Uzbekistan will supply 922 million cubic meters of water to Kazakhstan, which will flow through the Dostyk interstate canal during the irrigation season, according to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan (MoWRI).
The MoWRI press center says a corresponding agreement was reached at the 86th meeting of the Interstate Coordination Water Commission, which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The meeting reportedly also approved the forecast schedule for the Naryn-Syr Darya cascade of reservoirs' operation through September 30 of this year.
Separately, the meeting participants discussed the work within the framework of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, which Kazakhstan has chaired since the start of the year.
The meeting reportedly also noted the development of a draft agreement on the creation of a mechanism for water and energy cooperation between the countries of Central Asia.
“Our top priority is flood water collection. It goes to the Caspian Sea, Balkhash, Kamysh-Samar lakes, Ulytau, Kyzylorda lakes, etc. However, southern regions need water. And water diplomacy is crucial," said the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan Nurzhan Nurzhigitov.
In conclusion, the parties reached an agreement to hold the next meeting of the Interstate Coordination Water Commission in September this year in Turkmenistan.
Meanwhile, it is to be noted that Uzbekistan's primary water sources are the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, as well as internal rivers, streams, and underground water. The Aral Sea basin, which encompasses these sources, has an average long-term water flow of 116 billion m3.
Uzbekistan faces a myriad of environmental problems, including decades of Soviet-era pollution, soil degradation and a scarcity of water made worse by climate change.
Last year, Uzbekistan was in 25th place on the list of 164 countries with a water shortage, as stated in the World Resources Institute (WRI) report. According to the study, Uzbekistan is on the list of 27 countries experiencing high water scarcity.
