Regional water resources management

Since the start of intensive irrigation in Central Asia in the 1960ies, inefficient irrigation practices caused the salinization of soil and shallow aquifers jeopardizing future agricultural use and human health. The withdrawal of water from the main tributaries to the Aral Sea to meet irrigation needs and greening the desert caused the well-known ecological catastrophe of one of the world’s largest lakes.

WP 3 will investigate the effects of irrigation on hydrological processes in the study areas. In particular, the works focus on groundwater quality and groundwater dynamics in irrigated areas along the lower course of the Amudarya River as well as in the Fergana valley. The studies will contribute to a deeper understanding and to a quantification of eco-hydrological processes, e.g. salinization and evapotranspiration. The results of field scale investigations on crop specific water use efficiency will be up-scaled to the scale of the Water Users Association using GIS.

Several sampling campaigns will provide hydro-chemical information about groundwater in shallow aquifers. The analysis of stable and radiogenic isotopes as well as noble gases will help to identify and quantify the interactions between irrigation water, the unsaturated zone and groundwater in the study areas and provide an estimation of groundwater discharge into the Aral Sea.

Using the implemented hydrodynamic model, the effects of various land and water use scenarios on hydrological processes may be assessed and the hydrodynamic role of Lake Aral determined.

Along with the results of the hydro-chemical investigations, these simulations will finally provide the basis for the development of recommendations for future sustainable water management.

WP 3 is coordinated by the Centre for international development and environmental research (ZEU) at the University of Giessen in cooperation with the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and partners in Central Asia.

 

Contact:

Prof. Hans-Georg Frede
Centre for international development and environmental research (ZEU)
University of Giessen
Phone: +49 641 9937380
Email: Hans-Georg.Frede@umwelt.uni-giessen.de