Turkmenistan initiates UN-Water Strategy development

Turkmenistan proposes developing a universal politico-legal document - the UN-Water Strategy, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper wrote on Thursday.

According to Allaberdi Ilyasov, a doctor of technical sciences, the water resources of the Aral Sea basin are currently used by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as by Afghanistan in South Asia.

Water use in the Central Asian region is not autonomous and independent, as all surface water potential is transboundary.

Regional cooperation in this area is also becoming necessary against climate change and population growth.

"Ashgabat calls for a consolidation of international efforts to create an equitable, multi-stakeholder-based global and regional system of water use and equal access to water resources for states."

The author discusses the importance of introducing modern water-saving technologies in the region.

"There has never been hunger in these arid steppes and desert spaces, thanks to the blooming and productive oases created based on advanced (for their time) science-based approaches."

The article highlights the importance of the Green Agenda for Central Asia program signed last year at the Consultative Meeting of the region's Heads of State in Cholpan-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.

Turkmenistan shares a border with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Afghanistan and uses the water resources of four transboundary rivers - the Amu Darya, Tejen, Atrek, and Murghab.

In Central Asia, water resources are used for agriculture, industry, electricity generation, and drinking water supply.

Uzbek sources reported that quotas for water withdrawals from the Amu Darya had been allocated. As a result, in 2023, Tajikistan will receive 9.8 km³ of water, Uzbekistan - 23.6 km³, and Turkmenistan - 22.0 km³.

Water facilities of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are located at the Tuyamuyun boundary reservoir. Following the high-level negotiations, the two states have agreed on a mechanism for compensatory land use.

Credits: Eziz Boyarov, Ashgabat