Co-designing Next-Generation Water Monitoring System for Sustainable Water Management in Kashkadarya, Uzbekistan

Kashkadarya Province in Uzbekistan faces persistent water management challenges, including accelerating water scarcity, unstandardized and inefficient water reporting, climate change impact, transboundary complexities, and outdated irrigation systems. Traditional water monitoring methods fall short of providing the integrated insights required for effective decision-making. To address these challenges, we launched a participatory co-design initiative to conceptualize a next-generation water monitoring tool tailored to the province’s unique needs.  This study employs participatory methodologies to engage a diverse range of stakeholders - water managers, policymakers, and technical experts- in the tool’s design process. The approach began with stakeholder mapping and needs assessment surveys to identify critical gaps and set priorities in water management practices. Iterative discussions during a consultative workshop and focus group sessions informed the development of a conceptual framework for the tool. Key functionalities identified include enhanced water monitoring, improved allocation mechanisms, drought monitoring, and early warning systems, all leveraging data integration, interactive dashboards, and cloud-based predictive analytics. The co-design approach fosters mutual understanding and collaboration between stakeholders and researchers, emphasizing usability, accessibility, and scalability.  By actively involving stakeholders, the process has strengthened ownership, institutional coordination, and capacity building, even in the prototype design phase. This initiative underscores the transformative potential of inclusive, co-creation-driven solutions to address water management challenges in drylands, moving from fragility to resilience. The Kashkadarya case serves as a model for innovative and context-specific socio-hydrological solutions, with implications for addressing similar challenges in drylands globally.