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Central Asian Drought Highlights Water Vulnerability
July 12th, 2021
Via Third Pole, a report on how – as parts of the region experience the worst drought in 13 years – experts say Central Asian governments must urgently look at options to mitigate extreme weather events: A severe drought in Central Asia is causing mass livestock die-offs and shortages of water for irrigation. In two […]
Read more »Uzbekistan and Tajikistan Talk Dams, Not Rogun
June 22nd, 2021
Via The Diplomat, an article on Tashkent’s strategy to delicately remove itself from discussing Dushanbe’s Rogun dam, instead offering alternatives: Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid an official visit to Dushanbe on June 10-11. It was Mirziyoyev’s second visit to the Tajik capital since his presidency began in 2016. In 2018, Mirziyoyev made a state visit to […]
Read more »Drought Exacerbating Central Asian Regional Conflicts
June 16th, 2021
Via Window on Eurasia, commentary on how drought is exacerbating Central Asian conflicts: The drought in Central Asia means that the flow of the Amudarya River is currently 24.5 percent lower than in 2019 and 16.4 percent lower than it was last year when the region began suffering a drought. There is thus less water […]
Read more »Can An Uzbek-Kyrgyz Border Deal Ease Regional Water Woes?
April 10th, 2021
Via Foreign Brief, a look at whether an Uzbek-Kyrgyz border deal can ease regional water tensions: On March 25, the Prime Ministers of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan signed a treaty that, according to the head of Kyrgyzstan’s security service, fully resolves all remaining bilateral territorial disputes. KEY INSIGHTS – Bilateral border and water-power sharing agreements will help to mitigate […]
Read more »What Does China’s BRI Mean for Central Asia’s Water Future?
February 15th, 2021
Via Eurasianet, a report that the Belt and Road Initiative could exacerbate Central Asia’s water tensions, and Beijing seems to have thought little about the risks: For Central Asia, China’s Belt and Road Initiative is the biggest infrastructure drive in generations. And like the Soviet mega dams, mines, and devastating cotton monoculture that preceded it, the BRI […]
Read more »Chinese Hydroelectric Investments In Central Asia
September 8th, 2020
Via Eurasianet, a look at China’s hydroelectric investments in Central Asia: Any investor wishing to stay friendly with all five Central Asian republics knows to steer clear of major hydropower projects. When the five countries were part of the Soviet Union, interdependence worked: Moscow built some of the world’s tallest dams in upstream Kyrgyzstan and […]
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