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Invest. of innovative pollute clean-up and avoidance strategy for surface water and groundwater res. at the Amu Dary lowers

Objective

The overall aim of the project is to achieve an improvement of the socio-economical conditions by increasing the usability of polluted groundwater resources at the lower Amu Darya and by avoiding or minimising future risks (sustainable development).

Specific research objectives of this project are:
1) the development of site specific risk assessment and ecosystem monitoring protocols including human health;
2) to investigate the feasibility of pesticide wash out by waste water re-use;
3) to produce innovative approaches for low energy pollution removement plants;
4) development of strategies and optimisation models for minimization of agricultural pollution loads and optimisation of the distribution of the water.

Amu Darya lowers were declared "Disaster zone" in 1991 by the UN. The Amu-Darya River is one of the two main effluents of the Aral Sea. More than 3 million inhabitants live at the lower Amu-Darya (on the territories of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan). By extreme pesticide concentrations no more groundwater resources are left, that can be used as drinking water. Child mortality is at a peak level at Central Asia and cancer diseases are widespread.
The planned use of the Kaparas reservoir for drinking water supply leads to a total change of the actual water pathways. Hence there is an enormous scarcity of surface water for irrigation and a higher demand of usable groundwater to expect.
The project objectives are studied in multiple spots, which will be crucial along the water chain from Kaparas reservoir to the Aral Sea. The estimation of spatial and temporal distributions both for resources and for pollutions by innovative monitoring and modelling strategies will provide the basis for an efficient concentration of efforts. Considering the severe deterioration of soil and water resources the only way for a future purification is a combination of different partial measures focusing on most polluted areas. The treatment of waste waters and its re-use will provide new water quantities for irrigation and drainage, if more water from Kaparas could not longer be used for irrigation.
While water flow in mountainous areas provides good possibilities to pass constructed wetlands, the lower Amu-Darya is characterised by a very low slope and hence a very low flow energy level. The main challenge of the presented research project is to investigate the energy requirements of several technologies and the possibilities of wastewater re-use for washing out and through flow in contaminated soils.
The detailed documentation of present and future possible pathways and pollution loads will provide the network along which energy requirements, technical requirements and the usability of local resources must be investigated. The latter relates directly to the economical feasibility of possible technologies and must be strongly taken into account. Related to this, risk assessment parameters for the functioning of ecosystems including human health will be adapted to enable the monitoring of effort by later technical realisation of the measures outlined in this project.

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Coordinator

Universität Hannover
EU contribution
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Address
Am Kleinen Felde 30
30167 Hannover
Germany

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Participants (6)

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Last update: 30 October 2002

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/INTAS-2001-00808

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