The Chu and Talas rivers, both comparatively small and wholly bilateral rivers shared by Kazakhtan and Kyrgyzstan, are a good example of effective bilateral cooperation in Central Asia: an Agreement to the Commission between the Republic of Kazakhstan and of Kyrgyzstan on Inter-state Use of Hydro-technical Facilities of Chu and Talas Rivers was signed in 2000, and cooperation between the countries could even be applied to the larger Aral Sea Basin.

The role-play invited the players to undertake a journey along the history of water management in the Chu Talas Basin and the wider region.

The keynotes by Dr. Andriy Demydenko, Project Manager of the Chu-Talas pilot project entitled the ASREWAM Aral Sea Tacis Project, Kyrgyz Republic), introduced the main characteristics of the Chu-Talas Basin [PDF format - 311 KB] and Integrated Water Resources Management in the Chu-Talas Basin [PDF format - 77,3 KB].
:: See the PowerPoint presentation [PPT format - 5,09 MB]

The role-play was designed and guided by Dr. Shaminder Puri, International Association of Hydrologists, UK.
:: See the PowerPoint presentation [PPT format - 8,84 MB]

Dr. Lars Wirkus, Researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conversion, acted as rapporteur.

The session and debriefing were chaired by Prof. Jan Leentvaar of UNESCO-IHE, The Netherlands.