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Transformation of water management in Central Asia: from State-centric, hydraulic mission to socio-political control

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Abstract

This paper presents the analysis of historical transformation of water management in Central Asia with the specific focus on Uzbekistan. The time frame of the analysis is from the Middle Ages to contemporary times, with different political, social and economic settings in the framework of theory of transformative capacity of institutions. Empirical evidence suggests that the approach of the hydraulic mission has not changed dramatically over the years, but transformed into various forms of control on water management. In recent decades, integrated water resources management paradigms are gaining momentum, while the traditional, State-centric, hydraulic mission approach is losing its attractiveness in the arid Central Asian region. Nevertheless, the State-centric model of water management still persists in the region with clear signs that water management is still more under socio-political control.

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Notes

  1. Turkistan-region which includes Central Asian (Middle Asian) states, the terminology used during the Bolshevik revolution until formation of USSR (1917–1930).

  2. Kolkhoz (Russian). A large collective farm comprises several agricultural experts and farm laborers responsible for agricultural production and delivery targeted outputs for cotton and wheat to the government. A typical area under management of kolkhoz ranges in size from 10,000 to 20,000 ha.

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Acknowledgments

The views and information presented in this paper are of the authors, and not those of Transboundary Water Management in Central Asia Programme, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The authors are grateful to anonymous reviewers of earlier drafts for constructive comments that helped to improve the paper.

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  1. Transboundary Water Management in Central Asia Programme, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, 7A Chimketskaya Street, 100029, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

    Iskandar Abdullaev & Shavkat Rakhmatullaev

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  1. Iskandar Abdullaev
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  2. Shavkat Rakhmatullaev
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Correspondence to Shavkat Rakhmatullaev.

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Abdullaev, I., Rakhmatullaev, S. Transformation of water management in Central Asia: from State-centric, hydraulic mission to socio-political control. Environ Earth Sci 73, 849–861 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2879-9

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