Year: 2025
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water, IWRM
Authors: Gafurov A., Ziganshina Dinara, Assubayeva A., Nodir Djanibekov, Abdullaev Iskandar, Bobojonov Ihtiyor, Dombrowsky Ines, Hamidov Ahmad, Herrfahrdt-Pähle Elke, Janusz-Pawletta Barbara, Ishangulyyev Rovshen, Kasymov Ulan, Mirkasimov Bakhrom, Petrick Martin, Strobehn Katrin
Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
Source: water-ca.org
Political tensions over water management in the Central Asia region have intensified since the Soviet era, as ecological issues like the drying Aral Sea and seasonal hydropower disruptions impact downstream countries. The paper discusses the region’s water governance challenges, including climate-induced uncertainties, water resource demands, and the limited capacity of local research institutions. While Central Asia’s governments have initiated reforms, including new infrastructure and agreements, resilience in water management remains underdeveloped. The paper also explores the role of higher education institutions in fostering capacity-building for sustainable governance, emphasizing the need for local expertise and regional collaboration. The proposed establishment of a Central Asian water research platform aims to enhance science-policy integration, promote sustainable water governance, and support informed regional cooperation on transboundary water issues.
Year: 2025
Collections: Books
Topics: Water, IWRM, Water diplomacy, Water governance, Transboundary Water Resources, Transboundary cooperation
Authors: Shafiqul Islam, Kevin Smith, Martina Klimes, Aaron Salzberg
Countries:
Source: Routledge Handbook of Water Diplomacy
Full book available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V8lHqDiaqrMtHnU6JP9p9SBC2rsXY8gX/view?usp=sharing
The Routledge Handbook of Water Diplomacy is a comprehensive guide to understanding and practicing water diplomacy – a framework for building relationships, negotiating shared interests, and managing complex water challenges across physical, political, and societal boundaries.
In an era marked by rising scarcity, deepening uncertainty, and growing geopolitical tension, this timely volume offers actionable insights for negotiated problem-solving grounded in both scientific understanding and diplomatic skill. Moving beyond abstract theory and technical fixes, the Handbook introduces a dual-pathway structure designed to meet the diverse needs of its users. The “Working Together” pathway invites readers to engage with water diplomacy through the lens of their roles, whether as professionals, decision-makers, funders, researchers, or affected communities. The “What Matters and Why” pathway highlights key thematic dimensions, including process design, adaptive learning, trust-building, divergent worldviews, and the management of uncertainty.
Year: 2025
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water, Climate
Authors: Maiwand Omary
Countries: Afghanistan
Source: https://water-ca.org
Pollution and over-exploitation of groundwater aquifers in Kabul Province have led to deteriorated water quality and decreased quantity. In its turn, these have caused elevation of physical, chemical, and biological contaminant concentrations in the province’s groundwater beyond national and international drinking water quality standards. The article describes the outcomes of a pilot photovoltaic reverse osmosis (PV-RO) system for drinking water treatment in Qala-e-Gulbaz Village, Kabul Province, Afghanistan. The main system’s components include PV solar panels, three dosing pumps, two alternative current pumps, two alternative-to-direct-current inverters, sand and carbon filters, two sediment filters, one ultra-violet filter, two water flow meters, and a complete water supply distribution system. The study was assisted by the Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (DACAAR) ground monitoring well (GMW) system; quality analysis of different physical, chemical, and biological parameters of raw and filtered water samples; measuring filtered water and wastewater flow rates; determining associated limitations and pressures; as well as valuating different related expenses during cost per capita calculations. Water quality testing has shown the system’s removal efficiency of 97% for salinity, 97% for total dissolved solids, above 90% for other chemicals (anions & cations), 65.52% for turbidity, and 100% for bacteria. The plant’s mean quantity efficiency has amounted to 50%. The study highlights certain key challenges including high initial cost, significant wastewater volume, and need for professional operators leading to high operational and maintenance expenditures, with the initial system’s cost per capita of USD79.54. Therefore, under the condition of optimizing efficiency, improving wastewater management, reducing original costs, implementing training programs, and developing the necessary policy framework PV-RO water treatment systems represent a viable alternative.
Year: 2025
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water
Authors: Abdul Basit Da’ie, Hedayatullah Arian, Ahmad Shahir Popalzai, Homayoun Khoshnod
Countries: Afghanistan
Source: https://water-ca.org
Year: 2025
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water
Authors:
Countries: Afghanistan
Source: https://water-ca.org
This study explores pathways to transformation through a focus on water relations among states, examining the intersection of water resources management, political conflicts, and historical grievances: (1) Ukraine and Russia regarding North Crimea Canal; and (2) Afghanistan and Pakistan in Kabul River Basin. Using these cases to support water conflict prevention, this study explores water interactions (disputes, arrangements, and agreements) from the time of respective sovereign statehoods: Afghanistan (1919), Pakistan (1947), and Ukraine and Russia (1991) through to 2022. The design of this study incorporates the Transboundary Waters Interaction Nexus (TWINs) framework to assess past water interactions; with the Four Stages of Water Conflict Transformation framework, used to assess 2022 state-level relations to determine collaborative skills to cultivate water transformation. Findings indicate that while Ukraine- Russia water relations are adversarial, and Afghanistan-Pakistan are in the reflective negotiation stage—territorial disputes and political economic dynamics hamper cooperation, though points of leverage (such as neutral third-party mediation, shared environmental and economic interests, and water diplomacy and legal frameworks) exist. This research provides value through broadening preventative and transformative strategies in politically sensitive and geopolitically unstable regions—showing that water can be a catalyst for equity and regional securitization.
Year: 2025
Collections: Research Paper
Topics: Water diplomacy, Transboundary Water Resources, Transboundary cooperation
Authors: Dinara Ziganshina
Countries:
Source: Routledge Handbook of Water Diplomacy
This chapter explores the symbiotic relationship between international law and water diplomacy, emphasizing their role in promoting peace and security in the governance of shared water resources. The author examines the key legal principles that underpin interstate cooperation, including the principles of equitable and reasonable utilization and the obligation not to cause significant harm.
![Manual_5.0_FINAL_12.3_3rd_edition[1]_Страница_001](/media/images/Manual_5.0_FINAL_12.3_3rd_edition1.2e16d0ba.fill-425x600.png)
Year: 2025
Collections: Manuals
Topics: Water, IWRM
Authors: Kogutenko Larissa, Safiya Asalbekova, Michael Walther
Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
Source: Journal of MOLARE Research Centre (MRC)
Why water monitoring and assessment are important?
Water quality assessment is one of the crucial scientific and practical analyses to identify the possibility of water consumption for different human needs and nature/ecosystem conservation for future generations. Water quality can be measured and monitored in rivers, springs, creeks, swamps, estuaries, wetlands and lakes what is called aquatic systems. Quality parameters, such as biological, chemical and physical indicators identify the combination of values that influence the composition of water. Monitoring and comparison of different water habitats (macro invertebrates) in biological monitoring provides an information of water quality and allows to make a quick assessment.
Year: 2025
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water, Climate
Authors: Thevs Niels, Aliev Kumar, Baier Clara
Countries: Kyrgyzstan
Source: water-ca.org
Recently, Paulownia spec. has been introduced to Central Asia in a number of small plantations. Paulownia yields timber of high quality for applications such as furniture, house construction, boat construction, and surf boards, or skis. Thus, Paulownia might offer a much-needed raw material for this region and beyond. However, Central Asia is largely occupied by drylands so that Paulownia needs irrigation. Against the background of frequent water stress across the region, this study aimed at assessing the water consumption and water productivity of that tree, using a 6-year-old plantation as study site. Trees were planted in May 2017 and cut back to their stumps in 2018. Daily crop evapotranspiration was calculated after the Penman-Monteith approach, whereby the crop coefficients were inherited from actual evapotranspiration values which stemmed from the remote sensing approach S-SEBI. Water consumption per tree was 1741 l, 4461 l, 4500 l, and 4407 l over the growing seasons 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. The water productivity for the stem wood over the whole time-span from planting in 2017 until 2023 was 1.59 g l-1 and 5.65 ml l-1. Given the high quality of its timber and its range of high-value applications, it can be concluded that the water consumed by Paulownia enables higher value timber and timber products than other trees that grow in comparable areas of Central Asia.
Year: 2024
Collections:
Topics: Climate, Sustainable Development
Authors: Aliya Tskhay, Nazilya Kulpeshova
Countries: Kazakhstan
Source: Central Asian Journal of Sustainability and Climate Research
Recycling is one of the key components in reduction of carbon emissions and improving environmental conditions, especially in the urban context. In Central Asia, the legislation and infrastructure necessary for waste management is still under development. Thus, the knowledge gap and public awareness campaigns are mostly done at the grassroots level. This paper looks at the case of recycling promotion through civic community initiatives that also have a charitable component in Almaty. It explores the ethical considerations that are being entangled with the introduction of recycling culture in the city and is grounded in the literature on civil society, environmental ethics and social entrepreneurship. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with organizers of recycling fairs and NGOs working on recycling. The paper reveals that by appealing to the ethical considerations of people to “do good” and contribute to charitable cause, the organizers of the recycling fair also demonstrate the effects of over-consumerism, ways of doing waste management, and educate about reuse and upcycle culture. The single case of Darmarka in Almaty present a limitation of the study. Therefore, a more in-depth research on the organisation of Darmarka events in other cities in Kazakhstan and CIS, as well as on similar initiatives in other Central Asian countries would be beneficial in the future. This is an important contribution in understanding what challenges and opportunities exist in promotion of recycling in Central Asia, that can be useful to national governments, experts, and international organizations working in this area.
Year: 2024
Collections: Policy Briefs
Topics: Energy
Authors: Kobzev A., Manuel Andresh, Abylaikhan Soltanayev, Nurbek Yessetov
Countries: Kazakhstan
Source:
Year: 2024
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water
Authors: Naurozbayeva Zhanar
Countries: Kazakhstan
Source: https://water-ca.org
The research aimed to assess the influence of atmospheric processes in the Northern Hemi-sphere’s Atlantic-European Sector on the Caspian Sea level based on the data for the days with Wangenheim-Girs atmospheric general circulation forms.
Year: 2024
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water
Authors: Maiwand Omary, Mohammad Najim Nasimi, Mohammad Nasim Nasimi
Countries: Afghanistan
Source: https://water-ca.org
This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of Kabul Province’s groundwater for drinking by way of analyzing the data collected from 34 ground monitoring wells. The purpose was helped through the assessment of a set of groundwater physico-chemical parameters (pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS); sulfate, fluoride, nitrate, and boron content; total hardness (TH) as calcium carbonate, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and total iron), as well as the determination of the Water Quality Index (WQI) developed based on sampling the water points located in the districts of Kabul Province and Kabul City in the course of 3 years (2018 to 2020) to provide a clear and concise representation of water quality status, and cat-egorize groundwater into different quality classes ranging from “excellent” to “unsuitable for drinking”. Moreover, the spatial distribution of WQI and 12 physico-chemical parameter values was mapped using the Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) Interpolation in Arcmap 10.7 environment, revealing distinct water quality patterns across the study area. The water qual-ity testing outcomes under this investigation show compliance of multiple water contaminant concentrations with the World Health Organization (WHO) Water Quality Guidelines and Afghanistan National Drinking Water Quality Standards (ANDWQS). The WQI values range between 27.5 and 112 (as per ANDWQS) and between 33 and 127.5 (as per WHO Guide-lines); the WQI (WHO) display 9% and WQI (ANDWQS) display 3% of groundwater unsuit-able for drinking. Spatial variation maps (IDW Interpolation) demonstate that turbidity, TDS, TH, and magnesium concentration values for the provinces’s central and eastern sec-tions exceed the permissible thresholds. The study’s findings underscore the need for target-ed groundwater management strategies, including pollution control and regular monitoring, to safeguard water quality and public health in Kabul Province.
Year: 2024
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water
Authors: Abdul Wahed Ahmadi, Sükrü Dursun
Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan
Source: https://water-ca.org/
Aquatic plants, including duckweed (Lemna minor), are increasingly utilized in sewage and wastewater treat-ment to improve pollution parameters and organic matter removal.
Year: 2024
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Climate
Authors: Nina Miholjcic-Ivkovic
Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
Source: Central Asian Journal of Sustainability and Climate Research
Central Asia is considered a region highly vulnerable to climate change impact and susceptible to climate-induced migration. Rural populations throughout the region are particularly at risk of experiencing adverse effects of climate variability and (im)mobility due to increased exposure to environmental hazards and distress that can severely affect agricultural productivity. This paper explores how climate change impacts migration trends in rural areas of Central Asia with an aim to contribute to the research on climate mobility in the region focusing on most vulnerable inhabitants. By examining the ongoing region's environmental degradation with increased aridity and retreating glaciers that affect local agriculture, water and food security, this paper suggests possible outcomes of such effects on rural mobility trends across five Central Asian countries.
Year: 2024
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water, Climate, Agriculture
Authors: Nazar Nurzoda
Countries: Tajikistan
Source: https://water-ca.org/
This study aimed to examine the efficiency of different drip irrigation regimes in spring film greenhouses for early tomato harvesting. The field (small-plot) experiment included designing and testing the watering technology suitable for rural Tajikistan. Irrigation, soil moisture, and tomato growth were followed for several seasons under four irrigation pilots. The experiments showed that the most effective drip irrigation regime for Elpida hybrid tomato was carrying it out while regulating soil moisture within 75-85%, with the irrigation demand of 4,978 m3/ha and irrigation norm of 99.0 m3/ha, also contributing to better water efficiency. The volume of irrigation water for the production of one unit of tomato crop in the second experiment was 5.73 m3/ha, i.e. 14.18% less than in the control plot. The study showed that the tomato evapotranspiration coefficient tends to increase as the threshold of soil mois-ture before and after irrigation grows. The maximum net yield amounted to 1,342 thou. Somoni/ha – 1.9 times or 52.7% higher compared to the control plot. The research findings can guide individual farmers and production facilities, as well as the overall development of agrarian economies like Tajikistan.
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