The interim government of Afghanistan also has the right to water from the Amu Darya, believes the Minister of Water Resources of Uzbekistan Shavkat Khamraev. He stated this at a meeting with representatives of the public and the media, commenting on the construction of the Kosh-Tepa canal by the Taliban, Gazeta.uz reports.
At the same time, the head of the Uzbek department did not directly answer the journalists' question about when the Kosh-Tepa canal will begin to influence the country's irrigation system.
"Should we take up arms and go to war? No. We are establishing relations, conducting a dialogue, maintaining family ties. We will gradually explain to the Afghans that they need to take their share of water. Then there will be documents, negotiations, working visits," the minister concluded.
He added that it is necessary to maintain good neighborly relations with the border state and not attach importance to various speculations and rumors.
As Khamraev recalled, the construction of water facilities in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan has been discussed for many years, which has led to increased tensions between peoples. But in such cases, it is necessary to show kindness to others.
“Just take some pilaf in the evening, visit your neighbor, and you will see what a good person he is. He will also respond to you with kindness,” the official continued his thought.
As Khamraev said, he has recently visited Afghanistan four times, and the Uzbek delegation was always received “like family.” Moreover, the Afghan side assured that it would not upset the neighboring country on the issue of the Kosh-Tepa canal, the head of the country's Ministry of Water Resources clarified. The minister also noted that at the current pace of construction of the reservoir, the project will be completed in 2028.
In October 2023, the Taliban completed the construction of the first section of Kosh-Tepa, emphasizing that the country needs the facility to manage water resources. At the same time, the Afghan authorities asked their regional neighbors, especially Uzbekistan, not to worry about the canal and said they were ready to resolve issues "through diplomatic channels."
Official Tashkent has repeatedly expressed concern that the Afghan project will have an adverse impact on the country's agriculture.
According to experts, Kosh-Tepa will also worsen the Aral Sea disaster by diverting water from the Amu Darya. Environmentalists, in turn, warned that the commissioning of the canal would be a blow to the water supply of all countries in the river basin.
The Kosh-Tepa canal has been under construction since March 2022. Afghanistan said that it is needed to irrigate 555 thousand hectares of infertile areas in the north of the country in order to grow wheat and sunflowers there.
The canal will originate in the Kaldar district of Balkh province, bordering Uzbekistan, and pass through the province of Jowzjan to the Andkhoy district of Faryab province. Its length will be 285 km, width - 100 m.
But the Taliban movement also sees economic benefits in the implementation of the project. Last summer, it was reported that, according to experts, after the construction of all sections, Kosh-Tepa will bring Afghanistan an annual income of $500 million.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 20, 2025