Kazakhstan hosted the 90th anniversary session of the Interstate Coordination Water Commission of Central Asia (ICWC), the Kazakh government announced.
The meeting was attended by Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurlan Nurgizhikov, Tajikistan’s First Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Resources Jamshed Shoimzoda, Turkmenistan’s State Committee Chairman for Water Management Durdy Genjie, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Water Economy Shavkat Hamrayev, and Kyrgyzstan’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Dastan Duishekeev, who participated as an observer.
“The ICWC has become a key platform for addressing pressing regional water issues,” said Kazakhstan’s Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Nurlan Nurgizhikov. “Over the past two years, Kazakhstan’s cooperation with other Central Asian countries on water resource management has significantly strengthened. Water diplomacy plays a crucial role in ensuring regional water security, and we are committed to deepening mutually beneficial cooperation to jointly address the challenges facing our region. The progress achieved in recent years confirms we are on the right path.”
Participants discussed water allocation and operational regimes for reservoirs in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins during the current growing season. They also reviewed progress on tasks set by the heads of state founding members of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.
A separate session focused on enhancing water security in Central Asia, featuring representatives from international organizations and financial institutions, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Notably, there was no mention of Afghan representatives at the meeting. However, Afghanistan’s ongoing construction of the “Kosh-Tepa” canal threatens to divert 20% to 40% of Amu Darya’s water flow, potentially exacerbating water shortages across Central Asia during the critical irrigation season.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
August 18, 2025