Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan have agreed on the joint operation schedule of the Bahri Tojik reservoir, which powers the Qairoqqum hydropower plant in Tajikistan’s Sughd province, for the summer of 2025, formalizing the agreement in a trilateral protocol.
A trilateral meeting took place between representatives of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan in Dushanbe on May 30 on the margin of the High-Level International Conference on Glacier Preservation. The meeting was attended by Tajikistan’s Minister of Energy and Water Resources Daler Juma, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Water Management Shavkat Khamrayev, and Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov.
Tajikistan’s Ministry of Energy and Water Resources (MoEWR) says the parties discussed key issues of trilateral cooperation in water resource management, including the sustainable use of reservoirs and the operation of major hydro-technical facilities. Special attention was given to coordinating efforts for effective and fair distribution of water resources in the region under climate change conditions.
Following the talks, a trilateral protocol was signed between Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, agreeing on the operation regime of the Bahri Tojik (Tajik Sea) reservoir for the summer period – from June to August 2025.
The document reportedly outlines the joint operation of the reservoir, taking into account the interests of all parties, and is aimed at ensuring water security and the rational use of resources in the region.
The report “Analysis of the Water Management Situation in the Syr Darya and Amu Darya River Basins for the 2024–2025 Non-Growing Season” notes that between October 2024 and March 2025, water inflow into the Bahri Tojik reservoir amounted to 12.32 km³ — 1.04 km³ above the schedule approved by the Syr Darya Basin Water Organization.
Water outflow from the reservoir also exceeded the forecast — 11.13 km³, which is 1.23 km³ above the planned volume. As a result, by the end of the non-growing season, the reservoir’s water volume reached 3.5 km³.
Forecasts indicate that the total water inflow into the Syr Darya basin during the 2025 growing season is expected to be 25.77 km³ — 87% of the norm (the standard indicator being 29.49 km³).
Based on Protocol No. 89 of the Interstate Coordinating Water Commission meeting held on April 5, 2025, the water withdrawal limits were set as follows:
- Kazakhstan (via Dostlik Canal) — 909 million m³
- Kyrgyzstan — 270 million m³
- Tajikistan — 1905 million m³
- Uzbekistan — 8800 million m³
