By HImfr Ivy
In the dry Central Asian region, there is a resource, very valuable and scarce, and even more important than oil and gas, which is water.
The so-called Central Asia, mainly referring to the five post-Soviet Central Asian countries (including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan) and Afghanistan. In the past 18 years, most foreign investors regard the focus on the region’s energy and mineral resource extraction industries, but the region’s water crisis is getting worse.
18 years of complex negotiations
Central Asia dry climate makes the water very scarce, but it is very unevenly distributed. There are two rivers in the region, 1,500 miles of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya 1380 miles long.
Since 1918, the Soviet Union tried to Central Asia through the deployment of water resources for agricultural development, and thus a larger share of global cotton market. 40 years since the last century, unified construction of irrigation networks in Central Asia, the program was implemented and strengthened in the 60’s and since then the Soviet Union in Central Asia to become the white gold (cotton) is the main source. Until 1991 before they are all unified deployment of the Soviet Union. 1960 to 2000, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya’s water consumption doubled, also contributed to cotton production doubled during this period, while the decline in water level caused by the Aral Sea.
But Central Asia’s land resources, water resources, energy resources and distribution is extremely uneven.
Central Asia’s two rivers originate in the Pamir and Tianshan Mountains, the river from west to east through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, and then flows to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, ultimately into the Aral Sea. Therefore, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, known as the upstream countries, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are referred to as the downstream countries.
First, from the water demand, water-rich countries can use the upstream area of agricultural land few. For example, in Tajikistan, only 7% of the land within the territory suitable for cultivation, so the proportion of agricultural water use is low. Water scarcity in the downstream countries, vast areas of agricultural land. Example, among the five countries in Central Asia, the upstream countries, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are relatively poor, lower than the national economic development, but the region upstream of the two countries have 90% of the water resources, while Uzbekistan has more than 50% of the region The water used for cotton production, while cotton accounts for 60% foreign exchange earnings.
Second, fossil energy resources in Central Asia mainly in the west, that is, downstream countries, mainly in the eastern part of water resources, that is, the upstream country.
For example, in Tajikistan, according to U.S. government estimates, in 2006 only Tajikistan produced 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas, forcing it imported 4.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas to meet national needs. Because water resources are the country’s main resource, the country hopes to rely on the resources to solve major domestic economic development.
If you just use their own resources, Uzbekistan can only guarantee 14% of its water demand, Kazakhstan can only guarantee 45% of its water needs.
Soviet Union, the planned economic system makes the state a variety of resources to deploy the power of unity, the distribution of water resources in Central Asia is based on the complementary resources to design patterns, that is, the allocation of water resources should be the largest agricultural output as the objective. Thus the upper reaches of the summer release on water conservancy facilities, to ensure the country’s agricultural irrigation water downstream. In return, the downstream countries, countries in the winter for the upstream gas and coal resources to meet their energy needs.
After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, relations between the original water allocation gradually be disrupted. With oil, gas and coal prices rose year by year, the downstream countries are beginning to export to other countries, fossil energy. Upstream of the two countries to avoid paying increasingly expensive energy import costs, starting in the summer and spring water to raise power generation capacity in winter, protect the country’s energy supply.
As a result, the downstream countries are not enough in spring and summer because the water supply, agricultural production has been greatly affected. Meanwhile, the upstream countries, power in the winter a lot of water distribution, resulting in downstream countries to increase water supply in winter, while downstream countries in this season’s agricultural production to a standstill, unable to digest too much water, causing flooding in winter. Therefore, the upstream countries and downstream countries are getting nervous.
In order to solve water allocation problems, 1992, 5 countries in Central Asia Cooperation Committee was set up cross-border water resources, but after 18 years of complex negotiations failed to clear on the Syr Darya and Amu Darya River to solve the water problem, countries can only to act according to their own interests or to seek bilateral cooperation. This region is very fragmented water management institutions, from six different countries to common control, these countries regard each other as rivals, the main contradiction concentrated in upstream countries and downstream countries, lack of cooperation and competition.
Upstream and downstream countries, the argument is, the downstream countries want the upstream countries to have regular water distribution for irrigation and that water is not a commodity, and oil and gas are not the same. On the contrary, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan insist that if the financial or energy support that can not make it through the winter months, they will continue in the fall and winter water distribution to power generation to meet their own needs, because no other energy options, and thus would not be concerned about the lower reaches of the country’s agricultural problems.
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