In Central Asia, the thorny issue of cross-border water has worsened again. "The Taliban" (Afghanistan) are laying claim to scarce water from the Amu Darya, ia-centr.ru (Russia) wrote.
"In Afghanistan, the project to build the giant Qosh Tepa canal in Balkh province on the border with Turkmenistan is being actively implemented. Its construction was announced a year ago".
The new canal, estimated to cost $684mn and originating in the Amu Darya River, will be 285km long, 100m wide and 8.5m deep. The capacity of the canal will be 650 cubic metres per second.
The project is scheduled to be completed in 2028.
Experts fear the watershed situation in the region will deteriorate drastically if the Qosh Tepa canal is commissioned, the article said.
"Downstream Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan could be hit hardest. The countries stand to lose up to 15% of irrigation water from the region's main river".
The Taliban believe the project will help irrigate arid regions, giving a boost to agriculture. More than 6,000 workers are now being hired to build the canal.
The administration of Afghan Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar reports that he recently visited the construction of the Qosh Tepa canal.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is dedicated to the Qosh Tepa Canal Project and that one of the goals of their visit was to assure the nation that they are dedicated to the completion of this project at any cost."
Experts note that the situation could have been resolved through the UN Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses, but Afghanistan is not a party to it.
Credits: Eziz Boyarov, Ashgabat
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