It was unanimously agreed during the meeting that diversion of water from two major rivers Amudarya and Sirdarya feeding Aral, for multipurpose is the most significant cause of its drying that was started in 1960s during Soviet era. A complex range of environmental, socio-economic and demographic problems emerged, of international character in terms of origin and the level of implications being one of the most crucial global ecological catastrophes – drying of the Aral Sea .
Participants of the Working Group on Saving Aral Sea for Sustainable Development met at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute here on Thursday. The participants present in the meeting were Syed Jamait Ali Shah, Former Commissioner Indus Water, Shafaqat Kaka Khel, Former Ed, UNEP, Tahir Shmshad, CDA, Prof Dr Ali Sajid, UET, Lahore, Naveed Akbaer, ACE, Norway, Niaz Ahmed, Lawyer, Amir.H Malik, COMSATS, Khalid Mustafa, The News, Dr Nazr-e-Huder, Senior Economic Advisor,SDPI, Shakeel Ahmad Ramay , Head, Climate Change Study Centre, SDPI and Arshad H Abbasi, Advisor, Water and Energy SDPI. The group adopted the following statement on environmental crisis in the Aral Sea region and measures to rehabilitate, refill and mitigate its negative impacts.
The Working Group also proposed studies at multiple impacts on local and global environment. It also suggested that hydroelectric projects being initiated on rivers falling in the catchments Area of Aral Sea should be inline with decisions of International Court of justice- an organ of United Nations- to ensure ecology and environment of region in the larger interests of globe. The peculiar cause is Gabcikovo–Nagymaros hydropower project, a case between Hungary and Slovakia over trans-boundary river, (ICJ Reports, 1997, p. 7, at p. 67, para.112) is the best precedence and it is a global obligation for countries. It was also urged to conduct trans-boundary EIA of all hydropower projects before their physical executions to save regional ecological balance.
While developing any hydroelectric power project on Trans-boundary rivers, the declaration of the UN Conference on Human Environment (“Stockholm Declaration”) made in 1972, and Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (“Rio Declaration”), adopted in 1992, present general principles of international law that are applicable for project having trans-boundary environmental impact.
The Stockholm Declaration, in particular, has proven greatly effective in the field of international environmental law, as it was the first “widely accepted effort to set forth basic concepts and principles,” and certain Stockholm principles are indeed considered customary international law. Rio principles are accepted as customary international law and are therefore binding for all central Asian Countries.
All the hydropower projects having dam of height more than 15 meters, as demand and obligation of ICOLD needs independent scrutiny for structural stability and EIA expert groups and international organizations and to be inline with the conventions on protection and use of trans-boundary waterways and international lakes (1992) and on the right of unnavigable use of international waterways (1997) and the precedents set by ICJ. In case of all such projects, concerns of all the states in the region have to be taken into consideration in order to abide by rational water management and avoid adverse impacts on the water flow to low riparian countries, environment , ecology, health of the Central Asian countries population.
Need of data sharing was also highlighted during the discussions all the countries are requested to cooperate and share their individual studies conducted in this regard. This study must also focus on the technical issues. Track III intervention can prove to be helpful in this regard.
It was pointed out that there is need for conducting studies on; existing hydro power potential in the region, river diversion for agricultural usage and collection of climatological data. Working Group also proposed exploration of renewable energy sources for economic prosperity of all five central Asian countries for regional harmony and inline with international laws of environments.
The Working Group invites international donor and sponsors, including international organizations, financial institutions, foreign countries and other donors, to participate in implementation of the Projects focused on mitigation of climate change implications in the Aral Sea area.
The need for a working group on the subject was also reinforced after the devastating floods in Pakistan when westerly weather system collided with the monsoon weather system during the last week of July 2010 causing unprecedented flash floods in Pakistan . The technical part of the Working Group will make assessments of the state of environment in Central Asia and plausible impacts on climate of Pakistan and region as whole. The formation of working group also reflects the pursuit of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), a strategic methodology to achieve a substantial reduction in hydrological disasters.
Pakistan has numerous hydropower potential, especially its northern Areas, Gilgit-Baltistan and KPK has more than 40000MW technically, financially and run-of-river based hydropower potential that is 100% environment friendly. 50% of this hydropower would help to bring economic revolution in neighboring Central Asian Countries. This is win-win solution proposed by group.
During the course of discussion some other proposals included the need of assessing Caspian Sea convention that can serve as an example and that requires conducting factual studies in the beginning, then respective positions of all the littoral states, its impact over the resources of the sea. A very important point that was brought forward was that a scoping study is needed that will make use of all the body of knowledge. Another point to be taken into due consideration is the trans-boundary issue and impact on the neighboring countries. It was also identified that the scope of work needs to be focused and data integrity in this regard is extremely important.
Friday, January 21, 2011
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