Water Access - The Times Of Central Asia

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Afghanistan Amu Darya Water Access

Uzbek Minister: Afghans Have the Right to Amu Darya Water Too

The construction of the Qosh Tepa Canal in northern Afghanistan has attracted growing attention from neighboring countries, particularly Uzbekistan. The ambitious project, initiated by the Taliban to divert water from the Amu Darya River, is expected to be completed by 2028. Uzbekistan’s Minister of Water Resources, Shavkat Khamraev, addressed the issue during a public meeting on March 18, according to Gazeta.uz. When asked about the canal’s potential impact on Uzbekistan, Khamraev emphasized that Afghanistan has a legitimate right to access the Amu Darya’s waters. He dismissed speculation that the project represents a hostile act, urging a focus on diplomacy and cooperation. “Afghans are our relatives. They also have the right to take water from the Amu Darya. Should we take up arms and fight? No, we are building better relations,” said Khamraev. He urged the public not to be swayed by rumors or misinformation, comparing such speculation to gossip that turns neighbors against each other. Khamraev also noted that he had visited Afghanistan multiple times recently and was warmly received, which he sees as a sign of improving bilateral relations. Rising Concerns About Regional Water Security Despite the minister’s reassurances, experts warn that the canal could exacerbate water shortages across Central Asia. Over 80% of the region’s water resources are used for agriculture, but nearly 40% is lost due to outdated and inefficient infrastructure. If water availability from the Amu Darya decreases, greater pressure may be placed on the Syr Darya River, potentially deepening existing water disputes. Strategic and Geopolitical Implications The canal project has also drawn attention from international observers. A report by the Center for the National Interest, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, suggests that the United States could leverage the project to expand its influence in the region. Stretching 287 kilometers with a depth of 8.5 meters and a width of 100 meters, the Qosh Tepa Canal aims to irrigate over 1.2 million acres of farmland and create approximately 200,000 jobs in Afghanistan’s northern provinces. As construction progresses, the canal’s environmental, political, and economic impacts are likely to remain a key topic in regional diplomacy.

Water Access Government Water Security Regional threats Water Disputes transboundary water

Kyrgyzstan Tackles Decreasing Water Levels in Lake Issyk-Kul

Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, with support from the World Bank, hosted a National Water Forum on November 29 to address the country’s water resource challenges. The forum focused on the impacts of climate change and strategies to preserve Lake Issyk-Kul, the country’s largest lake and a key tourist destination. Lake Issyk-Kul is under significant threat due to climate change, overuse of natural resources, and ecosystem degradation. The most urgent issue is the declining water level, largely caused by the diversion of water from rivers that feed the lake. These rivers are heavily utilized for local irrigation and redirected to support agricultural needs in downstream Central Asian countries. Government Action Plan At the forum, Bakyt Torobaev, Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, urged collective action to safeguard Issyk-Kul. “Climate change, growing water shortages, preserving the unique ecosystem of Issyk-Kul – all this requires us to make urgent and coordinated decisions,” Torobaev stated. To address the issue, the Kyrgyz government has committed $392 million to stabilize the lake’s water level. Key measures include: • Allocating $200 million to implement modern water-saving irrigation technologies on 100,000 hectares of farmland in the Issyk-Kul region. This initiative aims to reduce water losses and redirect water from local rivers back to the lake. • Modernizing existing irrigation systems. • Installing 2,200 automatic sensors to monitor and control water consumption. These efforts are expected to redirect up to 200 million cubic meters of water to Lake Issyk-Kul. Regional Cooperation Torobaev highlighted Kyrgyzstan’s critical role in Central Asia’s water policy. “Kyrgyzstan plays a central role in Central Asia's water policy, providing water and energy to neighboring countries. To maintain stability in the region, it is necessary to develop effective management of our waters, modernize infrastructure, and strengthen international cooperation,” he said. He stressed that water should unite the region rather than divide it, emphasizing the need for cooperation based on mutual respect, equality, and recognition of each country’s role. Torobaev also pointed to the joint construction of the Kambarata-1 hydropower plant by Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan as an example of regional collaboration. This project aims to address shared water and energy challenges, paving the way for further cooperative initiatives in Central Asia.

Loans & Grants Water Access EBRD Infrastructure Development Water Management

EBRD Supports Water Infrastructure Upgrades in Northern Kyrgyzstan

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has announced a financial package of up to €17 million to upgrade water infrastructure in three cities in northern Kyrgyzstan. The funding includes a loan of up to €7.6 million and a matching grant. The funds will be used to modernize water supply networks, upgrade pumping stations, install water meters in Kemin and Shopokov, and restore wastewater treatment and sewerage systems in Talas. In addition to the financial package, the projects will receive a technical cooperation grant of up to €1.8 million. This grant will support the implementation process and the corporate development of municipal utilities in the three cities. Hüseyin Özhan, EBRD Managing Director for Central Asia, highlighted the Bank's role as a key lender to Kyrgyzstan’s water sector. “We have supported 31 water projects for the amount of more than €190 million in 26 cities across the Kyrgyz Republic to date. They are helping households and businesses to have regular access to high-quality water and wastewater services,” Özhan stated. Since beginning its operations in Kyrgyzstan in 1992, the EBRD has invested approximately €998 million across 250 projects. These initiatives primarily focus on sustainable infrastructure and private sector development, significantly improving living conditions and economic opportunities in the region.

Glaciers water saving Water Access Water Shortages Environment Climate Change

Uzbekistan’s Largest Glacier Melts by 20 Meters in 12 Months, Expedition Finds

BBC Uzbekistan has reported, quoting the country’s Hydrometeorology Research Institute, that at the beginning of August an expedition of Uzbek and German scientists trekked to the Pakhtakor glacier, situated in the eastern part of Uzbekistan. The study of the Pakhtakor glacier, which is extremely difficult to reach and located in the Bostonliq district of the Tashkent region, near the borders with Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, started in July of last year. The latest expedition found that Uzbekistan's largest glacier tongue (an extension of a glacier or ice stream projecting seaward) had retreated by 20 meters in the last year. The surface of the ablation part (the initial part of the glacier where the ice melts faster) has melted by 3 meters. Pakhtakor is one of the largest glaciers feeding the Pskom River. There are about 140 large and small glaciers in the Pskom River basin, which has a total area of 128 square kilometers. According to the BBC report, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, studies of permafrost were rarely conducted in other Central Asian countries except Kazakhstan. Although there are few glaciers in Uzbekistan, they play an essential role in the ecosystem. In low-water years, glaciers provide up to 25% of the total flow. Maksim Petrov, the head of the Center for Glacial Geology at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of Uzbekistan, says the country's glaciers are melting at different rates. “The melting rate is almost in line with the average rate in Central Asia. However, the melting rate in our mountains in the eastern part is not high, and the glaciers have melted only up to 20%. The glaciers in Surkhandarya have melted by 40%. The most catastrophic situation is in Kashkadarya — up to 70%,” Petrov said at a roundtable discussion held by Cabar Asia in May. Petrov added: “Large glaciers are breaking up and breaking into pieces. It seems the number of glaciers is increasing, but their area is shrinking.” Various scientists point out that the shrinking area of glaciers has yet to seriously affect the water balance in Central Asia, and the observed water shortage is mainly caused by population and industrial growth. But in 2015, German researchers warned that glaciers in the Tian Shan mountains, which play an essential role in maintaining the water cycle in the region, are rapidly melting. Half of the total ice mass is forecast to melt by 2050. “Today, Tian Shan is losing an amount of ice equivalent to twice the annual water consumption of all of Germany,” the 2015 study stated.

water saving Water Access Agriculture Economy Climate Change Water Environment Water Management

Kazakhstan’s Kapchagay Reservoir Fills Up For First Time In A Decade

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced on August 26 that the Kapchagay reservoir outside Almaty was completely full for the first time in ten years. Created in 1970 as an artificial lake, 100km long and up to 25km wide in places, the reservoir can hold more than 18 billion cubic meters of water. The reservoir collects water from the Ili River, which originates in China. This spring, the ministry said up to 900 cubic meters of water per second flowed into the reservoir, attributing the increased inflow to the melting of the Tien Shan mountain glaciers and higher than usual rainfall. The reservoir was initially meant to regulate the flow of the Ili River on its way to Kazakhstan’s largest lake, Balkhash. Today, it is used for irrigation, fish farming, and recreation. Located a one-hour drive from Almaty, its beaches are popular with holidaymakers. According to Medet Kerimzhanov, deputy head of the Balkhash-Alakol basin inspectorate, the last time the Kapchagay reservoir was 100% full was in 2014. Today, 750 cubic meters of water per second are released from the reservoir to irrigate fields. Kerimzhanov added that the irrigation season in the region will continue until the end of September. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Water Resources said it was drafting an intergovernmental agreement between Kazakhstan and China on distributing water from transboundary rivers — the Ertis, the Ili, and the Emel. To date, the parties have reached a consensus on several provisions of the future agreement, the ministry said.

China Environment Water Access transboundary water Balkhash water saving Water Security Lake Balkhash

Kazakhstan and China in Talks on Feeding Lake Balkhash

The Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced on August 19 that Kazakhstan and China are drafting an agreement on dividing trans-boundary river waters between the two countries. The main objective of the agreement is to ensure that the water in Kazakhstan’s Lake Balkhash remains at an optimal level. Located 280km northwest of the country’s largest city, Almaty, Lake Balkhash is the fifteenth largest lake in the world. It is fed by several trans-boundary rivers flowing from China, the largest of which is the Ili River, which provides about 80% of the lake's water. [caption id="attachment_21931" align="aligncenter" width="1056"] Image: Wikimapia[/caption] Environmentalists in Kazakhstan have been concerned about Lake Balkhash's shallowing. Balkhash has been gradually drying up in recent years, including due to the decline in water volumes in the Ili River. Upstream China has extensively diverted the river over the past half century to produce hydroelectric power and agricultural crops on irrigated land. According to research, as of 2021 China was blocking 40% of the river’s inflow. Moldir Abdualieva, a spokesperson of the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, said that the ministry has been paying great attention to providing Lake Balkhash with the necessary volume of water. “Since the beginning of this year, more than 12 billion cubic meters of water have been sent to the lake," she said. In May, it was reported that the water level in Balkhash had risen by 23cm since the beginning of the year due to increased rainfall and floods caused by snow melt this past spring.