Eurasian Development Bank published a monograph on priorities for cooperation in transboundary river basins in Central Asia
Almaty, October 2012. As a financial integration instrument in the post-soviet countries, the Eurasian Development Bank looks at integrated water resources management as an important area for investment. The present study «Priorities for cooperation in transboundary river basins in Central Asia» authored by Yassinkiy V.A. Analytics Managing Director, Mironenkov A.P. Head of the Technical Assistance Division and Sarsembekov T.T. Deputy Head of the Technical Assistance Division looks at all of these issues in the context of Central Asia.
Water resources are used more and faster than any other most used resources, which has a great impact on natural processes shaping geographical environment and international relations in transboundary river basins. This is particularly sensitive in Central Asia with its limited water resources.
A growing water deficit in transboundary river basins of Central Asia determines the need to develop water facilities, promote water saving and ensure sound water management in all sectors of the economy, which requires significant long-term investment. To achieve sustainable development of river basins, any solution tried out in one part of a basin should take into account potential environmental impact and effects on water conditions in the remaining part of the basin.
The authors note that water management in transboundary river basins is a shared concern, which enables the development of unified approaches to shared water resources management. At the same time, differences in natural, climatic, economic and political conditions of each country cause major disagreements in interstate water relations. Legal regulations of water relations between Central Asian states would enable investment in the water sector and other sectors of the regional economy and more active involvement of international financial institutions.
This monograph makes a significant contribution to the search of solutions to water supply and hydropower problems in Central Asia, while the approaches offered by the authors may be of great practical interest for researchers, experts and graduate students working on investment planning and water resources management.
Additional Information
The Eurasian Development Bank is an international financial institution founded by Russia and Kazakhstan in January 2006 with the mission to facilitate the development of market economies, sustainable economic growth and the expansion of trade and other economic ties in its member states. The EDB’s charter capital exceeds US $1.5 billion. The member states of the Bank are the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, and the Republic of Tajikistan. Read more at https://www.eabr.org.