Kazakhstan plans to make amendments to its agreement with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan on the use of water and energy Resources of the Syr Darya Basin by the end of this year.
Uzbekistan’s kun.uz says this is reflected in the concept of water resources management for 2023-2029.
The brief description of the document reportedly states that this water agreement has been in force since 1998. It regulates the use of Syr Darya resources in the field of irrigation and energy.
According to the current agreement, the surplus of electricity produced at hydroelectric power plants will be supplied to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In return, Kyrgyzstan receives energy resources, finance and commercial services from its neighbors.
Kazakhstan may have decided to change the document because water scarcity is becoming one of the main and growing problems in the region, kun.uz says, noting that according to climate scientists, the pressure on water resources will increase 2.8 times by 2040 in some countries of the region. By 2050, the Syr Darya may shrink by 15 percent.
The detailed content of the document is not known yet.
Recall, the agreement between the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan on the use of water and energy resources of the Syr Darya basin was signed in March 1998
The parties have agreed as follows: 1) to ensure the agreed-upon operating regimes of the hydro-technical facilities and the reservoirs of the Naryn-Syr Darya Cascade and irrigation water releases, the Parties deem it necessary annually to coordinate and make decisions on water releases, production and transit of electricity, and compensations for energy losses, on an equivalent basis; 2) the parties will take no actions which will violate the agreed-upon water use regimes and energy deliveries, or infringe on the rights of the other parties to obtain water and energy deliveries in the mutually-agreed amounts or to transport resources through their own territories; 3) the Naryn-Syr Darya excess power emanating from the release mode utilized on the Naryn-Syr Darya during the growing season, and the Toktogul multi-year regulated flows that exceed the needs of Kyrgyzstan will be transferred to the republics of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in equal portions; and 4) the parties agree that the operation, maintenance and reconstruction of water and energy facilities shall be covered in accordance with the ownership of the property referred to in the balance sheet and the legal right of ownership.
