Tajikistan: hydropower on the background of melting glaciers
A high-level international conference dedicated to the acute problem of glacier conservation, exacerbated by rapid climate change, was held in Dushanbe on May 30, 2025. The Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan Daler Jumaa, opening the event entitled “Glaciers and access to water in the face of climate change: from glaciers to the sea,” stressed that the unprecedented melting of glaciers leads to changes in river flows, seasonal availability of water and increased vulnerability of communities. In this context, according to him, renewable hydropower is considered as a strategic path to decarbonization and strengthening regional energy security.
On the sidelines of the conference, Tajikistan actively demonstrated its achievements and plans in the field of so-called “green” energy. A specialized exhibition “Sustainable Green Energy of Tajikistan” was organized, where participants, including foreign guests, were presented with existing hydropower projects and the country’s strategic goals in the development of renewable energy sources.
One of the significant practical results of the meetings was the signing of a trilateral Protocol between Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The ministers responsible for the water resources of the three countries – Daler Jumaa, Shavkat Khamroev (Uzbekistan) and Nurzhan Nurzhigitov (Kazakhstan) – agreed on the mode of operation of the Bahri Tojik reservoir (Tajik Sea) for the summer months (June-August 2025). As stated in the Ministry of Energy of Tajikistan, this decision is aimed at sustainable use of water resources of a large reservoir in the interests of all parties.
At the same time, a number of memorandums of understanding were signed to strengthen regional and international cooperation. Thus, an agreement was reached with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation on the initiative “Blue World in Central Asia”, aimed at sustainable management of regional water resources and the development of interstate dialogue, with an emphasis on expanding the potential of women and young professionals. Another memorandum was signed with the International Research Institute for Water Resources Management, which lays the foundation for cooperation in priority areas of the water sector, including the integration of water issues with agricultural, energy and environmental development strategies.
Minister Daler Jumaa also held a series of bilateral meetings. Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Water Resources Rento Marsudi discussed strengthening Tajikistan’s cooperation with the UN, especially in the context of the International Decade of Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028”. At the meeting with the EU Special Representative for Central Asia Eduards Stipreis, issues of expanding cooperation in the field of rational use of water and energy resources and the implementation of joint infrastructure projects were considered.
The talks with the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were devoted to bilateral cooperation in the field of water resources and combating climate change. In addition, the meeting with the Acting Secretary General of the Energy Charter, Asuko Hirose, confirmed that Tajikistan will assume the chairmanship of the Energy Conference in 2025, which will be the first meeting after the implementation of the reform of the “modernization” of the Energy Treaty.
Despite the active promotion of the “green” agenda, hydropower projects and numerous signed agreements on cooperation in the water sector, the environmental consequences of the proposed initiatives and large-scale plans for the use of water resources remain insufficiently studied, which raises concerns about the long-term impact on the fragile ecosystems of the region, especially in the context of ongoing climate change and melting glaciers, which the catalyst for these large-scale discussions.
Aigerim Aliyeva (Rivers.Help!)
Original (in Russian): Таджикистан: гидроэнергетика на фоне тающих ледников
