History of water management in the Aral Sea Basin

The history of water management in the Aral Sea Basin is closely linked with the socio-political development of the region. This chapter explores the development stages of water management and governance in the Aral Sea Basin. Water history of the Basin is divided into three periods: 1) pre-historic times until the 1930s, 2) the Soviet hydraulic mission of the 1930s to the 1980s and 3) the post-Soviet period, from the end of the 1980s until today. From pre-historic times until the Soviet hydraulic mission, water was managed and governed by local, customary rules. The state had a limited role, although a specially appointed person from the highest authority supervised water affairs. In the Soviet period, the management, funding and planning of water systems came under central control, funded solely by the state budget. After the collapse of the Soviet system, water management and governance structures were nationalized. New states in the Basin started to build national water systems, which differ both on management and governance aspects.