On December 15, 2006, the Institute for Public Policy hosted a round table on "The Problems of Water Resource Management in Kyrgyzstan." Turdakun Usubaliev, former chairman of the Kyrgyz Communist Party, Duishen Mamatkanov, director of the Institute for Water Issues and Hydroelectric Energy, Bazarbai Mambetov, President of the Association of Oil Traders and Former Deputy Prime Minister, and Jumakadyr Akeneev, Professor of Economics at the Kyrgyz National University and Former Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources were invited as speakers.

The discussion was summoned in light of an increasingly tense situation in the energy sector, continuing disputes about the role of water resources in geopolitics, the increasing engagement of external players interested in the water-energy complex of the country, and the obvious absence of a clear and coherent strategy on the part of the government in this sphere.

The experts pointed out that the main issue is regulation of the joint usage of water resources by Central Asian states, in particular Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Currently, about 75% of the waters of Syrdarya River are formed on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, while it uses only 10% of them, which makes up about four billion cubic meters of water.

"Based on international conventions, Kyrgyzstan has the right to thirteen billion cubic meters of water, twenty billion cubic meters if we include household and industrial use," stated Duishen Mamatkanov, Director of the Institute for Water Issues and Hydroelectric Energy.

A separate issue is the compensation of expenses to Kyrgyzstan for maintaining water-irrigation facilities of regional importance. Based on the information of Turdakun Usubaliev, the maintenance of the irrigation systems costs twenty-five million USD (based on the prices of 2001), ten million of which is Kyrgyzstan's share, while fifteen million should be covered by Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The construction of the Toktogul water reservoir flooded twenty-eight thousand hectares of land, but, as Duishen Mamatkanov noted, "we have received nothing from our neighbors, and we pay forty-six million soms to Toktogul raion as partial compensation."

The 2001 law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On intergovernmental use of water resources and water facilities of the Kyrgyz Republic" enshrines the state's right of property on water resources and water facilities within its territory, and stipulates the funding of intergovernmental water programs on a parity or cost-share basis. As Turdakun Usubaliev stated, while Kazakhstan recognizes the legitimacy of this law, and has even paid compensation at some points, Uzbekistan continues to reject it.

Another important component of the problem is the lack of a strategic policy on the part of the state regarding the management of water resources. The President of the Oil Traders' Association of Kyrgyzstan, former Deputy Prime-Minister Bazarbai Mambetov, stated that Kyrgyzstan is loosing its weight in Central Asia only because it cannot wisely use its resources.

A National Council on Water and Energy was created in May 2006, involving several well-known experts in the field, specifically for the development of a state strategy in the water-energy sphere. However, the first meeting on May 4, 2006 turned out to be its last meeting, as the Council was abolished by a presidential decree.

Another issue is absence of a single body responsible for managing water resources. The water resources of Naryn and Syrdarya are managed by the open joint stock company "Electric Stations," while small rivers belong to the department of water economy within the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Processing Industry. As an example, Professor Jumakadyr Akeneev noted that negotiations on gas prices with Uzbekistan are led by representatives of Kyrgyzgas, who have no affiliation with water and energy issues, though it is clear that gas supply is closely related to water and energy for Kyrgyzstan.

Participants of the round table came to the conclusion that development of a clear water management policy requires a continuation of discussions on this issue in a wider circle of experts.