Water is Central Asia’s most valuable natural resource, since most of the population and economy of its southern regions depend on irrigation, but a key problem is the significant loss of water due to leaks in canals and evaporation, according to a new report by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

“After irrigating fields, the drainage run-off water either flows into deserts or back into rivers, leading to increased mineralization and pollution of fresh water,” noted the OSCE in its report, which looks at a wide range of issues in relation to impacts of the Afghan crisis on the environment, water and energy in Central Asian regions bordering Afh

It added: “Water losses related to irrigation remain high, many water canals and pipelines are in poor condition, while cold winters (including the 2022–2023 winter) demonstrate the increasing vulnerability of energy systems as populations and their demands grow.”

The largest river of Central Asia, the Amu Darya, rises in the high mountains of Pamir and Hindu Kush in Tajikistan (Pamir River) and Afghanistan (Wakhan River) and flows for over 1,000 kilometres along the Afghan border with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The building of a major canal system designed to draw water away from the Amu Darya for use in Afghan agriculture is causing anxiety in the three countries, though Tajikistan would be little affected compared to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.