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Tajikistan’s Dam(n) Trust?
February 17th, 2009
Via The Foreign Policy Association, an interesting look at Tajikistan’s considerable freshwater reserves and how they impact (may be impacted) by developments in Central Asia. As the article notes “…In contrast to its’ neighboring countries with vast oil and gas resources, Tajikistan has the actual most important resource in the world, large reserves of fresh […]
Read more »Russian Interest in Central Asian Water
February 1st, 2009
Via Terra Daily, an interesting report on Russia’s increasing interest in Central Asia’s water resources. As the article notes “…Within the “Stans” — former Soviet republics Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — an added element in the matrix is water, used by Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan largely to generate hydroelectric power, while the downstream states […]
Read more »Central Asian Water: The Thirsty Dragon, The Aral Sea, and Ongoing Dilemmas
January 23rd, 2009
As we have discussed in this blog previously, Central Asian countries are divided into water suppliers (the mountainous countries of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) and water consumers (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). But the Central Asian water crisis is not just about the fate of the Aral Sea. It is about the management of the entire basin, including […]
Read more »Politics of Water in Central Asia – In Pictures
December 10th, 2008
Via Time, an interesting collection of stark photographs & commentary detailing the water politics of Central Asia, specifically how four former Soviet Republics fight for control of a precious resource. Abundance Central Asia is rich in water, but 90% of it is concentrated in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, above. In Soviet times, the […]
Read more »Enhancing Regional Cooperation on Central Asian Waterways
October 29th, 2008
As recently reported by the European Water News, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is aiming to enhance regional cooperation on vital Central Asian waterways whose management and protection are crucial to the region’s economic growth and social well-being. As the article notes: “…The Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers, which criss-cross a large part of […]
Read more »Holes in the Dike: Prospects for the Central Asian Water Accord Holding
October 27th, 2008
Via Windows on Eurasia, a sanguine – but possibly quite realistic – view on the potential of the recently announced Central Asian water accord holding due to the complexity of the agreement and the widening differences in wealth/growth of the member states. As the article notes: “…After the CIS summit in Bishkek, the five post-Soviet […]
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