Kosh-Tepa Canal: Afghanistan is building, Kazakhstan fears for the Syr Darya
The construction of the Kosh-Tepa canal in Afghanistan carries potential risks of reducing water revenues to Kazakhstan along the Syrdarya River. This warning was voiced by Vice Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Aslan Abdraimov at the international conference “Water Security and Transboundary Water Use: Challenges and Solutions”, known as the ARAL Summit, which was held in Astana, Kazinform reports.
According to the Vice Minister, although drastic changes in water volumes are not expected in the near future, in the long term, a decrease in the flow of the Syr Darya becomes very likely. “All this will affect our long–suffering Aral Sea,” Abdraimov said, noting that the impact of the new Afghan hydraulic engineering facility will be tangible for Kazakhstan, despite the absence of a common state boundary. “We do not border with Afghanistan, but we understand that the volume that they will take away, of course, it will affect the whole in the future,” the vice minister added.
Azamatkhan Amirtayev, chairman of the Baitak party, also spoke about the serious consequences for the entire Central Asian region. He pointed out that the redistribution of Amu Darya water resources due to the Kosh-Tepa canal will affect not only Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, which are directly dependent on this river, but also Kazakhstan. According to his estimates, up to 25-30% of the Amu Darya’s water resources can be channeled into a new Afghan canal.
“That is, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan will receive less water. Consequently, Uzbekistan can use more Syrdarya water, which means that less will flow to Kazakhstan. Water supply from Uzbekistan may even decrease by 30-40%,” Amirtayev explained. He stressed the urgent need for joint regional work to solve this impending problem, noting the readiness to involve Kazakhstani and international scientists to find effective solutions and minimize water losses during the construction and operation of the Kosh-Tepa canal. “We don’t want to criticize… We want to work together with them. This is a joint problem,” he said.
Earlier, representatives of the Afghan relevant department expressed their readiness for a constructive dialogue on water issues, noting that they consider water diplomacy as a new important direction and opportunity for their country in the international arena.
