Chinese and Kazaks Discuss Shared Rivers

Environmentalists in Kazakstan are recommending that their country focus on ecosystems during the negotiations with China over how to the rivers that cross the border between the two countries. This implies looking at the needs of the environment over and above economic considerations.



The Kazak-Chinese commission on shared rivers is holding its fourth meeting in Almaty on October 16-21. NBCentralAsia has learned that the outcome is likely to be a package of agreements to exchange information about the state of the rivers, keep track of water quality, and build monitoring stations.



The commission meets at a time when concern is rising among environmentalists that China’s unbridled consumption of water could have serious consequences for both Kazakstan and Russia. Kazak ecologists are warning that if water is drawn off from the Ili and Irtysh rivers at the present rate or even in increased volumes to feed the burgeoning economy of the neighbouring Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region, parts of Kazakstan could face an environmental disaster, and Lake Balkhash could turn into a second Aral Sea.



Anatoly Ryabzev, who is part of the joint commission in his capacity as head of the Kazak agriculture ministry’s water department, assured NBCentralAsia that he and his colleagues maintain a constant dialogue with the other side, and would not allow a situation to develop where one country loses out due to lack of water.



Hydrology expert Professor Kasym Duskaev says the focus should be on ecosystems and not just economics; in other words, Kazakstan may present economic justifications for its water requirements, but it should also bear in mind the vulnerability of its ecological systems, and secure sufficient volumes to maintain a balance.



The volumes of water assigned to each country should negotiated beforehand, and adjusted to take account of climatic variation from year to year that affects river levels, he said.



At present, Kazakstan gets about half its water from countries located upstream on shared rivers – Kyrgyzstan, China, Uzbekistan and Russia.



Kazakstan’s negotiating position is made more difficult by the fact that China has not signed the 1992 Helsinki convention on cross-border water resources, and has opted to deal with the matter purely on a bilateral basis. That makes it difficult to bring in Russia, which also shares the Irtysh.



However, one political scientist commented that Kazakstan has an important bargaining counter of its own – the oil it supplies to China.



(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)