Feature stories Water 46236 ISSUE 23 | October 2008 Innovative Approaches to Ecosystem Restoration: Kazakhstan's Syr Darya Control and Northern Aral Sea Phase I Project Background the rehabilitation of the Syr Darya River and was identified under the Aral Sea Basin Program ap- Until the 1960s, the Aral Sea was the world's proved by the heads of the five Central Asian fourth-largest lake. Shared by five Central Asian States in 1994. The objectives of the project are: countries--Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, to sustain and increase agriculture (including live- Tajikistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic--the Aral Sea stock) and fish production in the Syr Darya basin basin supported a vibrant economy, with many in Kazakhstan; and to maintain the Northern Aral people relying on fishing and agriculture for their Sea and enhance ecological/environmental condi- livelihoods. However, decades of poorly designed tions for improved human health and conservation and implemented industrial and agricultural devel- of biodiversity. The project's components include: opment significantly transformed the Aral Sea. Most building water infrastructure to rehabilitate the notable was the diversion of large quantities of wa- Northern Aral Sea; improving the hydraulic control ter for irrigation from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya of the Syr Darya River; rehabilitating the Chardara rivers that feed the Aral Sea. Between 1960 and Dam; restoring aquatic resources and promoting 2004, the Aral Sea's surface area shrank almost fisheries development; and building institutional 70 percent and its level dropped almost 20 meters. capacity. In 1990, as the waters receded, the Aral Sea split To maintain the integrity of the Northern Aral into the Northern Aral Sea within the territory of Sea, the 13 km Kok-Aral Dike was constructed to Kazakhstan and the larger South Aral Sea shared by separate the Northern Aral Sea from the South Aral Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Sea. Completion was in August 2005. To increase The desiccation of the Aral Sea resulted in seri- the flow capacity of the Syr Darya River, several ad- ous economic, social, and environmental degrada- ditional hydraulic structures were constructed on tion. Fresh fish production virtually disappeared, the river and existing hydraulic structures and the salinity and pollution levels rose dramatically, dust Chardara Dam were rehabilitated. and salt storms occurred often, and there were measurable changes in the local climate. Drinking water supplies became polluted and human health Project outcomes problems increased sharply. Tens of thousands of jobs were lost in the fishing, agricultural, and ser- The Phase 1 Project has already shown impressive vice sectors. results: · Rise in water level. Once a fraction of its original Project descriPtion size, the Northern Aral Sea filled up rapidly to only a few meters short of viability just months after the Kok-Aral Dike was erected--consider- The Syr Darya Control and North Aral Sea Phase ably ahead of the project schedule. In 2006, I Project currently underway is the first phase of 2007, and 2008, the North Aral Sea's full sup- KazaKhstan at a glance Human Development Index Ranking: "Saving the Corner of the Aral Sea." ECA Region RUSSIAN FEDERATION Population: 15.3 million ­ 58% urban, 42% rural; 73 out of 177 countries Website. World Bank, 2005. 1.1% annual growth rate % below the basic needs poverty line: 15.4 (2002) Kazakhstan Second Irrigation and Drainage Astana Surface area: 2,724,900 km2 Improvement Project. Project Information Document. KAZAKHSTAN World Bank, 2008. Life expectancy: 66.2 years MORe InFORMatIOn Caspian Kazakhstan Syr Darya Control and Northern Aral Sea Sea UZBEKISTAN KYRGYZ REP. CHINA GNI per capita: US$ 3,870 TURKMENISTAN Phase-I Project. Project Appraisal Document. World Bank, 2001. FEATURE SToRiES ply capacity was attained. The water surface Lessons Learned area is now 50 percent greater than it was at its lowest level. Lessons from this and related water projects in Ka- · Reduced salinity levels. The increased inflow zakhstan include: of freshwater halved salinity levels in the North · Rigorous economic and environmental criteria Aral Sea to less than 10 gr/ltr by 2007. should be applied during project planning; · Increased fish production. Between 2004 and project scope and design should account for 2007 there was a forty-fold increase in fish the difficulty in coordinating among key govern- harvest from 50 tons to about 2,000 tons. Sev- ment agencies. eral types of freshwater fish returned to the Aral · Technical assistance should be provided in a Sea. Four fish processing plants were opened, timely manner; a major emphasis on procure- and in 2008 fish was exported for the first time ment, financial management and construction in many years. Fish hatcheries are expected to quality control should be maintained. release 15 million fingerlings into the Northern Aral Sea in 2008, including the reintroduction · Local institutions must be involved in project de- of sturgeon. sign and preparation, as ownership at both the national and local levels is essential for achiev- · Restored ecosystem. The increased water level ing results. benefits the micro-climate, improving air, soil, water quality, and biodiversity. Before the con- · Agreement among the participating parties on struction of the Kok-Aral Dike, the final rains of broad regional principles of the Aral Sea Basin the season would fall in March; during the last Program is important; to be effective, however, two years there were rains into April, May, and discrete yet coordinated national investment June that resulted in more grass for livestock, projects are proving pivotal to the success of cooler summers, a reduction in dust storms, and larger regional or multi-country plans. the return of waterfowl. · Improved irrigation water supply. Enhanced scaLing uP water resource management in the Syr Darya basin has allowed the delivery of irrigation wa- The successful restoration efforts initiated by Phase I ter in the appropriate volumes at the appropri- provide a catalyst for the second phase currently un- ate time to the large irrigated areas in South der development, and planned for approval in 2009. Kazakhstan and the Kyzylorda region and has Phase II will continue the efforts to improve water stimulated agricultural production. When irri- resources management in the Kazakh part of the gated areas have been rehabilitated and mod- Syr Drya River basin. Based on the results obtained ernized with the assistance of the Bank-funded during Phase I, Phase II should provide further im- Second Irrigation and Drainage Improvement provements in irrigation water supply for agriculture, Project, further increases in production are ex- revitalization of the fisheries industry, enhanced pub- pected. lic health, and ecosystem recovery in the Aral Sea. · Health improvements. The shoreline of the ex- panded North Aral Sea, that until recently was 100 km away from the former port of Aralsk, reLeVant Projects is now only 25 km away. As a result, new sup- syr Darya control and syr Darya control and ply systems bring better-quality water to Aralsk northern aral sea Phase I northern aral sea Phase II and nearby villages, improving the health of the Project Project population. Project ID: P046045 Project ID: PO93825 Timeline: 2002­2008 Under preparation Credit Amount: US$ 64.5 million Water Feature Stories are published by the Water Sector Board of the World Bank. They are available online at www.worldbank.org/water and in hardcopy from whelpdesk@worldbank.org. 2