抄録
This report presents a case study on the role of a third party role in improving water management in Uzbekistan by analyzing the “Water Management Improvement Project”. The Water Users’ Associations (WUAs, presently called Water Consumers’ Associations in Uzbekistan, WCAs) in Central Asia was organized accordance with the contract between central governments and the Central Asian Irrigation Research Institute (SANIIRI) in 1996. However, inadequate financial resources and a lack of knowledge on the part of the WUAs hydro-engineers have led to these associations not functioning well. Hydro-scientists have frequently voiced concerned at the Interstate Coordination Water Commission of Central Asia (ICWC), the regional interstate organization for water resources management in Central Asia, on water loss at the WUAs’ level owing to improper water management. The “Water Management Improvement Project” is a technical assistance aid project which conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This project aimed to improve water-use efficiency in rural areas in Uzbekistan by training the staffs of the WCAs. In March, August and September 2013, the present author accompanied JICA staff and conducted fieldwork on this project. The present study attempts to contextualize the JICA project with respect to previous studies and discussions among the Central Asian hydro-scientists in the ICWC.
