During the 6th meeting of the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan Joint Working Group (Commission) on environmental protection and water quality issues in the Syrdarya River Basin, information on the implementation of the Commission's Work Plan for 2023 was reviewed and discussed. The meeting was held with the support of the Blue Peace Central Asia project in December 2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
One of the key points of discussion was the continuation of the agreed water quality monitoring on the Syrdarya River. Representatives of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan expressed satisfaction with the full implementation of water sampling at the approved sites, as well as analysis of physical and chemical indicators of water quality.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan noted the need to conduct an inventory of potential pollution sources along the transboundary rivers Keles and Chirchik and one-time analysis of bottom sediments.
In order to deepen cooperation and develop joint project proposals to improve the condition of the Syrdarya river basin, the members of the bilateral Commission expressed their readiness to hold subsequent meetings in an enlarged composition with the involvement of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The project "Strengthening actions in the field of water supply and sanitation and protection of water resources from accidental pollution under climate change in Uzbekistan", funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented by UNECE since December 2023, was also presented at the meeting. The project aims to improve transboundary cooperation and exchange of information on water quality in order to prevent accidental pollution of transboundary river basins from tailings dam failures.
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Finally, the parties approved the Work Plan for 2024 and agreed to agree on the time and venue of the 7th meeting of the Working Group through diplomatic channels.
Brief note:
Since 2019, regular meetings of the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan Joint Working Group (Commission) on environmental protection and water quality issues in the Syrdarya River Basin have been held with the support of the Blue Peace Central Asia Initiative, implemented by CAREC and funded by Switzerland. The Commission was established in accordance with the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on cooperation in the field of environmental protection and rational use of natural resources dated June 2, 1997 and the Strategy of Economic Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2017-2019, signed during the visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh.M. Mirziyoyev to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The establishment of the Commission became an important stage in the realization of joint efforts of the countries to preserve and maintain the environmental sustainability of transboundary cooperation, as well as laid the foundation for long-term cooperation in the key issue of water quality in the region.
Additional information:
Tais Reznikova, Water Initiatives Support Program Manager, treznikova@carececo.org
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