It is not a secret that climate change has a negative impact on the most diverse aspects of our lives. This includes water resources. First, an increase in temperature leads to an accelerated evaporation of water. As a result, there is an increasing shortage of drinking water, as well as the necessary resources for agriculture. Secondly, there is an increase in the frequency of such natural disasters as mudflows, landslides and floods. Thus, we see that the problem of water resources is directly related to the ongoing climate changes, which, of course, requires us to take immediate adaptive measures.
According to UNESCO, to date, 2.1 billion people around the world do not have access to drinking water... It is not without reason that ensuring the availability and sustainable use of water resources and sanitation for all was the 6th of 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN General Assembly under the 2030 Agenda.
As for the Central Asian region, this region is one of the most vulnerable to climate change according to many scientists. There is a serious risk that the temperature increase here will be more significant compared to the world average according to the World Bank. Consequently, the water resources of our region are also subject to an even greater threat.
Therefore, for example, 2/3 of the population of Tajikistan, which still lives in rural areas, is experiencing an acute shortage of fresh water. In turn, in Uzbekistan, more than half of the population does not have an access to the central water supply network.
Nevertheless, I would like to emphasize that neither the problem of climate change nor the issue of water resources management have clear territorial boundaries. As Siler Muller, the Vice president of the World Bank for the Europe and Central Asia region, notes, “Climate change – with its negative impact on water resources, the hydrological cycle, surface and groundwater flows – cannot be considered in the context of the borders of one country. Responses to climate change and effective water resources management inevitably require cooperation among all countries at the national, regional and global levels”.
In other words, the struggle for the conservation of water resources requires the joint efforts at the level of the entire Central Asian region and the adoption of appropriate adaptation measures.
Among the recent decisions taken in the field of water resources management and directly related to the Central Asian region, it is worth noting, first of all, the signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian. As stated by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev: “The Convention defines the rights and obligations of the parties in relation to the Caspian Sea, including its subsoil, airspace, with the delimitation of sovereignty, subsoil use rights, laying of underwater pipelines, biological resources of the sea and other issues. It regulates security, liquidation of emergencies, military issues of the Caspian States”.
Another important event was the World Bank’s statement on additional funding for the Hydrometeorological Services Modernization Project in Central Asia. It is expected that this measure will increase the region preparedness for natural disasters, as well as the potential for sustainable climate planning.
In addition, in order to discuss issues related to water resources management, the eighth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, the Water Convention, will be held in Astana, the EXPO Congress Center, on October 10-12. The main objective of this legal instrument is to regulate the issues of sustainable use of transboundary water resources through international and cross-border cooperation in this sector.
As the result, we see that water resources management is often a regional issue and requires the mobilization of all possible forces. Therefore, we should all remember that water is the basis of life. In other words, the struggle for its preservation concerns each of us without exception. In addition, if we find the strength to mobilize all possible resources to solve this problem, “the water will be able to become the source of development and prosperity in Central Asia”.
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Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for the Aral Sea Basin (CAMP4ASB)
