OSCE Centre trains representatives of Water User Associations in southern Kyrgyzstan

JALAL-ABAD, Kyrgyzstan, 23 May 2011 – A three-day training seminar for the staff of 24 Water User Associations (WUAs) started today in Jalal-Abad in the south of Kyrgyzstan, with support from the OSCE Centre in Bishkek’s Osh field office.

The event is part of a comprehensive training programme organized as part of the Centre’s project to assist Water User Associations in southern Kyrgyzstan. The training curriculum encompasses legislation on the use of water, the prevention of soil salinization, and modern irrigation methods to reduce water consumption. The programme and the seminar aim to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of water management in southern Kyrgyzstan, thus reduce the risk of conflict over water.

Twenty-four participants of the seminar will be also trained to mentor fellow WUAs in their province. Participants will learn how to identify opportunities and obstacles for conflict resolution and reconciliation, and develop individual work plans for their mentoring activities.

“Water Users Associations are in charge of managing efficient irrigation water supplies for agriculture. For this purpose they need to maintain the complex irrigation system in the Ferghana valley. The OSCE’s assistance will boost the associations’ ability to manage essential water resources that are much needed for increased agricultural productivity. As a result it will raise livings standards and serve as a conflict prevention tool,” said Martin Rossmann, Economic and Environmental Officer at the OSCE Centre in Bishkek’s Osh field office.

“There are 174 WUAs presently working in the three southern provinces of Kyrgyzstan, and many of them are not able to effectively perform their responsibilities. They require help with management and financial resources. Through this project we will enhance the capacity of WUAs to enable them to prevent and resolve water-conflicts and irrigation problems,” said Ilyasbek Jusuev, Director of LARC-Consult in Bazar-Korgon, the OSCE partner in the project implementation.