Rogun Dam. Retrieved from: www.top-10-list.org
“The water wars between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan show no sign of abating, Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) reports. Not only does Tashkent continue to wage an aggressive propaganda war against Tajikistan’s planned Rogun hydropower station, it has held up freight cars bound for Dushanbe on Uzbek railroads, causing heavy losses. Uzbekistan has repeatedly called for international organizations to render a judgment on the dam, evidently in the hopes that this will work in its favor.
But so far, multilateral bodies seem cautious about apportioning blame. The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) recently released a report on the situation in the Amu Darya Basin, criticizing Central Asian governments for failing to come to an agreement on water issues. According to the UN report, climate change is aggravating the situation, with the number of days in the year that have temperatures higher than 40 degrees Celsius now doubled, and temperatures projected to rise in the next 50 years.
Neighboring Afghanistan, where 80 percent of the people depend on farming for a living, is also demanding more water. Johannes Linn, senior resident scholar at the Washington-based Emerging Markets Forum, says if peace finally comes to Afghanistan, there will be more irrigation needs for agriculture, RFE/RL reports. This will immediately affect Turkmenistan downstream, and then Uzbekistan. The Rogun dam will be the highest hydroelectric station in the world, and downstream, Uzbekistan understandably feels threatened as it needs water for its cotton crop, says Linn.”
Read more: Eurasianet.org
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