The construction of the Kosh-Tepa Canal in Afghanistan carries potential risks of reducing water revenues to Kazakhstan along the Syr Darya 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 took place in Astana, Kazinform agency reports.
According to the vice minister, although no sharp changes in water volumes are expected in the near future, in the long term a decrease in the flow of Syr Darya becomes very likely. «This will all affect our long-suffering Aral Sea», – Abdraimov said, noting that the influence of the new Afghan hydraulic structure will be noticeable for Kazakhstan, despite the absence of a common state border. «We do not border Afghanistan, but we understand that the volume that they will take will, of course, generally affect it in the future», – added the vice minister.
The chairman of the «Baytak» party, Azamatkhan Amirtaev, also spoke about serious consequences for the entire Central Asian region. He pointed out that the redistribution of water resources in the Amu Darya due to the Kosh-Tepa Canal will affect not only Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, which directly depend on this river, but also Kazakhstan. According to his estimates, up to 25-30% of the water resources of the Amu Darya could be directed to the new Afghan canal.
«That is, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan will receive less water. Consequently, Uzbekistan can use more water from the Syr Darya, which means less will flow to Kazakhstan. The supply of water from Uzbekistan may even be reduced by 30-40%», – explained Amirtaev. He emphasized the urgent need for joint regional work to solve this looming problem, noting the readiness to involve Kazakh 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.
