TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 4. The World Bank’s (WB) latest Uzbekistan Country Climate and Development Report projects a decline in Uzbekistan’s water resources by 2050, Trend reports.
"Uzbekistan's already scarce water resources are expected to dwindle." "Water resources are projected to decline by 5 percent in Syrdarya and 15% in Amudarya by 2050 as glaciers feeding the two rivers recede, even under a 2°C warming scenario," according to the WB report.
According to the WB, predictions for some catchment regions show an even greater drop in water supply of 30–40 percent by 2050.
"At the same time, with economic development, water demand for competing uses within and outside Uzbekistan will rise, adding to water resource stress." Water demand for irrigation might rise by 5 percent by 2030, 7–10 percent by 2050, and as much as 25 percent by 2040 during the summer months under a high-emissions scenario, according to the Bank.
WB’s experts add that, in the near term, climate change is also projected to shift the intra-year timing of peak flows from summer to spring and increase inter-year volatility in water availability.
“Uzbekistan’s irrigation and drainage system is the backbone of the country’s agriculture and food production. Nearly all (95 percent) crop production is dependent on the country’s extensive irrigation and drainage network, which is the largest in Central Asia. Irrigated agriculture contributes more than 25 percent to GDP and employment and accounts for 90 percent of water use in the country,” the report notes.
Earlier this year, Uzbekistan and WB signed an agreement on the provision of financing in the amount of $46.2 million to reform the country’s energy sector.
The funds are said to be used to implement the project Innovative Carbon Financing for the Transformation of the Energy Sector of Uzbekistan (iCraft), aimed at producing clean energy, improving energy efficiency, and reforming energy subsidies.