Environmentalists from the international coalition "Rivers Without Borders" have uncovered signs of a significant incident on the Qosh Tepa irrigation Canal constructed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, as per the coalition's press release. The canal, designed to divert substantial water volumes from the Amu Darya River, witnessed a mishap, and its repercussions remain unaddressed, as per the experts.
Space images taken by the European Sentinel-2 satellite show that in the very first month after the canal began to be filled with water from the Amu Darya, the walls of the hydraulic structure apparently could not withstand the pressure of the water flow - and a huge volume of water, escaping from the canal, spread throughout the entire nearby territory.
“The force and volume of water escaping from the canal was enough to form a huge spill nine kilometers long - and it is symbolic that this giant puddle has the outlines of another giant - a tyrannosaurus - when viewed through the optics of a satellite in low-Earth orbit,” notes Alexander Kolotov, coordinator of the coalition “Rivers without borders” in Central Asia. “Moreover, recent satellite images show that the spill area is steadily increasing, which may indicate that the Taliban lack the ability or desire to correct the situation.”
Even excluding accidents, environmentalists raise concerns about the Qosh Tepa Canal's impact, capable of diverting up to 15-20% of the total flow of the Amu Darya. With the Rogun hydroelectric power station in the upper reaches of the Amu Darya also operational, the overall water situation in the region could face additional complications.
"The cumulative impact on the volume of available water and on the seasonal distribution of water flow of the Qosh Tepa Canal and other hydraulic structures being created in the region, such as the Rogun hydroelectric power station, can greatly increase water shortages in the Amu Darya basin," says the international coordinator of the “Rivers Without Borders” coalition, a doctoral student at New South University, Evgeniy Simonov. “In order to clearly understand possible future scenarios and avoid a water crisis, it is necessary to conduct a strategic environmental assessment of the development of the entire water management complex in the Amu Darya basin, taking into account all megaprojects currently being implemented in Afghanistan and Tajikistan.”
Environmentalists draw attention to other announced projects, such as the construction of two hydroelectric power stations, Dakhandara and Almar, by the interim government of Afghanistan in Faryab province near the Turkmen border. The cumulative impact of these projects could exacerbate water shortages in the Amu Darya basin, prompting a call for comprehensive environmental evaluations.
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