Environmental organizations have called on international development banks to reconsider their support for dam construction projects in Central Asia, warning of irreversible damage to the region’s river ecosystems. The joint appeal was issued on the International Day of Action for Rivers, by Rivers Without Boundaries, International Rivers, Friends of the Earth, Urgewald, and CEE Bankwatch Network.
The statement, addressed to the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Eurasian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, stresses that the rapid expansion of hydroelectric projects is fragmenting river basins, destroying natural habitats, and violating human rights.
Despite protections for UNESCO World Heritage Sites and other conservation areas, environmentalists argue that international funding for large and small hydropower projects is putting Central Asia’s rivers at risk. A newly published map by Rivers Without Boundaries highlights the region’s most vulnerable freshwater bodies and warns that if all planned projects proceed, natural river ecosystems will be almost entirely fragmented.
“Dams and reservoirs are often presented as necessary for water conservation and energy development in Central Asia,” said Eugene Simonov, international coordinator of Rivers Without Boundaries. “However, global experience shows that this approach is economically inefficient and environmentally destructive.”
Andrey Ralev, a biodiversity specialist at CEE Bankwatch Network, noted that while the lower reaches of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers have already suffered significant damage, their mountain tributaries still support unique biodiversity.
“Development banks should focus on protecting these ecosystems instead of financing harmful hydropower projects,” he said.
Katharine Lu, Senior Manager at Friends of the Earth, emphasized the growing threats posed by climate change. “The latest studies highlight the severe impact on coastal communities and ecosystems. Development banks must move away from blind support for hydropower and consider decentralized energy solutions with lower environmental costs,” she stated.
According to environmentalists, Central Asia is already home to over 300 large dams, with more than 200 additional projects in various stages of planning or construction—many backed by international development banks.
Activists are urging these institutions to rethink their policies and prioritize sustainable alternatives to safeguard the region’s rivers and communities.
In March 2024, environmentalists raised similar alarms over the worsening water crisis in Central Asia, warning that new dam construction could have severe ecological consequences. The Ecological Coalition of Rivers Without Boundaries cautioned that if all proposed hydro and irrigation projects proceed, the region could face a water-ecological crisis within the next two decades.
Major projects, including the Kambaratinsky hydroelectric station reservoirs and Naryn River cascades in Kyrgyzstan, are expected to accelerate water depletion and disrupt ecosystems. Plans for hydroelectric stations within Kyrgyzstan’s Besh-Aral reserve also pose a direct threat to the Chatkal River, a UNESCO-listed site in the “Western Tien-Shan” region. Meanwhile, Tajikistan’s Rogun hydroelectric power station could destabilize the Amu Darya delta, affecting both agriculture and biodiversity.
In addition to large-scale projects, expanding irrigation networks in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, along with Afghanistan’s Qosh Tepa canal, are placing further strain on the region’s water supply. The rapid development of small hydropower plants in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan is also fragmenting river systems and altering natural water cycles.
