Water in Central Asia: Past, Present, Future

Structured in chronological order, the following periods are treated in great detail: I. The history and natural conditions that define the role and specific character of water availability and water use in the region II. The Russian and USSR political and economic expansion: intense irrigated land and hydropower development with priority to consumptive water use at the cost of a complex, traditional, socio-economic system and leading to severe environmental degradation III. The new situation of independence of the Central Asian States with a growing awareness of the need for new approaches to river basin management on the basis of a wide array of issues including international laws & policies, public participation processes, increased irrigation efficiency, combating desertification, wetlands restoration and other environmental measures. Many different projects ranging from monitoring systems and database development to integrated modeling and decision support systems work and new approaches to cooperative water use and agriculture reform IV. Future water scenarios for the Aral Sea Basin, based on recent research work, international legal and institutional issues and the regional political challenges for cooperation. This includes new insights in the socio-political, demographic, socio-economic and climate dimensions of future developments in the Aral Sea Basin.