Syr Darya

From WaterWiki.net

The Syr Darya Basin is part of / comprises: · Asia & Pacific · Central Asia · Europe & CIS ·
Countries sharing the Syr Darya Basin: · Kazakhstan · Tajikistan · Uzbekistan ·

Facts & Figures	edit
Catchment Area^A	782,617 km³
Recipient
Neighbouring Basins^A
Population^A
Population Density^A	27 /km²
Discharge^A	km³/yr
Surface Area	m³
Average Depth	m
Water Volume	m²
Water Stress	m³/person/year
Average Precipitation	mm/yr
Evaporation	mm/yr
Runoff	mm/yr
Land Use
Irrigated Area	km²
Irrigable Area	km²
No. of Dams^A
Dam Density	dams/km²
Total Water Withdrawals	km³
For Agricultural Use
For Domestic Use
For Industrial Use
Renewable Water Available (m³/yr/pers)
References & Remarks
^A Transboundary Freshwater Spatial Database, Oregon University

> Articles | Projects & Case studies | Publications & Web resources | Who is who | Maps

Latest 4 maps for / including Syr Darya (more..):

Kyr hydrobasinmap.jpg

CA TarnsboundaryBasins WB.jpg

Tajikistan SurfaceRunoff TajMET.jpg

Tajikistan Hydromap TajMET.jpg

1 News
- 1.1 River Water In Kazakhstan Too Dirty Even For Irrigation (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - 27 Aril 09)
2 Water Basin Profile: Physical and Hydrological Characteristics
3 Water Basin Profile: Socio-Economic and Environmental Issues
4 Water Basin Profile: Transboundary Political and Institutional Setting
5 Water Basin Profile: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities for the Future
6 Articles
7 Projects and Case Studies
8 Publications
9 Who is Who
10 References
11 See also
12 External Resources

News

River Water In Kazakhstan Too Dirty Even For Irrigation (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - 27 Aril 09)

(Read all or see the Video-report online)

By the time the Syr Darya River nears the end of a twisting course that takes it through four Central Asian states, the Syr Darya has accumulated such high levels of agricultural runoff such as pesticides and fertilizers, industrial waste, and any number of other contaminants that some are warning that crops irrigated by the river in southern Kyzyl-Orda province should be burned.

And as bad as that sounds, it may be even worse. The dire assessment of the state of Syr Darya's water was made on March 26 at a meeting in Almaty of state-sponsored environmentalists and ecologists, the sort of group one would expect might "sugarcoat" the true extent of the problem.

During the meeting, the deputy director of Kazakhstan's agency for applied ecology, Malik Burlibaev, said that "the Syr Darya is so polluted that water from it should not be used for drinking or for irrigation." Rice harvested in Kyzyl-Orda, he said, was so loaded with cancer-causing agents that it should not be eaten.

Burlibaev claimed that intestinal-cancer rates of residents in Kyzyl-Orda were the highest in Kazakhstan, and that 90 percent of nursing mothers in the province were passing pesticides to their babies through their breast milk.

Orazgul Zhunusova, head of the state's department for expertise and control of the Aral-Syr Darya ecology, confirmed Burlibaev's findings to RFE/RL's Kazakh Service.

Zhunusova said that according to data from the latest of the regular monthly samples her office takes, "the level of biological contamination [human and agricultural waste] of the water for March was 30 percent higher than accepted norms." Gazeta.kz recently reported that the river's water contained high levels of copper, cadmium, and zinc.

Water Basin Profile: Physical and Hydrological Characteristics

The 2,200-kilometer Syr Darya River - Central Asia's longest river, and second-largest by volume - originates in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, where it is fed by the Naryn River in the south, and the Kara Darya to the north. From there the Syr Darya passes through some of the most heavily populated areas of Central Asia, including the Ferghana Valley, a fertile agricultural region running across Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

The Ferghana Valley is the most densely populated area of Central Asia. The Syr Darya's path, which once led to the Aral Sea, also takes it through ancient Silk Road cities, such as Namangan and Kokand (in Uzbekistan), Khujand (in Tajikistan), and Turkestan (in Kazakhstan). And the Uzbek capital Tashkent and the southern Kazakh city of Shymkent are located nearby.

Water Basin Profile: Socio-Economic and Environmental Issues

Water Basin Profile: Transboundary Political and Institutional Setting

Joint Bodies

ICWC of Central Asia was established in 1992. ICWC and its bodies are part of the IFAS - International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, set up in 1993.

Major challenges and perspectives for cooperation

There is a need to raise the efficiency of participation in ICWC activities of authorities in addition to water management authorities. There are suggestions to pay more attention to implementation of such tasks as ensuring water quality, implementation of environmental programmes, and protection of groundwaters.

Central Asian countries have developed a rather complicated scheme of institutions dealing with water resources. However, there are problems in coordination and exchange of information between the structural elements of this scheme. In 2008, the ICWC adopted new ICWC Regulations and a charter on the rotation of executive bodies of ICWC and their leadership.