Groundwater resources and use in the upper watersheds area of the Syr Dar'ya and Amu Dar'ya catchments of the central Asian Republics

This consultancy reports on the groundwater resources, current utilisation and some water quality issues in the upper watersheds project area of the Syr Darya and Amu Dar'ya rivers. Data were collated with the assistance of national agencies in the Republics of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Practically all groundwater development is centred on unconsolidated Quatemary and Pliocene river valley, piedmont alluvial fan and intemiontaine basin deposits. Although the complex solid geology serves an important role as adjacent recharge hinterland, most of the aquifers are located in arid to semi-arid zones, across which flow rives fed by rainfall, snow-melt or glacier-melt in the upper high mountain catchments. The hydrogeological setting therefore comprises local lateral recharge combined with inflows from rivers and canal/field irrigation systems in hydraulic connection with underlying aquifers. There are no reports of over-abstraction at present development levels. The principal threats to the groundwater resource lie in Man's activities, and point-source pollution problems associated with urbanisation, industrial, mining and mineral processing plants have been noted. Although irrigation is by volume the main consumer of groundwater, its use for public supply is universal, most urban areas, provincial towns and many rural communities relying exclusively on this source of domestic and drinking water supply. Consequently protection of aquifers used for public supply is vital both for public health and economic reasons. Proposals are made for technical cooperation on groundwater protection, data management and water/wastewater „ . licensing issues as part of Phase 2 of the present TAOS WARMAP programme.