Transboundary Aquifers as Key Component of Integrated Water Resource Management in Central Asia

Since the early 1960s, mismanagement of water resources has plagued the Aral Sea Basin. The problem became more complex in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed and the Aral Sea Basin became a transboundary water resource. Overnight, the development of sustainable and equitable water management practices became the shared responsibility of five sovereign nations each with conflicting needs, goals and priorities. Solutions presented thus far by scientists, international institutions, and governments to ameliorate the problems in the Aral Sea Basin have failed. To a large extent, this can be explained by political tensions in the region and the difficulties of reaching consensus on appropriate and effective management strategies. However, serious questions must also be raised whether the solutions proposed — solutions that focus almost exclusively on the equitable allocation of surface water flows — are destined to fail unless the entire resource including groundwater is considered. It is argued that any strategy for the management of water resources in the Aral Sea Basin must have appropriate regard for the vital and very significant role groundwater plays in the overall water budget. Globally, over 98% of all fresh, accessible water is found in aquifers, but groundwater is frequently neglected in resource planning because of an “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” mentality. Data suggest that a number of important transboundary aquifers occur in the Central Asia region, and that there is a need, not only to manage these internationally-shared resources in close collaboration with neigh-boring countries, but to manage these aquifers conjunctively with surface water as part of a fully integrated water resource management strategy. Although the transboundary nature of the region's water resources makes equitable and sustainable management a formidable challenge, the task is surmountable with robust scientific data and if proper monitoring techniques, institutional arrangements, research collaboration, and programs that fully acknowledge the vital role of regional transboundary aquifers are implemented.