Water Institutional Reforms in Kyrgyzstan - The Politics of Water Institutional Reform in Neopatrimonial States - page 125

FSK that are in charge of O&M of the channels (as well as to the RaiVodKhoz , see below). This
can have positive effects for the WUA: An assertive head of the aiyl okmotu can be mobilizing
and supportive for the WUA. On the other hand, the aiyl okmotu can also undermine the inde
pendence of the WUAs. This leads to the fact that WUAs often only exist formally in order to
fulfill the conditions for project applications. 189 Furthermore, it may end up with the domina
tion of the WUA by local officials: Statements like “I founded the WUA” expressed by the
WUA chair or the head of the aiyl okmotu point to the fact that the WUA is a result of a top
down process rather than a bottom up one. 190 Some aiyl okmotu representatives even perceive
WUA as subordinated (“The WUA belongs to us”) and attempt to dominate it. Even though
these are no formal subordinates, this fact is sometimes not accepted. This is not only to be
explained by hierarchical patterns of political culture that allow the aiyl okmotu to push through
its candidates, but also by the fact that farmers often turn to the head of the aiyl okmotu in the
event of a water dispute despite the existence of a WUA. They have more trust in existing
institutions than in new ones. Even when the aiyl okmotu does not perceive the WUA as subor
dinate, the WUA may subordinate itself due to a lack of experience with independent decision
making. This is also a result of the previously mentioned top down process in which most
WUA are founded and reflects a “history of following state instructions” (DFID 2003:6 5) and
negligible experience in proactiveness, democratic processes and the awareness of one's own
rights. Therefore, Hassan et al. (2004: 34) come to the conclusion: “The WUA acts as a service
organization under the local government and not as a civil society association embedded in the
community.” Such close relations to the a/o are possible, as WUAs are mainly established
along administrative and not hydrographic boundaries. On the local level, it was argued that
establishment of WUAs along administrative boundaries is easier as people would know each
other and hesitate to work with people they do not know. This therefore presents an adapta
tion to local culture in order to make the reform feasible. However, it can turn out to be a
hindrance to effective work: The director of the hydrographically organized WUA “ Shorgo ” in
the case study raion stated that it is easier to work with people who do not know each other, as
otherwise too many other factors influence conflict solution.
Concerning the impact of local governance institutions, the way donors implement
projects also plays a role: Due to strict time constraints, the time for awareness raising and the
preparation phase before the establishment of WUA is limited. Also the staff capacities to
conduct such activities are generally too low. This means that the support departments often
contact the a/o or the FSK and rely on them to spread the information further. They thereby
rely on existing networks and support those in power, who now have even more power as they
have a privileged access to donors. It should be noted that this course of action is as much in
the interest of donors as it is in the interest of the government: The government, which rece
ives a loan for the project, does not want to spend too much of its budget on participatory
methods. As well as the government, also the donor or the assignet NGO are interested in
189 Such an incentive is not exclusive for WUAs but also for other NGOs. NGOs at village level are often founded on
short-term basis for a certain goal, for instance in order to acquire funds for the renovation of the school. In Zhany-
Pakhta, in 2004, for example, drinking water management was transferred from the aiyl okmotu to a drinking water
association (SOOPV) to receive a loan for water pipes from the ADB, which only would give it to organizations. The
director of the SOOPV is the one who was responsible for drinking water at the aiyl okmotu before this time.
190 How initiatives take place became apparent at on one “ den AVP ” in Sokuluk attended by the author: the head of
the support department informed the WUA representatives that there is a new Japanese grant for which are only
vodokhozyajstvennij sovet (councils of all WUAs of a system) are eligible. She therefore proposed setting up such a council.
She handed out the statute of the new council, and after the WUA representatives posed some questions, a chair was
quickly elected.