On 1 October, 2013, a round table discussion on “Research of the conflict over the use, distribution, and management of irrigation water in the south Kyrgyzstan” took place at the office of Rural Development Fund in Bishkek.
“The irrigation water issues are more relevant than ever, considering the climate change and the reduction of water resources,” said Payaz Zhooshev from the Training Center, Consulting and Innovation, “therefore, we need to know the object and the cause of the conflict”.
RDF presented the research results from a project on “Mitigating conflicts using the results of case studies and community events in Kyrgyzstan”, which was implemented in collaboration with ACTED and a support from USAID. The result of the study also included recommendations for future conflict prevention. During the discussion, the participants proposed to introduce special loans for purchase of special equipments for the Water Users Association (WUA) to raise awareness and WUA staff’s capacity building.
The concludion of the roundtable discussion will be presented at a national workshop in November this year.