Agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan on co-operation in interstate sources' water resources use and protection common management

The Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan here-in-after called "the Parties",

leading by necessity of approved and organized measures on interstate sources water resources common management and agreed policy carring out in interest of economy development and population living standards increase;

basing on historical community of peoples living on the republics' territory, their equal rights and responsibility for water resources rational use and protection;

recognizing indissoluble interdependence of all republics interests in common water resources use according to common principles and equitable regulation of their consumption;

reckoning, that only unity and common coordination of actions will create good conditions for socio-economic problems solution, will allow to mitigate and stabilize ecological stress, which originated as a consequences of water resources deficit, and taking into account that in Tajikistan there is disproportion in amount of irrigated lands per capita, recognizing possible irrigated agriculture water supply increase;

respecting existing structure and principles water allocation and basing on acting regulations for water resources allocation from interstate sources, agreed upon the following:

Article 1

Recognizing community and unity of the region’s water resources, Parties have equal rights for their use and responsibility for their rational use and protection.

Article 2

Parties are obliged to provide strict observance of agreed order and rules of water resources use and protection.

Article 3

Each Party participating in the agreement is obliged do not allow some action within its territory which can break interests of other parties and to make damage to them or lead to change of agreed water discharges and water sources pollution.

Article 4

Parties obliged themselves to carry out joint works for solution of ecological problems, connected with the Aral Sea desiccation, and also to establish sanitary releases volume for every given year bearing in mind interstate sources' water supply.

In extremely dry years a special separate decision has to be made on water supply for the regions with severe water scarcity.

Article 5

Parties will facilitate wide information exchange on scientific-technical progress in water- economy, complex use and protection of water resources, common research carrying out for scientific-technical provision and expertise of water related projects.

Article 6

Parties make decision about common use of industrial potential of the republics' water economy.

Article 7

Parties have made decision to create under parity conditions Interstate Commission for Water Coordination on the problems of regulation, rational use and protection of water resources from interstate sources, involving in its constitution first leaders of water-related organizations and establishing quarterly meetings but if necessary - on the Party initiative.

Commission’s meetings are carried out under leadership of each state representatives in its capital.

Article 8

Interstate Commission for Water Coordination is intitled:

• to determine of water policy in the region, elaborate of its directions with due regard to all economic branches needs, complex and rational use of water resources, prospective program on the region water supply and measures for its realization;
• to elaborate and affirmate water consumption limits annually for each republic of the region and the region as a whole, appropriate scheduling of water reservoirs operation, their correction according to updated forecasts depending on water supply and water-economic situation.

Article 9

ICWC executive and interdepartmental control entities to charge BWO "Syrdarya" and BWO "Amudarya", which must function under conditions that all structures on the rivers and water sources are property of the republics and are provisionally transmitted to BWOs without right of transmission and trade-off on 1.01.1992 state.

Basin Water Organizations are paid by water-economic entities of the republic under parity and share contribution conditions.

Article 10

ICWC and its executive entity provide:

• strict observance of releases regime and water consumption limits;
• implementation of measures on water resources rational and economic use, sanitary releases along the rivers channels and through the irrigation systems(where it is supposed), guaranteed water supply volume to rivers deltas and the Aral sea according to achieved agreements.

Article 11

All decisions by ICWC on the established water intake limits, water resources rational use and protection are obligatory for all water consumers and water users.

Article 12

Parties agreed to elaborate within 1992 a mechanism of economic and other responsibility for agreed water use regime and limits breakage.

Article 13

All disputes have to be solved by the republican water-economic organizations heads and if necessary with participation of independent side's representative.

Article 14

Agreement could be changed or added only by common consideration of all Parties.

Article 15

This Agreement shall become effective upon signing by all Parties.

Agreement is accepted in Almaty 18 February 1992.

For the Republic of Kazakhstan	N.Kipshakbayev
For the Kyrgyz Republic	M.Zulpuyev
For the Republic of Tajikistan	A.Nurov
For Turkmenistan	A.Ilamanov
For the Republic of Uzbekistan	R.Giniyatullin