoid zones of highly permeable soils. * In the Akcha Darya Delta and the northern part of the Akcha Darya Passage, we recommend that the design be based on confining the drainage water within a continuous channel, rather than on allowing or ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 251 encouraging formation of new wetlands along the route (Sections 4.8.2, 4.8.3, and 4.9.4). As well as protecting the sparse grazing lands, this will protect against further loss of habitats and migration routes for various bird and mammal species including Sand grouse, Houbara Bustard, and Persian Gazelle. * The proposal to develop fisheries, and to facilitate these by constructing small retaining weirs and fish passes between wetland zones, seems unlikely to succeed and should be abandoned (Section 4.9.4). * Bridges should be provided across the Collector, for the transit of animals. The locations of these should be selected in consultation with the herders (Section 4.9.4). * The programme of collection of data on flows in the existing Main Collector (instituted during these studies) should be continued, in order to obtain better estimates of the maximum flows that are likely to be delivered into the Collector from the irrigation systems. In particular, the assumed maximum flow rate of 40 m3/s needs to be verified, as available data suggest that discharges greater than this have been experienced in the recent past, and these would inundate grazing areas if the capacity of the Collector is inadequate (Section 4.2.3). * All existing ground-water sources (boreholes or shallow wells) that lie within 10 km of the route of the Main Collector should be protected against the possibility of inundation, by surrounding them with low bunds, or other measures as may be appropriate (Section 4.9.4). * Archaeological sites in the Akcha Darya Delta are not expected to be at risk of direct impacts by the construction of the Collector, as their siting is not generally in the depressions where the Collector will run. There is some risk, however, that such sites would be affected by saline water, if it escapes from the Collector by overtopping or by seepage. To reduce this risk, two actions are recommended: there should be a full inventory and scientific study of sites within the potentially affected zone; and there should be arrangements for archaeological monitoring, both during construction and during the early years of operation (Sections 4.9.2 and 4.9.4). * A mathematical model of flow in the Collector should be developed, and used to predict the extent, continuity, and range of variation of flow in the Collector, from about km 197 to km 0. Such a model should then be validated during the first years of actual operation of the Collector, and should be made available as a management tool for the organisation that will be responsible for operation and maintenance of the Collector (Sections 4.8.3 and 4.8.4). ENVIRONMENTAIL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TAOS / WORLD BANK 252 * In particular, calculations should be made to assess whether the drainage water will reach the Aral Sea with sufficient frequency to ensure that there will not be a large accumulation of salts retained in the soils of the grazing lands of the Akcha Darya Delta. * Management of the South Karakalpakstan Main Collector will require a strong institutional base, with an organisation that possesses the capacity to maintain the channel in a good, clean condition and prevent overtopping or breaching of the banks. This organisation should also be responsible for monitoring the performance of the system, for managing the proposed new pumping station that would maintain a flow of water through Lake Ayazkala, and for relationships with the livestock herding community about their concerns such as access, crossings and seepage. It would require some initial capital expenditure for maintenance equipment and one or perhaps two base camps along the project route. We recommend that these capital needs should be considered as part of the capital required for implementing the project. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 253 6 PROPOSED PLAN OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING ACTIVITIES The plan that is set out in the Table 6.1 below is designed for implementation of the series of recommendations given in Chapter 5. The actions required for implementing those recommendations fall into three distinct phases of the project: design, construction, and operation. The appropriate phase for each action is shown in the fourth column of the table. Monitoring is generally required only for those actions that fall in the construction or operation phases. The organisation that is appropriate for ensuring implementation of the recommendation is indicated in the final column. For several of these recommendations, other organisations would also become involved in the performance of implementation or monitoring. We do not try to identify all these, but to indicate a leading organisation that should be accountable for ensuring that work under each item is done satisfactorily. (Item 3 requires collaboration between three organisations.) For items on which we recommend adjustments to the design of the project, the responsible organisation is designated as "Design group." Currently this is the consortium Mott MacDonald - Temelsu - Uzdavmeliosuvloyiha. For items that refer to operational and maintenance activities, the responsible organisation is designated as "Collector Management Organisation." At present, we have been informed that this function is likely to be assigned to the Karakalpakstan Hydro-Geology Institute, Nukus. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISI AN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 254 Table 6.1 Environmental management and monitoring plan Location Impact Mitigation Phase Monitoring Responsibility 1 South Karakalpak- Excessive water inputs during Restram demand for C Monitor the demands for Karakalpakstan Mimstry of stan Irrigation wet penods cause overload of water by introducmg a 0 irngation water that are made Agriculture and Water Systems drain capacity, and raise the payment system by the user orgarusations, for Resources, through its district water-table both the cropping season and units for leachmg, mcludmg both the pre-season demands and any supplementary demands made within each season 2 South Karakalpakstan Excessive water inputs during Improve facilities for C Measurements of all water Karakalpakstan Ministry of Irrigation Systems wet periods cause overload of measurement of water inputs, and flows at about 10 Agriculture and Water drain capacity, and raise the deliveries to users key points within the Irngation Resources, and its district water-table Systems, should be continued umts on a weekly basis, with increase to daily observations at critical penods. Measurements durmg times of high water availability _ ________________ __________________ should be emphasised. _______________so db e h i d 3 South Karakalpakstan Excessive water mputs during Improve co-ordination D As items 1 and 2 above Karakalpakstan Ministry of Irngation Systems wet periods cause overload of of supply of water with 0 Agriculture and Water dram capacity, and raise the actual demands for it Resources, Tuyamuyun Dam water-table Organisation, Amu Darya River Basin Organisation 4 Amu Darya, Risk of flooding due to Assess what channel C None Karakalpakstan Ministry of downstream of inadequate channel capacity, mnprovements are Agriculture and Water Takhiatash reduces amount of flow that can needed, in order to Resources be passed down the nver enhance conveyance capacity of the downstream channels 5 Baday Tugai Closure of flow to the Kok Re-open the former Kok C Maintain daily record of water Baday Tugai reserve Darya will cause the water-table Darya upper channel to 0 depth and flow velocity m the management to fall, resulting in reduced allow natural flow from Kok Darya sustainability of forest trees the Amu Darya during flood months ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISrAN / EU TACIS / WORLD BANK Location Impact Mitigation Phase Monitoring Responsibility 6 Baday Tugal Closure of flow to the Kok 2nd option (if further C Maintain daily record of water Baday Tugai reserve Darya wlll cause the water-table survey shows that 0 depth and flow velocity in the management to fall, resultng mn reduced above solution is too Kok Darya sustamability of forest trees expensive or otherwise not viable): re-supply the lower Kok Darya by a pumpmg station on the Amu Darya at SE corner of the Baday Tugai reserve 7 Ancient fortresses The visible structures and Collector route should D Institute of Archaeology, associated buried rehcs are at be at a sufficient Nukus risk of damage from distance from the construction activities and from structures, especially saline ground-water Kyzyl-kala, Ayazkala 3, and Kurgashin-kala. 8 Lake Ayazkul Drymg of the lake wllH cause The lake should be kept D Salmity and water-level in each Collector Management permanent loss of fish and bird m existence, and its C basin of the lake should be Organisation life, includmg some endangered quality improved, by 0 monitored weekly. Samples of species. It will also case risk of mstallation of a new water from each basin should be crop damage by wind- pumping station whuch analysed monthly to check that transported salt. would dehver drainage there is no accumulation of water mto its south- pollutant chemicals. western corner. The initial managementtarget should be to reduce the sahnity of the lake to less than 10 g/l within five years of starting the new pump operation. 9 Wetland III This wetland may be retained Detailed survey should D - Design Group for fishery be made to ensure that (if flow through this wetland is unconfmed) it will be possible to capture all flow out of the northern end of the wetland and lead it m a confmed channel past Chukurkak ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMtENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TAOS / WORLD BANK 256 Location Impact Mitigation Phase Monitoring Responsibility 10 Km 135 to km 90 Existing route appears to be Evaluation of a possible D Design Group wrongly aligned, in a sandy altemative route, region where high seepage rates passing on the west side are likely, with potential of Chukurkak village accumulation of salts 11 Grazmg lands in the Inundation of grazing lands will Drain channel should be D Design Group Akcha Darya delta cause difficulties for livestock confined within banks. management, including likely weakemng of animals due to reduction of food supply 12 Grazing lands in the Inundation of grazing lands will Proposal for fishery D Design Group Akcha Darya delta cause difficulties for livestock establishment in management, includmg likely artificial wetlands weakening of animals due to should not be reduction of food supply implemented 13 Grazing lands in the Drain channel will impede Construct bndges C Verify the adequacy of these Design Group Akcha Darya delta movement of animals across the collector, at arrangements by discussion (including some migratory wild intervals of the order of with herders' representatives animals) 5 to 10 km, at locations from each of the 4 affected to be specified through shirkats after each year during consultation with the the construction process existing users of the grazing land 14 Grazing lands in the Inundation of grazing lands will To verify that the D Daily measurement of flow Collector Management Akcha Darya delta cause difficulties for livestock proposed capacity of C rates at about 10 locations along Organisation management, mcluding likely the channel is adequate, the Collector weakening of anmmals due to and that overtoppmg or reduction of food supply breaching of it is not likely, the programme of regular monitoring of flows at key pomts along the Main Collector (instituted as part of these studies) should be continued and expanded during construction of the collector ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKI5TAN / EU TACIS/ WORLD BANK 257 Location Impact Mitigation Phase Monitoring Responsibility 15 Wells in the Akcha Shallow ground water may be Wells should be D Annual inspection of wells Karakalpakstan Institute of Darya delta contammated by salinity exammed individually, C within 10 km of the Mam Hydro-Geology, Nukus seepmg from the dram; and specific protechon Collector, after the main shallow and deep wells may measures devised for irngation season, to verify become maccessible if flooding each case whether any problems anse occurs from the collector 16 Archaeological sites in Direct impacts on A scientific inventory D Archaeologists to accompany Institute of Archaeology, the Akcha Darya delta archaeological sites seem to be should be made of C progress of construction units Nukus unlikely, but there is some risk archaeological sites 0 and take appropriate action m that saline drainage water withm 5 km on the case of any fmds of relics, seeping from the collector could western side and 2 km artefacts etc damage buned sites within a on the eastem side f the few km of the collector route. route. There should be regular momtoring visits by professional archaeologists dunng construction and in the early years of operation. 17 Jana Darya / Aral Sea The ultmate destination of A mathematical model, D Design Group, for subsequent drainage water Is not yet or other calculation tool, transfer to Collector known. If it does not ever reach should be developed in Management Organisation the Aral Sea, or the Jana Darya, order to predict the fate there will be accumulation of of of water under salts at places within the Akcha vanous drainage flow Darya Delta, possibly causing rates. Designs may long-term damage to soils and need to be adjusted in vegetation. the light of this, to try to ensure that at least the larger flows will be delivered to the Jana Darya and if possible to the Aral Sea 18 Management of After construction, good A strong maintenance 0 Regular momtoring of flow Collector Management maintenance maintenance standards must be orgamsation, wth rates and water depths in the Organisation ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLICOF UZBEKISTAN/ EU TACIS / WORLD BANK 258 Location Impact Mitigation Phase Monitoring Responsibility observed, so that the permanent base Collector for calculation of conveyance capacity of the locations along the conveyance capacity. collector will be sustamed and route, will be required. breaching or overtopping are not likely. Notes: Column 4 "Phase" indicates the stage, in the development process, when these measures are most needed. The codes used are: D = design or pre- construchon; C = construchon; O = operation. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN / EU TAaS / WORLD BANK 259 -