SCIENCE FOR PEACE: MONITORING WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY IN THE KURA-ARAKS BASIN OF THE SOUTH CAUCASUS

摘要

The Kura-Araks River Basin is an international catchment with five countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Turkey -comprising its watershed. About 65% of the basin area (total area = about 188,200 km~2) falls within the South Caucasus countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Both rivers head in Turkey, join in Azerbaijan, and discharge to the Caspian Sea. The length of the Kura is about 1,515 km and that of the Araks is approximately 1,070 km. Soviet monitoring projects from the 1950s through the 1980s collected water quality and quantity data, but these projects do not exist anymore and many of the data appear to be unavailable. In addition, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, not only did information exchange collapse but the Kura-Arkas also became an international river basin with respect to the three South Caucasus countries. Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia jointly utilize the Kura and Araks rivers and share common problems related to water quantity, water quality, and water allocation. But there are currently no treaties among the three riparians governing water quality, quantity, rights. Monitoring and management of transboundary water are complex problems in any region of the world. In the case of the Kura-Araks River System, the situation is complicated by ongoing regional conflict. Further conflict could be exacerbated by water rights, quantity, and quality issues in the basin, so it is imperative that a culture of cooperation and collaboration be fostered. In November 2002 the South Caucasus River Monitoring Project was funded by NATO's (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Science for Peace Programme and OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe). This project is not a top-down project managed by NATO and OSCE but was conceived, developed, and is managed jointly by individuals from the three countries. Assistance is provided by experts from Belgium, Norway, and the USA. The project's overall objective is to establish the social and technical infrastructure for international, cooperative, transboundary river water quality and quantity monitoring, data sharing, and watershed management among the Republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Its specific objectives are to: increase technical capabilities (analytical chemistry and its application to water resources sampling and monitoring, database management, and communications) among the partner countries; cooperatively establish standardized common sampling, analytical, and data management techniques for all partner countries and implementstandards for good laboratory practice (GLP), quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC); establish database management, GIS, and model-sharing systems accessible to all partners via the WWW; establish a social framework (i.e., annual international meetings) for integrated water resources management; and involve stakeholders. Monthly monitoring is conducted for water quantity (discharge) and water quality parameters at 10 locations in each country. Water quality monitoring consists of the usual basic parameters plus heavy metals, radionuclides, and POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants). These data will be used to construct a simple dynamic simulation model of the watershed, which will form the basis for a more sophisticated management model. The NATO-OSCE project formally ends in October 2007, although all involved are anxious to continue the work beyond that date. The project has been a model of collaboration and cooperation in a region where such traits have at times been in short supply. Not only have valuable data been collected, but collegial professional relationships also have been established among the participants. In the long run, this latter aspect will likely prove to be the most important product.