Water Institutional Reforms in Tajikistan - The Politics of Water Institutional Reform in Neopatrimonial States - page 134

who are responsible for operating the pumping stations. 204 In one RaiVodKhoz in Sughd oblast,
for instance, there are 346 employees. Here as well, many people (about 160) work at the
pumping stations, while there are only about 25 employees in the administration.
The RaiVodKhoz of Aini, where the local case study was conducted, is responsible for 960
ha of arable farmlands that are irrigated by way of pumping irrigation, using water from the
Zeravshan River. They are served by nine pumping stations and 70 km of channels. The Rai
VodKhoz is responsible for these pumping stations. In the beginning of every year the Obl
VodKhoz submits a plan to the RaiVodKhoz that determines how much water the latter are
allowed to use. 1540 ha of land is served by canal irrigation directly from mountain springs.
Many villages have self managed canals that divert water from a spring or a small mountain
river to the village and onto the fields. In these cases, the RaiVodKhoz is not involved in the
water management and the users therefore do not have to pay the irrigation service fee (ISF) to
the state. 205 The RaiVodKhoz Aini is also responsible for the neighboring raion Gornaya Mat
cha, and has 132 employees. As in the above mentioned cases, most of them have been hired
to run the nine pumping stations: At each station there are always three persons working on a
24 hour shift. 206
Agencies subordinated to the MinVodKhoz are the TajikGiProVodKhoz, which plans
projects for renovations, bank reinforcement, and land reclamation; the tajik gidromeliorativnaya
ekspeditsia , which takes stock of the land plots and develops the cadastre; the associated enter
prise TajikSelKhozVodovodStroy , which is in charge of the rural water supply including pumping
water supply to pastures; and the Tajik Nauchno Issledovatelskij Institut Gidrotekhniki i Melioratsii
(TajikNIIGiM) . 207
The Scientific Institute for Hydrotechnology and Melioration ( TajikNIIGiM; listed last
above) and its 34 scientific employees are in charge of research on irrigation, melioration (in
cluding questions of water and soil quality), and water management (including water fees, cost
recovery, management issues such as WUAs and basin management, IWRM). In addition, they
are responsible for updating the water use register and maintaining an information system. In
recent times, research on institutional aspects has received more attention. The TajikNIIGiM
participates in the development of laws and other normative documents. It is also involved in
projects on the development of regional water policy and closely cooperates with the Interna
tional Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS/ Mezhdunarodnyi Fond Spaseniya Arala, MFSA ) and the
Interstate Commission on Water Coordination (ICWC/ Mezhgosudarstvennaya Koordinatsionnaya
Vodkhozyaystvennaya Komissiya, MKVK ), as well as with various international donor organiza
tions, NGOs, and foreign academic institutes. While basic funding is provided by the state, the
institute is entitled to acquire additional means by participating in tenders and cooperation
projects. The institute has departments in Gissar, Varzob, Kolkhozabad, Kurgan Tjubbe, and
Sughd. 208
The 1993 Water Code mentions three authorized state agencies besides the MinVodKhoz :
The Environmental Ministry, the Committee of Geology, and the Committee on State Super
vision of Industry and Mining Works (§ 9). In 1993, the Environmental Ministry evolved from
the Committee on Protection and Rational Usage of National Resources to the Ministry of
Protection and Rational Usage of Resources. In 1996, the name was changed to the Ministry of
204 Author's interview with the director of the OblVodKhoz Sughd, Khudjand, 09/02/2004.
205 Author's interview with the director of the RaiVodKhoz , Aini, 08/30/2004.
206 Ibid.
207 Author's interview with two officials at the CFPS, Dushanbe, 10/09/2003 and with one senior official at the CFPS,
Dushanbe, 10/09/2003; with the vice-minister of the MinVodKhoz , Dushanbe, 10/09/2003.
208 Author's interview with director of the NIIGiM , Dushanbe, 09/07/2004.