South Caucasus Leaders Commit to Regional Water Cooperation
The USAID South Caucasus Water Program recently organized a workshop dedicated to the monitoring and forecasting of water resources in the South Caucasus. Harmonizing monitoring procedures and facilitating data exchange among Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan has been one of the main objectives of the program since its launch in September 2005. The 2007 workshop focused on discussing water data availability, existing monitoring methodologies, additional monitoring needs, possibilities of designing cross boundary monitoring networks, modeling and simulation requirements, institutional aspects, and cooperation modalities.
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(From right) Head of Armenian State Hydromet, Mr. Vardanyan and deputy heads of Azerbaijani and Georgian hydromets, Messrs. Khalilov and Chitanava, discuss the text of the joint statement
Photo Credit: South Caucasus Water Program |
The specifics of upstream/downstream locations and water use have made it obvious that the South Caucasus countries should consider opportunities for joint activities in trans-boundary water management and monitoring.
“We deem regional cooperation in water monitoring and data exchange is very important for water management and crucial not only for environmental reasons but also for developing economic and political relations and revitalization trust among the countries in the region,” said Sofiko Akhobadze, Georgia’s Deputy Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources.
One of the main achievements of the workshop was the development of the Statement of Intent recognizing the importance of interaction in monitoring trans-boundary water resources. The Statement was signed by official representatives of hydromet agencies and civil society organizations from each of the three South Caucasus countries and expressed their wish to jointly monitor water quality and quantity, regularly share data through active internet exchange, coordinate methods of measurement and analyses, and develop procedures for timely notification of downstream countries on hazardous events. This document is a great step toward greater regional data exchange and dialogue on joint water resource management.
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