Taliban commission first section of major canal that could threaten water sufficiency of Central Asia neighbours

By bne IntelIiNews October 12, 2023

Afghanistan’s Taliban administration has held a ceremony to commission the first section of the Qosh Tepa canal, an emerging piece of major infrastructure that is causing anxieties across the border in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan—and to a much smaller extent in Tajikistan—due to fears that it could cause water shortages, Afghanistan TV channel TOLOnews reported on October 12.

Officials were quoted as saying that the 108-kilometre (67-mile) first section, located by the border with Uzbekistan in Afghanistan’s northern province of Balkh, was completed eight months ahead of schedule. The planned total length of the Qosh Tepa canal, which will divert water from the Amu Darya river, is 285 km. The diversion could have irrigation and hydropower implications.

Deputy head of the Taliban government, Abdul Ghani Baradar, was cited as saying at the ceremony as saying that Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbours should not be worried by the emergence of the canal. Kabul has indicated it is prepared to work on finding diplomatic solutions on defining rights to the Amu Darya water resources.

However, Afghanistan’s Minister of Water Resources and Energy, Abdul Latif Mansour, reportedly pointed out that as things stand the Afghan authorities are not limited by any intergovernmental agreements on withdrawing water from the Amu Darya.

"[Uzbek President] Shavkat Mirziyoyev's concerns about the waters of the Amu Darya and the Qosh Tepa canal would be appropriate if obligations under an agreement were violated. But we have not accepted any such obligations. There is no agreement. Therefore, we do what we consider necessary," Mansur was quoted as saying.

TOLOnews also reported that the director of Uzbekistan’s Ma'no Center for Research Initiatives, Bakhtiyor Ergashev, had expressed concerns about increased regional tensions due to possible water shortages faced by Central Asian countries after the commissioning of the Qosh Tepa canal. He noted that the countries of the region share water according to quotas agreed within the framework of the Interstate Coordination Water Commission. However, Afghanistan, where the source of the Amu Darya is found, is not limited by any such agreements. It can thus take water from the river without regard to its neighbours.

Mirziyoyev at a September summit of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea proposed involving Afghanistan in a regional dialogue on sharing water resources.

Read in IntelliNews Pro
Get IntelliNews Pro

Related Articles

Officials refer to price tag of towards $7bn for planned Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway

The price tag for the planned Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway, also known as the Trans-Afghan Railway, will be towards $7bn according to estimates made by the three countries. Officials at ... more

SCO Transport Forum hears plans for Russia—Caspian Sea—Turkmenistan—Uzbekistan—Kyrgyzstan corridor

A multimodal transport corridor running from Russia to Kyrgyzstan via a route that crosses the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan was on November 1 outlined at the first ... more

Uzbekistan, Afghanistan sign agreements that could deliver deals worth $1bn

Uzbekistan and Afghanistan have signed bilateral agreements covering deals worth $1bn if they come to fruition. Contracts covering agreements in agriculture, textiles, leather and footwear, ... more

Follow Us On

Most Read

  1. Top Ukrainian politician David Arakhamia gives seventh confirmation of Russia-Ukraine peace deal agreed in March 2022
    9 days ago
  2. Armenia marks new era with French military purchases
    7 days ago
  3. LONG READ: The boomerang effect: sanctions hurt Europe more than Russia
    4 days ago
  4. Putin's approval rating up to 85% in November, Russians happy with the country's direction
    1 day ago
  5. Oil continues to flow to Israel via Turkey despite Erdogan’s vehement speeches on plight of Gaza
    1 month ago
  1. Oil continues to flow to Israel via Turkey despite Erdogan’s vehement speeches on plight of Gaza
    1 month ago
  2. Top Ukrainian politician David Arakhamia gives seventh confirmation of Russia-Ukraine peace deal agreed in March 2022
    9 days ago
  3. Russia overtakes Germany to become fifth biggest economy in the world in GDP on a PPP basis
    3 months ago
  4. Armenia marks new era with French military purchases
    7 days ago
  5. Lavrov confirms Ukraine war peace deal reached last April, but then abandoned
    2 months ago

Reports

SELECT `n`.`nid` AS `id`, `n`.`title`, 'bne IntelliNews' AS authors, 'bne IntelliNews' AS bylines, `wc`.`field_website_callout_value` AS `summary`, `smc`.`field_social_media_callout_value` AS `social`, `pd`.`published_at` AS `date`, `p`.`field_publication__tid` AS `publication_id`, `fm`.`uri` AS `image`, `fspcaption`.`field_story_photo_caption_value` AS `image_credit`, `fspcredit`.`field_story_photo_credit_value` AS `image_author`, `ws`.`field_website_sections_tid` AS `section_id`, `fdfs`.`field_subject_tid` AS `subject_id`, `db`.`body_value` AS `body`, `fm2`.`uri` AS `pdf`, `et`.`field_enable_tracking_value` AS `tracking`, `ht`.`field_head_tags_value` AS `headTags`, `bt`.`field_body_tags_value` AS `bodyTags` FROM `node` AS `n` LEFT JOIN `field_data_field_website_callout` AS `wc` ON wc.entity_id = n.nid LEFT JOIN `field_data_field_social_media_callout` AS `smc` ON smc.entity_id = n.nid LEFT JOIN `publication_date` AS `pd` ON pd.nid = n.nid LEFT JOIN `field_data_field_publication_` AS `p` ON p.entity_id = n.nid LEFT JOIN `field_data_field_story_picture` AS `sp` ON sp.entity_id = n.nid LEFT JOIN `file_managed` AS `fm` ON fm.fid = sp.field_story_picture_fid LEFT JOIN `field_data_field_story_photo_caption` AS `fspcaption` ON fspcaption.entity_id = n.nid LEFT JOIN `field_data_field_story_photo_credit` AS `fspcredit` ON fspcredit.entity_id = n.nid LEFT JOIN `workflow_node` AS `wn` ON wn.nid = n.nid LEFT JOIN `field_data_field_website_sections` AS `ws` ON ws.entity_id = n.nid LEFT JOIN `field_data_field_subject` AS `fdfs` ON fdfs.entity_id = n.nid LEFT JOIN `field_data_body` AS `db` ON db.entity_id = n.nid LEFT JOIN `field_data_field_file` AS `ff` ON ff.entity_id = n.nid LEFT JOIN `file_managed` AS `fm2` ON fm2.fid = ff.field_file_fid LEFT JOIN `field_data_field_enable_tracking` AS `et` ON et.entity_id = n.nid LEFT JOIN `field_data_field_head_tags` AS `ht` ON ht.entity_id = n.nid LEFT JOIN `field_data_field_body_tags` AS `bt` ON bt.entity_id = n.nid WHERE (n.status = 1) AND (n.type = 'article') AND (n.nid = 296728) AND (wn.sid= 3) AND (p.field_publication__tid IN (2465,2851,3184,3159,3266,3264,3270,3265,3267,3268,3269,3171,3168,3185,3170,1346,1345,3180,3175,3254,3249,1207,1208,3181,3231,3177,3186,3178,1003,3187,2975,3204,3198,3188,3202,3196,3250,3189,3160,3161,3312,3313,3173,3314,3315,3167,3259,3257,3263,3258,3260,3261,3262,3174,3316,3165,3192,3163,3282,3190,2811,3256,3317,3162,3318,3191,3297,3182,3179,3166,3319,3376,3320,3172,3255,3169,1008,3203,3197,3321,3252,3164,1307,3322,3183,3220,3176,3201,3323,1327,1020,1006,1009,1013,1014,1018,1005,1328,1010,1011,1002,1012,1311,1330,1017,1016,1019,1004,1001,1334,1335,1336,1015,1337,1338,1339,1340,1341,2496,2501,2517,2529,2506,2505,2524,2513,2526,2537,2489,2490,2520,2536,2488,2532,2500,2515,2503,2493,2527,2523,2510,2525,2498,2499,2528,2507,2487,2511,2521,2502,2491,2519,2497,2492,2514,2495,2509,2512,1629,3358)) LIMIT 1
Dismiss