By the end of 80-s traditional form of water management in Aral Sea basin had exhausted own potential and started to malfunction in operational management. Therefore according to proposal of republican governments on August 27, 1987 by order of USSR Minvodkhoz Amudarya Basin Division was created in Urgench. It was organization on inter-republican water allocation (Uprvodkhoz “Amudarya”). It was established to improve and increase water management effectiveness within basin by means of transition to basin management principles as well as to provide more operative and actual solution of agricultural problems. Further this division was renamed to Basin Water Organization (BWO) “Amudarya”.

According to common arrangement with basin states BWO “Amudarya” should serve and manage main river trunks:

• Pyandj River trunk;
  
• Vakhsh River trunk;
  
• Kafirnigan River trunk;
  
• Amudarya River trunk from the beginning to Aral Sea as well as management and operation of interstate main canals with structures located in Amudarya lower reaches downstream Tuyamuyun hydrounit.

BWO should control all pumping stations in trunk of rivers Amudarya, Pyandj, Vakhsh, Kafirnigan and on interstate canals as well as part of river water intakes not transferred to BWO this is Dangara hydrounit at Vakhsh River, Karakum Canal, and Tuyamuyun hydrounit with reservoirs at Amudarya River.

During next two years Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan transferred to BWO for temporary use 84 hydrotechnical structures (from them 36 head water intakes), 169 gauging stations, 386 km of interstate canals as well as big quantity communication means for operational needs (roads, communication, power supply, technical means, etc.).

BWO “Amudarya” was started practically from zero. Besides Upradik (Irrigation Canals Division oldest Minvodkhoz' organization) it was necessary to organize BWO board, territorial operation divisions in upper and middle reaches, and one division in lower reaches in Takhiatash hydrounit zone. Qualified staff should have been selected, and many organizational, economic, social problems should have been solved to promote successful functioning of water organization system.

To fulfill established tasks on transboundary water resources management on such enormous area four divisions on operation of water intake structures, hydrounits, interstate canals were created under BWO “Amudarya” with centers in cities Kurgan-Tyube (Tajikistan), Turkmenabad (Turkmenistan), Urgench (Uzbekistan), Takhiatash (Karakalpakstan).

To know more about BWO “Amudarya” activity please visit 
http://www.icwc-aral.uz/bwoamu.htm

Address:
63, Al-Zamakhshari Street, Urgench,
140 000, Republic of Uzbekistan
Tel/Fax (998 62) 6-47-55, 7-33-74