Water Efficient Allocation in a Central Asian Transboundary River Basin (WE-ACT)

WE-ACT proposes to establish a climate sensitive Decision Support System (DSS) for water allocation in two sub-catchments of a transboundary river basin in Central Asia; the Naryn and Kara Darya catchments of the Syr Darya river basin that cover parts of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Based on an innovative water information system that captures a thorough understanding of water availability, demand, footprint and allocation in a glacier-fed river basin, WE-ACT will enable water managers to interact with an accessible and intuitive DSS to alleviate water stress for communities, the economy and the environment on the short- and long-term. WE-ACT will enable them to adapt the allocation of water resources to the known and expected effects of climate change, while encouraging the improvement of policies to correctly set water tariffs, reduce water footprints and increase water use efficiency in agriculture and energy sectors.

The backbone of the project is a reliable data supply chain based on real-time monitoring, integrated water demand-, availability- and use modelling approach, machine-learning, and data storage in a transboundary context. This will be matched with an in-depth understanding of water policies and priorities that face increasing pressures of climate change, growing demand and water dependency. End-users of the project (hydrometeorological stations, integrated models, DSS for water allocation) will be carefully mapped, invited, involved and trained to establish and use meaningful results from the outset of the project.

Under phase three of this project IWMI will use remote sensing technology to assess the water quality of the Syr Darya river basin.