Irrigation Water - The Times Of Central Asia

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Irrigation Water

Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan Agree on Summer Water Releases from Bahri Tojik Reservoir

Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have agreed on water releases from Tajikistan’s Bahri Tojik reservoir for the June-August 2026 irrigation period, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has announced. The agreement was formalized in a trilateral protocol signed by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, Tajikistan’s Minister of Energy and Water Resources Juma Daler, and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Water Resources Shavkat Khamrayev. Under the agreed schedule, water from the Bahri Tojik reservoir will be released during the summer to support agricultural producers in Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region, particularly in the Maktaaral and Zhetysai districts, where irrigation demand rises sharply during the growing season. “The issue of supplying irrigation water to the southern regions remains under special control,” Nurzhigitov said in comments released by Kazakhstan's ministry. “The agreements reached are the result of constructive interaction and mutual support between Central Asian countries. The measures taken will help ensure a stable growing season and support domestic farmers.” The ministers also reaffirmed their intention to strengthen regional cooperation on the rational and mutually beneficial use of shared water resources, a longstanding challenge in Central Asia, where agriculture depends heavily on transboundary rivers and reservoirs. The Bahri Tojik reservoir, formerly known as the Kairakkum reservoir before being renamed in 2016, is one of Tajikistan’s largest artificial water bodies. Located in the northern Sughd region on the Syr Darya River, it has operated since 1959 and plays an important role in seasonal water distribution across the region. The latest agreement follows a similar arrangement reached in June 2025, when the three countries approved the coordinated use of reservoir water during the summer irrigation season. At the time, Kazakhstan expected to receive 491 million cubic meters of water to help offset shortages in southern farming areas.

Irrigation

Kazakhstan Sets Irrigation Limits for Southern Regions and Reduces Water-Intensive Crops

Kazakhstan has introduced limits on irrigation water use in its southern regions and is reducing the cultivation of water-intensive crops as authorities seek to prevent shortages during the 2026 growing season. At a government meeting on May 12, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov said reservoirs in the country’s southern regions had accumulated 26.2 billion cubic meters of water, 500 million cubic meters more than during the same period last year. Agriculture in Kazakhstan’s arid southern regions depends heavily on water collected during the spring snowmelt period, as well as water flowing from upstream Kyrgyzstan. To avoid irrigation shortages, the government established water-consumption limits for the main agricultural regions. The Turkestan region received a limit of 3.8 billion cubic meters, followed by the Kyzylorda region with 3.2 billion cubic meters, the Almaty region with 2.1 billion cubic meters, the Zhetisu region with 1.8 billion cubic meters, and the Zhambyl region with 900 million cubic meters. Authorities said all preparatory work for the irrigation season has been completed. This included mechanized cleaning of 1,840 kilometers of irrigation canals, reconstruction of 680 kilometers of irrigation networks, and repairs to 375 hydraulic facilities. To ensure stable water supplies through the canal system, 181 pumping units have been prepared, while an additional 92 pumps are expected to be purchased. Since the beginning of the year, Kazakhstan has also shifted the process of concluding water-supply contracts with farmers to an electronic format. The new digital system covers the entire water-supply cycle, including applications, contract execution, monitoring of actual water consumption, and payment processing. To date, more than 25,000 electronic contracts have been signed with farmers. “To increase transparency and strengthen operational control over water-resource management, satellite monitoring based on Earth remote sensing is being introduced across all five southern regions of the country. Since the beginning of the year, satellite monitoring has identified 39 cases of water withdrawal without contracts in the Turkestan region, where farmers illegally used approximately 790,000 cubic meters of water,” Nurzhigitov said. At the same government meeting, Deputy Agriculture Minister Azat Sultanov said Kazakhstan plans to sow crops on a total area of 23.8 million hectares this year, 180,000 hectares more than in 2025. Priority is being given to more profitable crops. The area under oilseed cultivation will exceed 4 million hectares, while forage crops will cover 3.3 million hectares. Kazakhstan is also continuing efforts to diversify agricultural production. The area planted with grain crops will be reduced by 127,000 hectares. As part of water-saving measures, the government is cutting back on water-intensive crops such as rice and cotton. Rice cultivation areas have been reduced by 20,200 hectares. At the same time, the area under drip-irrigated cotton has increased by 29,800 hectares, while cotton grown using traditional irrigation methods has been reduced by 12,000 hectares.

Water resources

Kyrgyz MP Questions Why Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan Don’t Pay for Irrigation Water

A long-standing debate over Kyrgyzstan’s water resources resurfaced this week after a member of parliament questioned why Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan do not compensate Kyrgyzstan for irrigation water sourced from its reservoirs, according to a report by Kaktus Media. Speaking at a February 9 meeting of the parliamentary committee on agrarian policy, water resources, ecology, and subsoil use, MP Umbetaly Kydyraliev raised concerns about growing water shortages caused by climate change and the lack of economic return from water exports to neighboring countries. “About 80% of the water in our reservoirs goes to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan,” said Kydyraliev. “How are we resolving this issue with them?” Regional Cooperation vs. Compensation In response, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry Bakyt Torobaev explained that while Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are not making direct payments for water, they are contributing to major regional infrastructure projects, most notably, the Kambar-Ata-1 hydropower plant. Torobaev emphasized that cooperation is based on mutual benefit rather than transactional agreements. He noted that both countries have expressed strong interest in ensuring reliable access to water and have supported the hydropower initiative accordingly. Kambar-Ata-1: Strategic Investment Kambar-Ata-1, originally launched during the Soviet era and later shelved, is poised to become one of Central Asia’s largest hydropower plants. Once completed, it is expected to surpass the output of the Toktogul hydropower station, currently Kyrgyzstan’s main source of electricity. The plant's projected cost is around $3.6 billion. Who Should Pay for Upkeep? Kydyraliev also cited other key reservoirs, including Kempir-Abad (jointly managed with Uzbekistan), Kirov, and Orto-Tokoy, which remain under Kyrgyzstan’s jurisdiction. Annual intergovernmental commissions determine how much water is released from these facilities, yet no financial compensation is received. “Does this mean Kyrgyzstan gains no economic benefit from maintaining these hydropower facilities?” he asked. “We have to repair them, stabilize water levels, and inspect dams. These are real costs. Other countries pay for water under international law.” Official Position: No Demands for Payment Deputy Energy Minister Nasipbek Kerimov noted that the issue is being jointly studied by energy and water specialists. Torobaev added that details of these discussions are confidential but confirmed that President Sadyr Japarov has instructed officials not to demand payments from neighboring states for infrastructure maintenance. Instead, Kyrgyzstan will shoulder those costs itself, with any external assistance remaining voluntary.

Water crisis

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Launch Study to Revise Irrigation Regimes in Syr Darya River Basin

With grant funding from the French Development Agency (AFD), Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have launched a joint initiative to revise irrigation regimes in the Syr Darya River basin. The project, coordinated by the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, aims to optimize agricultural water use and improve environmental outcomes, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. In Kazakhstan, the study covers 550,000 hectares of irrigated farmland in the Turkestan Region and 254,000 hectares in the Kyzylorda Region. Ground-level measurements are underway alongside satellite-based remote sensing to collect precise and comprehensive data. The findings will inform updated irrigation schedules and help increase crop yields, reduce soil salinization and land degradation, and enhance water-use efficiency across the Syr Darya River basin. The project involves both the Kazakh Research Institute of Water Management and Uzbekistan’s Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC) of Central Asian countries. Completion is scheduled for 2026. Talgat Momyshev, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, noted that the Aral-Syr Darya basin supplies water to over 35% of Kazakhstan’s irrigated land, with 98% of withdrawals going to agriculture. He emphasized the urgency of revising hydro modular zoning, which hasn’t been updated in four decades. “The existing zoning does not account for major changes in climate, soil conditions, and land reclamation status over the past 40 years. A revision is essential,” he said. The Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers are vital for irrigating agricultural land throughout Central Asia. At a November meeting in Ashgabat, ICWC members from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan approved new water distribution quotas for the non-growing season from October 1, 2025, to April 1, 2026. During the non-growing season, water is stored in reservoirs to meet irrigation needs for the following spring and summer. For the Syr Darya River, the total withdrawal quota for this period has been set at 4.219 billion cubic meters, allocated as follows: Uzbekistan: 3.347 billion m³ Kazakhstan: 460 million m³ (via the Dustlik Canal) Tajikistan: 365 million m³ Kyrgyzstan: 47 million m³ In the 2025 growing season, actual usage by country was as follows: Kazakhstan: 644 million m³ (out of a 909 million m³ quota) Uzbekistan: 7.012 billion m³ (of 8.8 billion m³) Tajikistan: 1.454 billion m³ (of 1.9 billion m³) Kyrgyzstan: 191 million m³ (of 270 million m³) The revision effort underscores growing regional cooperation around sustainable water management in one of Central Asia’s most critical river basins.

Rivers

Central Asia Faces Growing Water Risks as Qosh Tepa Canal Nears Completion

Kazakh media, Inbusiness.kz, reports that discussions within the Russian Academy of Sciences have revived a decadesold idea to redirect Siberian rivers toward Central Asia. Researchers have proposed that Russia’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education include a study of the project in its state research plan, arguing that the region is entering a critical phase of water scarcity. This renewed debate comes as Afghanistan advances construction of the Qosh Tepa Canal, a massive irrigation project in the country’s north. The first 108 kilometer section began operating in 2023, and work on the second phase is nearing completion. Once fully operational, the 285 kilometer canal is expected to divert more than 15% of the Amu Darya river’s flow to irrigate around 550,000 hectares of farmland in Afghanistan’s drought-prone regions. Construction began in March 2022 and its impact is already being felt across Central Asia. Experts warn the canal could reduce Uzbekistan’s water supply by around 15% and Turkmenistan’s by up to 80%, which may lead to lower crop yields, job losses, rising poverty and even potential migration or tensions. Scholars in Kazakhstan note rising alarm. Ravshan Nazarov, an associate professor based in Tashkent, said that failure to address water shortages could trigger mass population movements. He argued that redirecting Siberian rivers, though technically complex and costly, may become unavoidable. He warned that if Russia does not share its water resources, it might eventually face “an influx of 100 million refugees.” Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that Turkmenistan is the region’s largest water consumer, using 53 cubic kilometres annually despite a population of just about 7 million. Experts attribute this to ageing infrastructure, high evaporation losses and a lack of concrete-lined canals. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan has faced water shortages since 2020.

Water Access

Central Asia Confirms Joint Water Plan for Shardara Reservoir Ahead of 2025-2026 Season

Central Asian nations have reached a consensus on projected water inflow volumes to the Shardara Reservoir for the upcoming non-vegetation period, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. The agreement was finalized during a regional meeting attended by senior officials: Durdy Gendjiev, Chair of Turkmenistan’s State Committee for Water Management; Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation; Shavkat Hamraev, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Water Management; and Jamshed Shodi Shoimzoda, First Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan. Emil Shodikhanov, an adviser at the Kyrgyz Embassy in Turkmenistan, participated as an observer. Participants reviewed outcomes from the 2025 irrigation season and approved the operational forecast for the Naryn-Syr Darya reservoir cascade for the 2025-2026 non-vegetation period. A consensus was reached on expected inflow volumes to Shardara Reservoir, which is a critical node in the region’s transboundary water system. The meeting also included discussions on progress in implementing the commitments made during recent summits of the founding states of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. The 92nd session of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC) is scheduled to take place next year in Tajikistan. “Last irrigation season took place under difficult climate conditions. However, coordinated cooperation among the ICWC member states made it possible to ensure stability throughout the vegetation period,” said Nurzhigitov. “Through such meetings, we reach common agreements and lay the foundation for future cooperation. Together with our colleagues in Central Asia, we aim for a fair distribution of transboundary water resources that considers the interests of all parties.” This agreement follows the 16 November regional summit chaired by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, during which Central Asian leaders discussed enhancing regional cooperation and accelerating joint infrastructure projects. The summit focused on escalating ecological and water challenges, and leaders stressed the need to adopt a “green development” framework for the region. They also proposed declaring 2026-2036 as the “Decade of Practical Action for the Rational Use of Water in Central Asia.”