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Challenge
Residents of Vorukh, Uzbekistan and Ravot, Tajikistan
both have access to the Isfarinka River for most of the
year. However, once the growing season begins, farmers
from upstream Ravot irrigate their fields and
unintentionally cut off water access to Vorukh. Though
residents in Ravot feel they have a right to use the
river water as they see fit, the downstream users in
Vorukh view the upstream users’ water practices as
unfair and selfish. Heated arguments and strained
relations have characterized the struggle over water
resources since the Soviet-era pump that helped to
parcel out water ceased working.
Initiative
Through a
USAID program implemented by Mercy Corps, residents of
Vorukh were given an opportunity to address issues that
served as sources of tension in their community – water
naturally was first on their priority list. The
three-year project, operating in the Ferghana Valley
portions of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, aims
to reduce inter-ethnic and trans-border conflict through
a combination of social and infrastructure initiatives.
The Community Initiative Group – a council of active
citizens from all walks of life – undertook the design
and implementation of the project. The project required
the repair and rehabilitation of three wells, in
addition to the construction of a 3.5 kilometer water
pipeline. The total cost of the project was
approximately $17,000, with roughly half coming from the
community itself. More importantly, the Community
Initiative Group stresses the long-term management of
this project. |
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Results
The implementation of the system itself was a
reason for celebration among the residents. After
eighteen months of joint cross-border social
projects, improved contact, and now a technical
solution to a shared problem, there are sincere
well-wishes and goodwill that residents of Ravot
brought to their neighbors in Vorukh. In the end,
this project has not only benefited the 1,235
residents of Vorukh, as they gain improved access
to drinking water, it has improved relations
between two Ferghana Valley neighbors.
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