Water Management - The Times Of Central Asia

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Water Management

Water Projects in Tajikistan: Japan Learns from a Troubled Grant

Residents of Moskva in Tajikistan’s Khatlon region reported receiving water for an average of just 10.9 hours a day in a 2017 survey, nearly four years after a Japanese-funded supply system was completed in June 2013. An external evaluation commissioned by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) gave the project a D rating, the lowest possible. Japan is now financing a new water supply system in Abdurahmoni Jomi district, also in the Khatlon region. The two projects illustrate how its approach to water supply assistance has developed, particularly in metering, utility management, and infrastructure maintenance. A Project That Met Its Targets on Paper Hamadoni district, which includes Moskva and lies near the Afghan border, had a population of approximately 119,000 when the original grant was planned. Some 59% of residents lacked access to a working water supply system, and only 16 of the district’s 47 village wells were operational. More than 70% of residents in village areas relied on canals and rivers for water. The grant financed three deep wells, elevated reservoirs, and a 32.9-kilometer pipeline network in Moskva, as well as a water supply system for two villages and drilling equipment. The project cost 19% more than planned and took 67 months instead of the expected 31. In 2016, the local utility reported that the system supplied water to all 22,505 residents of Moskva and 7,103 residents in the two villages, where it was distributed through communal taps. Leaks, Meters, and a Flat Fee The grant covered pipeline replacement in only part of Moskva. According to the local utility, approximately 70% of the pipes outside the project area needed replacement. Leaks occurred frequently but were not systematically recorded. The utility estimated losses at 35% to 50%, but without household meters it could not accurately distinguish consumption from leakage. Households paid a flat monthly fee of 13.4 somoni (about $1.50 at the time) for unlimited water use. Some residents left their taps running to irrigate gardens, particularly during the summer, reducing water pressure elsewhere in the network. The arrangement provided little financial incentive to reduce consumption. JICA Disagrees with Its Evaluator JICA’s Financial Cooperation Implementation Department issued a separate opinion challenging the D rating, arguing that the evaluation did not adequately reflect the project’s achievements. The department pointed out that the system delivered 7,580 cubic meters of water per day, compared with an originally projected daily average of 5,292 cubic meters. It also cited the expansion in coverage and improvements in water quality. The external evaluator, however, noted that the system had been designed to permit a 24-hour water supply, but service had been limited to a 13-hour daily schedule because of leaks and excessive consumption. The amount pumped into the network did not necessarily reflect how much water reached households. Metering Brings Improvements, 2017–2021 The evaluation recommended replacing deteriorated pipes, installing meters, improving maintenance, and explaining the new arrangements to residents. Japan had already begun a technical cooperation project in April 2017, while the evaluation was underway. It concluded...

Kyrgyzstan Plans to Restore Land in Syr Darya Basin

Kyrgyzstan plans to restore degraded land in the Syr Darya basin as shrinking glaciers and declining forest cover raise concerns about the future of one of Central Asia’s main water systems. The four-year project will restore at least 264 hectares in the Jalal-Abad region, mainly within the Kyzyl-Unkur and Toskool-Ata forest enterprises. More than 27,000 people are expected to benefit directly from work on damaged land, including forests and agricultural areas. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations will implement the project with the country’s Forestry Service, using financing from the Global Environment Facility. The work will include agroforestry, sustainable land and water management practices, ecosystem restoration, and monitoring of land degradation and natural hazards. It also aims to avoid emitting or to sequester about 2.22 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Upstream conditions affect water supplies far beyond Jalal-Abad. The Naryn rises in Kyrgyzstan and joins the Kara Darya in Uzbekistan to form the Syr Darya, which continues through Tajikistan and Kazakhstan before reaching the North Aral Sea. Its water feeds large farming areas as well as a chain of reservoirs and hydropower plants. That system is becoming harder to manage as glaciers retreat and the timing of river flows changes. Kyrgyzstan depends heavily on mountain runoff and faces a longstanding seasonal trade-off, needing water for winter hydropower generation while downstream agriculture requires larger releases during the summer growing season. The work in Jalal-Abad is small compared with the size of the basin, but comes as the country reassesses how climate change could affect its water supplies. Mountain forests are closely connected to glaciers and river headwaters, making land degradation an issue for water management both domestically and downstream. The national climate adaptation plan through 2035 calls for new monitoring and early-warning systems to address these risks.

Japanese Investment

Japanese Investment Tackles Uzbekistan’s Aral Sea Crisis

Until recently, the rehabilitation center in Akmangit, a settlement in Karakalpakstan, relied on sewage trucks to remove wastewater. Although it receives about 3,500 patients with disabilities each year, the center had no sewer system. In March 2025, a Johkasou system, a compact Japanese unit that treats wastewater biologically, was installed at the center. The treated water can now be reused for irrigation instead of being hauled away. Similar systems were installed at a kindergarten and a specialized school. In their first four months of operation, the three units treated more than 16,400 cubic meters of wastewater. Although these installations are small relative to Karakalpakstan’s water and sanitation needs, they illustrate Japan’s approach in Uzbekistan’s Aral Sea region through local pilot projects tied to longer-term development programs. During an October 2025 visit, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) delegation and a representative of the Embassy of Japan in Uzbekistan saw residents using the program to introduce drip irrigation and expand small businesses. A smoked-fish producer in Samanbay employed 12 people. Since 2020, Japan has funded trials of water-saving and wastewater-treatment technologies in the region, supported climate-resilient agriculture, and introduced local business-development models. These projects draw less attention than Central Asia’s uranium, critical-mineral, energy, and transport deals. In Karakalpakstan, however, Japan has pursued influence through smaller projects intended to remain in place for years. Water and Agriculture Projects In September 2023, Japan provided $2 million for a UNDP program promoting climate-resilient agriculture in four districts of Karakalpakstan. By the program’s conclusion in 2025, more than 7,700 residents had gained access to clean drinking water. The Johkasou units were among the program’s most visible elements. Developed in Japan in the late 1940s amid sanitation problems, the decentralized systems offer an alternative where centralized sewer networks are impractical. Their treated water can be reused for irrigation. The program tested another Japanese technology on the dried Aral Sea bed. In 2024, UNDP planted 1,000 saxaul seedlings using a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) that retains moisture around plant roots. Saxaul, a desert shrub or small tree, helps stabilize sand and limit the spread of salt and dust from the former seabed. The 1,000 seedlings formed part of UNDP’s Green Aral Sea initiative. Between 2020 and March 2025, the program planted 823,000 trees across 658.2 hectares. In February 2026, Japan and UNDP launched a $4.6 million project scheduled to run through 2028. Its work includes irrigation rehabilitation, digital water monitoring, wastewater reuse, and desalination powered by renewable energy. More than 1,000 farmers and households are expected to benefit. Local Business Models Japan has paired these technologies with models for local economic development. One is the One Village, One Product Movement (OVOP), which began in Japan’s Oita Prefecture in 1979. Under the model, communities develop marketable products based on local resources and skills. In Karakalpakstan, OVOP has been applied to agriculture, handicrafts, and food processing, including the small businesses visited by the delegation in October 2025. Another Japanese approach is kaizen ("continuous improvement"). It seeks to improve production and...

Water Management

UN: Uzbekistan Makes Major Progress in Reducing Water Stress, but Challenges Remain

Uzbekistan has recorded one of the world’s fastest reductions in water stress in recent years, according to a new United Nations case study on the country’s water-management policies. The study points to efforts to conserve water, modernize irrigation, and expand regional cooperation. It also warns that Uzbekistan remains under pressure from climate change and rising water demand, while environmental damage linked to the Aral Sea disaster continues to affect the country. The study, prepared by UN-Water, examines how Uzbekistan managed to reduce water withdrawals while maintaining agricultural production and economic development. The report describes the country’s experience as particularly relevant for other water-stressed regions and countries seeking practical solutions to increasing pressure on freshwater resources. Water has long been one of Uzbekistan’s most strategic resources. Much of the country consists of arid and semi-arid landscapes, while agriculture remains heavily dependent on irrigation. The challenge has become even more urgent as climate change affects water availability across Central Asia. According to the UN report, Uzbekistan’s level of water stress increased steadily until 2017. Since then, the country has undertaken large-scale reforms aimed at reducing water consumption and introducing more efficient technologies. These efforts have produced measurable results. In 2017, Uzbekistan’s freshwater withdrawals reached 169% of its total renewable freshwater resources. By 2021, that figure had fallen to 122%. Although still above sustainable levels and considerably higher than the regional average of 69%, the reduction of 47 percentage points within four years represents one of the most significant improvements recorded globally under Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on clean water and sanitation. Data cited by the report show that total freshwater withdrawals declined from 58.9 billion cubic meters in 2017 to 42.5 billion cubic meters in 2021. Most of the reduction came from agriculture, where irrigation withdrawals fell from 53.7 billion cubic meters to 38.5 billion cubic meters during the same period. The UN attributes much of this progress to strong political commitment. According to the report, water management has become a national priority supported at the highest levels of government. UN-Water notes that water-efficiency goals have been incorporated into several development programs. These include the 2017-2021 Action Strategy and the New Uzbekistan Development Strategy for 2022-2026. The goals also appear in the Uzbekistan-2030 strategy. Among the government’s targets are the introduction of water-saving technologies such as drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, and laser land leveling across all cultivated land by 2030. Authorities also aim to save up to 15 billion cubic meters of water annually, reduce irrigation losses by 25%, and fully digitize the management of 200,000 water intake points. The report identifies the expansion of water-saving technologies as one of the most important factors behind the country’s progress. Uzbekistan has combined financial incentives, soft loans, and subsidies with training programs for farmers and water specialists. According to UN-Water, this approach has helped reduce investment risks and encouraged wider adoption of modern irrigation systems. These measures are especially important because agriculture remains Uzbekistan’s largest water user. According to data from the...

Water Management

Tajikistan’s Electricity Losses Add Pressure to Water and Climate Agenda

Tajikistan’s aging power grid has become part of the country’s water and climate policy. The issue returned to the agenda of European Union-Tajikistan cooperation on July 3, when the two sides held a development cooperation meeting in Dushanbe. Energy and water were included in the Global Gateway agenda, while other talks addressed transport and energy infrastructure, the digital economy, water-resource management, and strategic raw materials. Tajikistan gets nearly 98% of its electricity from hydropower. That gives the country a low-carbon power mix, while tying electricity supply to river flows, snowmelt, reservoirs, and glacier change. Losses in the power system add pressure to that link. Each kilowatt-hour lost in transmission or distribution must still be generated. In Tajikistan, that usually means more water passing through hydropower plants or imported electricity when reservoir levels are low. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has focused on concessional funding for loss-reduction projects. After a May meeting between Energy Minister Daler Juma and Holger Wiefel, the EBRD’s head in Tajikistan, the energy ministry put the aim plainly: “The sides discussed attracting concessional financing for projects aimed at reducing electricity losses and improving the efficiency of the country’s energy system.” Officials also discussed private investment. Hydropower plants in the Zarafshan basin and solar plants were discussed as well. No new financing has been announced from those discussions. The immediate context is an existing EBRD- and EU-backed program for the distribution network. The Times of Central Asia previously reported in April that Tajikistan would receive nearly €49.6 million from the EBRD to reduce electricity losses. The package combines a €28 million loan with grants and technical assistance for work in nine branches of the distribution network in Sughd and Khatlon. First Deputy Finance Minister Yusuf Majidi said the project would reduce energy losses, replace worn-out infrastructure, install modern meters, and improve billing and revenue collection. The EBRD project file gives the total project cost as €43 million. It includes up to €28 million in EBRD financing and a €15 million EU co-investment grant through the Asia Pacific Investment Facility. The project targets automatic billing and metering systems in nine networks of the Bokhtar, Kulob, and Guliston branches of Shabakahoi Taqsimoti Barq. The bank says the project is aimed at reducing high inefficiency and technical losses in Tajikistan’s power distribution network. Distribution losses fell from 19.2% in 2024 to 15.6% in 2025. Even after that fall, more than 3.1 billion kWh were lost in 2025. Officials linked the reduction to smart meters and digital metering. President Emomali Rahmon put the issue in direct terms in a late 2023 parliamentary address. “Our electricity losses are about 4 billion kWh,” he said, adding: “If we prevent this, then there will be enough electricity for everyone.” That comment predates the 2025 improvement, but it still explains why loss reduction has become part of the environmental case for energy-sector financing. Cutting losses can free up electricity without new generation and reduce pressure on winter imports and hydropower reservoirs. Reuters reported...

Flood Forecasting

U.S. Companies to Help Kazakhstan Improve Snow Monitoring and Flood Forecasting

United States-based aviation technology firms Dynamic Aviation and Airborne Snow Observatories Inc. will work with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation to improve snow monitoring, spring runoff forecasts, and early flood warnings, as the country seeks to avoid a repeat of the devastating floods of 2024. The cooperation program was discussed last week during talks between Kazakhstan’s Deputy Water Resources Minister Aslan Abdraimov and representatives of the two American companies, according to the ministry. The project will use aerial monitoring technologies to collect data from river basins, prepare cartographic materials and analytical reports, and integrate that information into Kazakhstan’s flood forecasting and modeling systems. The parties agreed on a phased rollout of the program. The first phase will focus on the Zhabai River basin, where high-precision snow measurements will be carried out using aviation-based technology. The collected data will be integrated into the ministry’s database to refine methodologies, train local specialists, and assess the feasibility of expanding the system to other parts of the country. Later stages will extend monitoring and forecasting to other priority river basins and regions, with the long-term goal of using the system nationwide to improve water management, lower flood risks, and help reservoir operators plan releases more accurately. “It is important for Kazakhstan to have not only up-to-date data but also a practical tool that enables early management decisions, reduces flood risks, and protects the population, infrastructure, and agriculture,” Abdraimov said. The initiative builds on Kazakhstan’s broader efforts to modernize flood management following the severe spring floods of 2024, when rapid snowmelt triggered large-scale flooding across western and northern regions of the country. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan recently launched the Tasqyn flood forecasting and modeling system, which is integrated with the Global Flood Awareness System, an international flood warning network. The 2024 floods destroyed thousands of homes and forced nearly 100,000 people to evacuate, highlighting the vulnerability of Kazakhstan’s water management system to increasingly volatile climate conditions.