Abstract
Water governance represents one of the most pressing challenges in post-Soviet Central Asia, where the collapse of centralised water management systems coincided with increasing environmental stress. This article examines water governance reforms in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, focusing on the role of community participation in managing shared water resources. Drawing on institutional analysis and political ecology frameworks, we assess how new governance arrangements mediate competing claims to water in agricultural communities.
Key Findings
The analysis reveals that while formal governance reforms have introduced participatory mechanisms, actual community engagement remains limited by power asymmetries, institutional legacies, and competing economic interests. Water User Associations, promoted as vehicles for participatory governance, often reproduce existing hierarchies rather than empowering marginalised water users.
Methodology
The research employs a comparative case study design, drawing on 18 months of fieldwork in six agricultural communities across Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Methods include semi-structured interviews with 85 stakeholders, focus group discussions, and analysis of policy documents and water allocation records.
Implications
The findings highlight the limitations of technocratic governance reforms that fail to address underlying power dynamics and institutional legacies. Effective water governance in the region requires attention to political economy, historical context, and locally embedded knowledge systems.
