NEWSLETTER #5 _ May 2023

Dear Reader,

In this month’s edition of the Hydro4U Newsletter, we are happy to share with you some insights on the project’s view on the gender perspective of hydropower implementations in Central Asia as well as strategic networking activities of the project partners.

In addition, the impacts of hydropower development on the river Koksu at the demonstration site Shakimardan, Uzbekistan have been studied by SJE in cooperation with local experts such as our Central Asian partner TIIAME and European partners like BOKU and EVINBO. Lessons learned in Europe but also other parts of the world show that impacts of hydropower have caused a severe reduction of riverine fish in number and diversity, for instance through hindering migration or changing the flow regime by lowering the base flows.

At the same time, the BOKU team has been analysing Central Asian rivers through large-scale GIS datasets and conducting ecological and geomorphological sustainability assessments at the project’s demo sites in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, assessing the small hydropower potential of Central Asia through a multi-step procedure.

Furthermore, researchers from project partner hydrosolutions GmbH, jointly with partners from Central Asia, investigated the impact of climate change on the water resources of 221 catchments in high-mountain Central Asia during the 21^st century.

Besides that, the Hydro4U project does not only pay attention to the technical implementation of small hydropower in Central Asia, but also takes into account the interplay of Nature and Human, encouraging the interaction with local institutions and political representatives of Central Asia such as the Ministry of Natural Resources in Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Ambassador, while also highlighting the importance of gender related perspectives and examining the affects of water, energy and food challenges on women and children.

In the upcoming months, the International Summer School will take place from 16 – 30 August 2023 in Kyrgyzstan. For further information please have a look at our news section.

If you have received this newsletter by a project partner, please subscribe here and you will not miss future editions of this newsletter that will appear three times per year.

Also, feel free to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube to stay updated about our latest developments and insights.

We hope you enjoy reading!

Bertalan Alapfy
Hydro4U Coordinator
Technical University of Munich
Chair of Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering

Author: Saida Usmonova, IWMI

Promoting a gender perspective and addressing the unique challenges faced by women in Central Asia’s energy transition is crucial for achieving sustainable development. Central Asia holds immense potential for sustainable small-scale hydropower, which remains largely untapped in the region. The Hydro4U project aims to address this untapped potential and demonstrate the viability of eco-friendly hydropower solutions in Central Asia. However, the project goes beyond the realms of energy and technology. It recognizes the importance of addressing gender issues and empowering women in the water-energy-food-climate nexus.

The Hydro4U project aims to adapt European technologies to Central Asia, demonstrating the viability of sustainable small-scale hydropower and fostering cross-sectoral cooperation. Thereby, one of its core objectives is to promote gender equality by ensuring women’s active participation, capacity building, and economic empowerment in the water-energy-food-climate nexus. By integrating gender considerations into its activities, Hydro4U aims to create a more inclusive and equitable society.

The current energy crisis and transition in Central Asia, shifting from fossil fuels to renewables, have specific effects on women, exacerbating the burden on women in rural areas through limited access to clean energy sources and unreliable energy supply. Energy shortages impact Women’s daily tasks, livelihoods, and economic opportunities in addition to the challenges they face related to education, health, and household responsibilities due to energy limitations and fluctuations.

Climate change alters water availability and growing seasons, affecting agriculture and food security in rural areas. Changes in precipitation patterns and temperature can lead to reduced crop yields, livestock productivity, and food availability. Women, who play a crucial role in food production, processing, and household food security, bear the brunt of these impacts. Reduced incomes, food insecurity, and malnutrition disproportionately affect women and their families, perpetuating social and economic inequalities.

Women’s representation and participation in decision-making processes concerning energy policies and investments are often inadequate in Central Asia. This results in gender-blind energy planning and implementation, neglecting the specific needs and perspectives of women. It is therefore essential to ensure women have a voice in shaping energy policies, strategies, and projects to create sustainable and inclusive solutions to mitigate the gender disparities exacerbated by the energy crisis and transition.

Read also our April blog 2023 for further information on this topic. 

At-Bashi, Kyrgystan (Photo credits: Bertalan Alapfy, TUM)

Hydro4U partner TIIAME organises a Workshop at the Ministry of Natural Resources

In February, Hydro4U partner TIIAME has conducted a seminar dedicated to the experience and prospects of using electrofishing and telemetry methods in scientific research in Uzbekistan, bringing together 25 experts in the fields of ecology, fisheries and natural resources management to discuss the latest research and developments in the mentioned areas. Read more

Special Session at ASIA 2023 

This year, the global water and energy community got together at the ASIA 2023 conference from 14^th to 16^th of March, where participants had the opportunity to attend various sessions on topics such as environmental aspects of hydro and dam development, but also on the topic of European innovations in Central Asia. For this, a special session was jointly organized by the IEA Hydropower Technology Collaboration Program (TCP) and the Hydro4U innovation project. Read more

Hydro4U Project Coordinator meets the Ambassador of The Kyrgyz Republic to Germany In Bavaria

In April 2023,  Hydro4U project coordinator Bertalan Alapfy from the Technical University of Munich had the honor to meet the Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to Germany, Mr. Omurbek Tekebaev, in the Bavarian village Großweil. Together with the operators, they visited the first Hydroshaft power plant, that has been in operation on the River Loisach since 2020. Read more

Summer School Registration for 2023

This year, the International Summer School will take place from 16 – 30 August 2023 in Kyrgyztan. KSTU, as one of the partners of Hydro4U project, annually holds a two-week Summer School for students. This programme was already developed jointly by KSTU and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in 2019. In 2023, the number of scholarships from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has been increased in accordance with the great demand among German students, amounting to 15 scholarships.

The application deadline for DAAD Scholarships is June 5th 2023. The Deadline for self-funding applications is on June 20th 2023. Read more about this year’s Summer School here.

Behind the scenes of European project cooperation: how does innovation management work?

The European Commission funds project consortia with the aim of promoting Europe’s innovative strength and bringing innovations more quickly to the European market and establishing them sustainably. As an expert in innovation management, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum works as a catalyst for the European Commission and project consortia. 

SJE Ecohydraulic Engineering – Mitigating the Impact of Hydropower in Shakimardan, Uzbekistan

The ecological sustainability of hydropower is one of the key aspects within Hydro4U. Lessons learned in Europe but also other parts of the world show that impacts of hydropower have caused a severe reduction of riverine fish in number and diversity. For instance, through hindering migration, changing the flow regime by lowering the base flows, generating fast artificial flow changes, or disturbing natural habitat structures.

Small-Scale Hydropower Potential Analysis and Fish Sampling Campaign in Central Asia | Recent Updates from Hydro4U Partner BOKU

The BOKU team has been analysing Central Asian rivers through large-scale GIS datasets and conducting ecological and geomorphological sustainability assessments at the project’s demo sites in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. A key task of the last year’s project work was to assess the small hydropower potential of Central Asia through a multi-step procedure.

The Socio-Economic Impacts of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus on Women’s Livelihoods in Central Asia

The Hydro4U partner IWMI has conducted in-depth analyses of the water-energy-food nexus in Central Asia, using interdisciplinary approaches that integrate hydrology, agriculture, and energy systems, recognizing that women and children are often disproportionately affected by water, energy, and food challenges in Central Asia.

Wet And Hot Central Asia

Hydro4U project partner hydrosolutions GmbH has recently submitted a paper manuscript to the open-access Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Journal. In this scientific study, the researchers from hydrosolutions GmbH, jointly with partners from Central Asia, investigated the impact of climate change on the water resources of 221 catchments in high-mountain Central Asia during the 21^st century.

• 7TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS AND EXHIBITION: HYDROPOWER CENTRAL ASIA AND CASPIAN, 21 - 22 June, Astana, Kazakhstan
• AFRICA 2023, 10 - 12 July 2023, Lake Victoria, Uganda
• 40TH IAHR WORLD CONGRESS 2023, 
  21 - 25 August 2023, Vienna, Austria

CONTACT

The copyright for layout, pictures and content of this newsletter lies with the EU project Hydro4U. Hydro4U does not assume any responsibility for externally provided content published on or linked to from https://hydro4u.eu/. External copyrights and sources are explicitly indicated in the text.