First Aral sea basin program (ASBP-1)

The ASBP-1 was implemented in 1995-2003 under the umbrella of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Seaestablished in 1993.

During the first stage of ASBP-1, nine programs were implemented with technical and financial assistance of the World Bank:
1. Regional water management strategy. 2. Improved efficiency of water resources management and ensuring the sustainability of dams and reservoirs.
3. Hydrometeorological services and the regional environmental information system. 4. Water quality management, Drainage program in Uzbekistan.
5. Restoration of wetlands and regulation of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya flows. 6. Clean water and health.
7. Water Management in the upper catchment. 8. Automation of water infrastructure.
9. Capacity building.


The total cost of these programs was 60.8 million US dollars, of which only 22.25 million US dollars were attracted and disbursed with the assistance of the World Bank.

As a second stage of the ASBP-1, a project on water and environmental management was implemented in 1998-2003, which was funded by the Global Environment Facility, the Governments of the Netherlands and Sweden.

The total project budget amounted to 21.5 million US dollars, including 4.1 million US dollars – due to the countries of Central Asia.

Table: ASBP-1 Implementation Progress (World Bank 1997)
Name of program Total estimated cost Actual allocated Commi­tted Outcomes
1.1. Regional Water Resources Strategy 8,000 1.745 1.445 Principal provisions of the Regional Strategy and WARM IS
Improvement of Water Management EfficiencyDam Safety & Reservoir Management 2,000 0.300 Proposals for development
2. Hydrometereological network and Regional Environmental Information System 3,000 Proposals for development
3.1. Water Quality Management 7,500 0.675 0.675 Remote Sensing Technology
3.2. Uzbekistan Drainage Program 5,000 1.750 1.750 Proposals for development
4.1. Wetlands Restoration and Syrdarya Flow Control 6,700 3480 1640 Feasibility Study for Lake Sudoche Same for the North Sea
5.1. Clean Water & Health 13,000 5940 2930 Design of Water Supply System in Nukus, Dashhowuz, Kyzylorda
6. Upper Watershed Management 3,000 0.600 0.500 Proposals for development
7. Automation of Water Infrastructure 1,500 0.300 0.100 Prefeasibility Study for the automatization system
8. Capacity Building 9,100 5,700 5,700
TOTAL 60,800 22,250 16,780

The project has implemented six components:

Component A «Water resources management and water and soil salinity control»

– The goal of the component is to develop regional and national scenarios and strategies for sustainable water management and its allocation with environmental consideration in the Syrdarya and Amudarya rivers basins and assist decision-makers in five countries in preparation of the mid-and long-term water management agreements .

Component B «Public awareness»

– The goal of the component is to assist in public awareness and understanding of the need to save water, raising respect for water and contributing to change consumers’ attitude to water.

Component C «Dams and reservoirs safety management»

– The goal of the component is to evaluate the safety of dams in the region; upgrading monitoring and warning systems on individual dams based on pilot projects; and drafting emergency measures on dam restorations.

Component D

«Monitoring of transboundary waters» – The goal of the component is to build capacity for monitoring by independent bodies of qualitative and quantitative parameters of river flow on 37 transboundary water measuring structures.

Component E

«Restoration of wetlands» – The goal of the component is to restore wetlands of Lake Sudoche, which is a nesting place of declining species of migratory birds.

Component F

«Project Management Support»