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Tajikistan Sending Higher Volumes of Irrigation Water to Kazakhstan

Since June 1, Tajikistan has sent 488.6 million cubic meters of water to Kazakhstan via the transboundary Dostyk canal. This is 40 million cubic meters more than in the entirety of last year, and is already 45 million cubic meters more than the volume planned for this year, the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced on August 27. During his state visit to Tajikistan on August 22, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the importance of cooperation with Tajikistan in the water sector and the rational use of resources of transboundary rivers of Central Asia. Kazakhstan’s agriculture, especially in the dry southern regions, depends on irrigation water supplies from upstream Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. According to the Ministry of Water Resources, since April 1, Uzbekistan has sent over 4 billion cubic meters of water to Kazakhstan via the Syr Darya River. Kyrgyzstan has committed to supply Kazakhstan with 180 million cubic meters of water via the transboundary Shu River, and 380 million cubic meters via the Talas River.

Solar-Powered Irrigation System Launched Outside Tashkent

A new drip irrigation system that runs on solar power has been introduced in the Akkurgan district outside Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent. The irrigation system is being funded by the European Union, and is part of a project between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Uzbek Ministry of Agriculture. Increasing water scarcity is a serious challenge in rural Uzbekistan. Many families rely on their backyard gardens to grow vegetables, and better irrigation will help rural communities to become more economically sustainable. The system includes a water pump that extracts water from a vertical well at a depth of 180 meters, supported by solar panels. The system irrigates 0.8 hectares of land, benefiting 10 households and saving nearly 60% of water compared to traditional irrigation methods. The excess electricity generated by the solar panels is sold to the State Electricity System, and the revenue is used to manage and operate the irrigation well and the drip irrigation network. Mr. Wim Riepma, Head of Cooperation of the European Union's Delegation to Uzbekistan, commented: "This solar-powered drip irrigation system not only addresses water scarcity but also paves the way for more sustainable agriculture in Uzbekistan. Most importantly, it directly benefits local families by increasing their access to electricity and water for irrigation, thus enhancing food security and incomes."

Uzbekistan to Supply Extra Water to Kazakhstan for Irrigation

Kazinform has reported that following a  meeting in Astana between Kazakh  Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Nurzhan Nurjigitov, and Uzbek Minister of Water Management Shavkat Hamroev, Uzbekistan is to provide Kazakhstan with an additional 500 million cubic meters of water until the end of the irrigation season. Since April 1, Uzbekistan has supplied more than 4 billion cubic meters of water to Kazakhstan through the Syr Darya. It had been previously agreed that Uzbekistan would provide Kazakhstan with 3.7 billion cubic meters of water within six months but the Uzbek side fulfilled its obligation in just 4 months. The report states that the key goal was to fully satisfy the demand for irrigation water from farmers of  Kazakhstan's southern regions and today, the Shardara Reservoir holds 1.5 billion cubic meters of water, almost 500 million more than last year. A total of 4 billion cubic meters of water entered the Shardara reservoir. Commenting on the success of the project, the official representative of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan, Moldir Abdualieva stated, “Due to the preliminary agreement with our neighbors on the working order of the Toktogul and Bahri-Tajik reservoirs, water regularly flows to the Kazakh part of the Dostlik interstate canal. Now, 90 cubic meters of water per second comes to the country through this channel. This is enough to fully supply the farmers of the Turkestan region with irrigation water,”

Central Asia’s Water Crisis

Over 80% of Central Asia’s available water is spent on irrigation, 40% of which is lost during delivery and directly in the fields. Over the coming years, the problem of water shortage will inevitably worsen and with the commission of the Qosh Tepa Canal in Afghanistan, will become chronic from 2028. The stark warning was issued by Evgeny Vinokurov, Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Deputy Chairman of the Board and Chief Economist during the  “Water, Energy and Food in Central Asia: Partnerships and Projects for Sustainable Development” session at the EDB 2024 Annual Meeting and Business Forum on 27–28 June in Almaty. The challenges of the Central Asian water and energy complex are too great to be tackled independently by the region’s countries. Historically, Central Asia’s five states have been closely linked by the region’s two largest transboundary rivers, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya which flow into the Aral Sea basin, home to 80% of the population. Hence, the need for close a intersectoral relationship (nexus) concerning water, energy and food and deep regional cooperation for the effective use of shared water and energy resources to overcome the crisis. At the session, Askhat Orazbai, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, stressed the central role played by IFAS in building essential regional dialogue. The Fund is the only regional organization with membership of all five Central Asian states and according to its mandate, was designed to address the region’s complex water-energy nexus. For over 30 years, the Fund has been the key platform for decisions on water resources management at the highest level. Currently being reformed, the Fund’s full potential will soon be fully unlocked. The session emphasized the urgent need for increased funding to deal with challenges posed by water scarcity. Modernization of the existing irrigation infrastructure is extremely capital-intensive but budgetary funds are inadequate and private investors have shown no interest in the sector. The contribution of multilateral development banks is therefore critical and encouragingly, over recent years, most of the region’s  MDBs have given special priority to water projects. The EDB's Chief Economist Vinokurov pointed out that conservation is key to solving the problem of water scarcity. Highlighting the importance of digital accounting and the introduction of effective irrigation technologies, Vinokurov suggested creating a regional cluster of irrigation equipment. Considering that the region spends from $150 million to $300 million annually on the above, the EDB plans to actively support this sector's development. Michael Detlefsen, a UNIDO representative, expressed confidence in the future formation of a regional cluster of irrigation equipment in Central Asia. Over the last two years, the region has seen increased activity from manufacturers from Turkey, China, Israel, and the United States on the organization of local assembly lines. In this regard, the UNIDO representative stressed the importance of working together with the EDB to form such a cluster.  

Water in Kazakhstan’s North Aral Sea Rises by Over a Billion Cubic Meters

On June 24, the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced that since the beginning of the year, 1.1 billion cubic meters of water have flowed into the North Aral Sea in Kazakhstan, raising the volume to 21.4 billion cubic meters. The North Aral Sea is the portion of the former Aral Sea fed by the Syr Darya River. It split from the South Aral Sea in 1987–‘88 when water levels dropped as a result of water being diverted from the river for agricultural use. At the recent 86th meeting of the Interstate Coordination Water Commission, which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, it was agreed that during this year’s irrigation season, 997 million cubic meters of water would be fed into the North Aral Sea at a rate of at least 30 cubic meters per second. Now, 50 cubic meters of water per second enters the sea, compared to just six cubic meters per second last year. In the 1990s, a dam was constructed to prevent the inflow of water from the North to the South Aral. Rebuilt in 2005, the Kok-Aral Dam enabled water levels to rise in the North Aral Sea. “From the moment the dam was put into operation until today, 46.6 billion cubic meters of water have flowed from the Syr Darya River into the North Aral Sea,” said Moldir Abdualieva, official representative of the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. “And over the past 7 years, 13.3 billion cubic meters of water have entered the sea. In recent years, the volume of water in the North Aral had been declining, but since the beginning of 2024 it has begun to grow again and today has reached 21.4 billion cubic meters.” According to the ministry, 75% of the flow of the Syr Darya River comes from Kyrgyzstan, 20% from Uzbekistan, and 5% from Kazakhstan.    

Kazakhstan’s Irrigation Water to be Swelled by 560 Million Cubic Meters from Kyrgyzstan

On June 18, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced that during this year’s irrigation season, the country will receive 180 million cubic meters of water from the Shu River and 380 million cubic meters of water from the Talas River from upstream Kyrgyzstan. As reported by Kazakh Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, the agreement between the two countries was reached during the 33rd meeting of the Shu-Talas Water Commission. Agreements were also settled on the extent of work required on the repair and reconstruction of water management facilities located on the transboundary Shu and Talas rivers. Welcoming the decisions, Minister Nurzhigitov commented: “International cooperation is one of our ministry’s key goals. In preparation for the irrigation season, a lot of work has been undertaken to provide farmers in the south of Kazakhstan with necessary volumes of water, and important negotiations have taken place with neighbouring countries. Today’s agreement with the Ministry of Water Resources of Kyrgyzstan to increase water supply along the Shu and Talas rivers, will be implemented from June 21.” The agreement follows that between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for the supply of 922 million cubic meters of water to the former through the Dostyk interstate canal.