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Abstract
Sustainable irrigation water management should simultaneously achieve two
objectives: sustaining irrigated agriculture for food security and preserving the associated
natural environment. A stable relationship should be maintained between these two
objectives now and in the future, while potential conflicts between these objectives should
be mitigated through appropriate irrigation practices. Lessons learned from unsustainable
water management practices around the world demonstrate the necessity—and growing
urgency—of applying sustainability principles to water management in river basins where
irrigation is a major factor. This paper presents the operational concepts and analytical
framework for sustainability analysis of irrigation water management in irrigation-dominated
river basins. These are applied to the Aral Sea region in Central Asia, a region
famous for its conflict between sustaining irrigated agriculture and preserving the
environment. Maintaining current irrigation practices will lead to worsening
environmental and economic consequences. Infrastructure improvements and changes in
crop patterns will be necessary to sustain the irrigated agriculture and the associated
environment in the region. A penalty tax on salt discharge, as an economic incentive, may
help address environmental problems while having only a small effect on irrigation profit.