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Lake Balkhash: Becoming A Second Aral Sea?
October 27th, 2010
Courtesy of Window on Eurasia, an interesting report on the possibility that – as a Russian commentator recently stated – Lake Balkhash, the 12th largest lake in the world, is on the way to becoming “a second Aral Sea,†but one with potentially even more serious political consequences because both the causes of the lake’s […]
Read more »Turning Siberian Rivers South: Central Asian Water Security
September 8th, 2010
Via Terra Daily, a report that Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev recently resurrected a Soviet plan by suggesting that Russia should divert Siberian rivers so that they flow into Central Asia. According to the article: “…Why not recall a project to divert the flow of Siberian rivers into the southern regions of Russia and Kazakhstan as […]
Read more »Understanding Water Conflict In Central Asia
June 13th, 2010
Courtesy of Water Matters@Columbia, advance notification of a research project currently underway at the Columbia Water Center where a research team is analyzing Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan), and the environmental, political and economic crisis building there over water: A small nutshell description of a vastly complex situation: The five states are […]
Read more »Burdened by Soviet Legacy, Nations Spar Over Water Rights
February 26th, 2010
Courtesy of Science, an interesting look at the continued water tensions in Central Asia’s Pamir Mountains, long known as ‘The Roof of the World’. As the article notes: “…As scientists worry about the prospect of a catastrophic flood from Lake Sarez in the Pamir Mountains which would unleash a wall of water from the 56-kilometer […]
Read more »Kyrgyzstan’s New Dam Concerns Its Central Asian Neighbors
December 24th, 2009
Via Reuters, a report that Kyrgyzstan has begun to dam a key Central Asian river to build a new hydroelectric power plant, a project criticised by neighbouring nations who fear it will disrupt water supplies. As the article notes: “…Water sharing is a contentious issue in Central Asia, an arid, mainly Muslim region where water-thirsty […]
Read more »Water A Pawn In Central Asian Energy Dispute
December 5th, 2009
Courtesy of EurasiaNet, an interesting report on Uzbekistan’s decision to leave the Central Asia energy grid – which cuts off Tajikistan from importing and exporting electricity – has some Tajik officials suggesting that water supplies to Uzbekistan be restricted during the summer irrigation season. As background, the energy and irrigation infrastructure in Central Asia was […]
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