“As water demand for food production and electricity generation increases, in part as a result of the quickening pace of climate change, so too must our efforts to provide water security,” he said. While much of the current U.S. focus is on Afghanistan and Pakistan — including some high-profile water projects — Kerry noted that the well-being of neighboring countries like Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan will become increasingly important.
The report comes as the Obama administration fights to retain diplomatic funding for Afghanistan’s civil reconstruction and money to help Pakistan recover from devastating floods suffered last year. Mindful of the bitter budget fights looming before the Senate, the study does not make any specific spending recommendations. Rather, it concentrates on assistance that the United States can provide inexpensively or via already-existing mechanisms like workshops to offer technical expertise.
Climate change making a bad situation worse
A Kerry aide said the committee will likely go on to examine water issues in other parts of the globe, but wanted to start with the region that consumes the biggest bulk of U.S. foreign assistance. Based on staff travel and interviews in the region, the report focuses on the Amu Darya River Basin, shared by Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and the Indus River Basin, which hosts a major network of rivers flowing between India and Pakistan.”
Read more: Climatewire
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