Hydraulic bureaucracies and Irrigation Management Transfer in Uzbekistan: the case of Samarkand Province

In Samarkand Province, Uzbekistan, Water Users' Associations (WUAs) were established not as decentralized entities for water management but as tools for state control, contradicting the global neo-liberal approach of Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT). This study reveals that WUAs in Samarkand emerged from a local initiative driven by the hydraulic bureaucracy and supported by national authorities due to influential power dynamics. The research, based on decade-long fieldwork across three districts, demonstrates how IMT implementation was shaped by bureaucratic logic rather than genuine decentralization efforts. The findings challenge the assumption that WUAs inherently promote local autonomy in water governance.

Zinzani, A. (2015). Hydraulic bureaucracies and Irrigation Management Transfer in Uzbekistan: the case of Samarkand Province. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 32(2), 232–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2015.1058765