Knowledge space

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.

Изучены особенности пространственной и временной изменчивости повторяемости атмосферных блокингов над территорией Казахстана в зимние месяцы, а также вариаций ее температурного режима для зимних месяцев. При обнаружении атмосферных блокингов в качестве фактического материала использована информация об изменениях над территорией Казахстана среднечасовых значений атмосферного давления, которые приведены к уровню моря, а также аналогичных значений геопотенциала, соответствующих изобарическим поверхностям 850, 500 и 300 гПа. При оценке влияния атмосферных блокингов на термический режим регионов Казахстана как фактический материал использованы результаты его мониторинга, проводившегося на расположенных в них метеостанциях Казгидромета, а также информация из архивов и электронных ресурсов. Предложена методика обнаружения атмосферных блокингов, обобщающая процедуры, которые традиционно используются для решения рассматриваемой задачи, что позволило снизить вероятности возникающих при этом ошибок. Для различных секторов территории Казахстана для всех зимних месяцев оценены средние значения повторяемости атмосферных блокингов за 1960–2020 гг., продолжительность которых не менее 5–10 суток, тенденции ее межгодовых изменений на отрезках времени, соответствующих различным частям современного климатического периода. Определены климатические нормы повторяемости таких блокингов для современного климатического периода и их изменения по отношению к базовому климатическому периоду (1961–1990 гг.). Также изучено влияние рассматриваемых атмосферных блокингов на термический режим различных регионов Казахстана, который характерен для зимних месяцев. Выявлены регионы Казахстана, где в периоды рассматриваемых атмосферных блокингов возникали наибольшие изменения их термического режима.

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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.

Countries in Central Asia, which are highly vulnerable to climate change, experience a variety of health-related impacts to which they must adapt. At the same time, climate mitigation interventions in the health sector in the form of reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may also generate co-benefits. This article briefly outlines current understanding of the relationship between climate change impacts and human health in Central Asia and establishes a scope of inquiry based on climate and health linkages as identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It then identifies and summarizes existing research and reporting on this topic in the region as presented in published literature, country reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and gray literature, including policy literature and documentation of donor-funded development interventions in the region. This review, which attempts to summarize and appraise those efforts, has found that both peer-reviewed and grey literature on this topic must be used with caution. The most frequent problems with peer-reviewed and grey literature resources involved confounding bias, and—to a lesser extent—self-reporting bias. The use of an appraisal framework for grey literature sources can frame these diverse resources in the proper context, identify potential shortcomings, and gain insights into current priorities and future direction for research on climate change and health in the region.

The fertility of soil is depending on the minerals

available, the structure of soil, organic matter

in soil, water availability and micro organisms

living in the soil. Together they determine most of the productivity of land.

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.

The study aimed to evaluate the economic and financial viability of a coal mine methane (CMM) utilization project in Central Kazakhstan, demonstrating a methodology for similar initiatives. The analysis was based on the 2013 project proposed by the US Environmen-tal Protection Agency (EPA) that intended to capture methane emissions from six coal mines for electricity generation, yet was never implemented. The study’s relevance stems from Kazakhstan's 2030 methane pledge, recent progress in the country's climate change-related policy, mineworker mortality in 2023, and the shift of mines ownership. Building upon the technical specifications of the 2013 US EPA project, this research em-ployed standard financial and economic cost-benefit analysis (CBA). The financial model utilized a traditional discounted free cash flow approach, while the economic model in-corporated additional factors like the value of statistical life (VSL), shadow pricing, as well as benefits associated with mitigating ozone health impacts, crop damage, mine ex-plosion risks, and CO2 emissions. The economic model has indicated a positive net pre-sent value of $243 mln and 42% internal rate of return. The financial analysis also sug-gests potential profitability under fair electricity and carbon pricing market conditions. To assess project robustness under varying economic and financial assumptions, the study included a sensitivity analysis. The research has likewise leveraged prior CMM-related studies in Kazakhstan and provides valuable guidance for analyzing similar projects. In addition, it also highlights the need for certain adjustments in the current legislation to incentivize such projects, as well as to promote environmental sustainability and social development by mitigating methane emissions, which aligns with Kazakhstan's climate goals.

Water diplomacy encompasses the processes and institutions through which the national interests and identities of sovereign states are represented to one another. It is enshrined in international law, which states use to explain and justify their policies to concerned actors in the international system. States mostly prefer traditional tools of water diplomacy such as negotiation and mediation to resolve disputes in transboundary river basins.

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.

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.

Энергетический переход продолжается с беспрецедентной скоростью и масштабом, требуя новых технологий с низким уровнем выбросов углерода. Зеленый водород рассматривается как часть решения для достижения декарбонизации промышленности, что потребует согласованных действий со стороны промышленности и правительства для того, чтобы Казахстан смог получить выгоды.

MAR remains relatively underutilized in Central Asia despite its potential to address water scarcity issues, particularly those related to seasonal fluctuations in water availability. Thus, the objective of this study was to produce a map depicting the potential suitability of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) implementation in Kazakhstan. Employing a multi-criteria decision analysis framework, five distinct physical criteria were integrated and visualized within a Geographic Information System (GIS) to delineate the intrinsic potential for MAR. To demonstrate the practical utility of the generated map, it was applied to the Zhambyl region in Southern Kazakhstan, an area previously afflicted by water scarcity challenges. The intrinsic MAR potential map was overlaid with remote sensing data identifying potential water sources and water utilization patterns. This overlay facilitated the identification of priority areas with potential for further evaluation for MAR implementation. The map developed for Kazakhstan represents the first spatial representation of MAR potential within the region, serving to raise awareness regarding the feasibility of MAR application. It is anticipated that dissemination of this map will enhance understanding among water management professionals, potentially catalysing the integration of MAR methodologies into regional water management strategies.

Efficient strategies are necessary to effectively remove microplastics (MPs), which are widely present in the environment. Among various techniques, photocatalysis using visible light has emerged as a promising ap-proach to tackle the growing concerns surrounding microplastic waste.

The study was conducted in 2023 and comprised a comparative assessment of the state of Lake Markakol’s aquatic ecosystems in surface and bottom water strata. The analysis of bottom water temperatures showed correlation between this parameter and dissolved oxygen concentrations, indicating that pollution caused by organic impurities leads to lake eutrophication, in turn, pro-pelling the extinction of aquatic life. Although the main water physicochemical parameters of Markakol Lake correspond to the oligotrophic type, the shifts in dissolved oxygen and phos-phate content, as well as growth of aquatic vegetation indicate its transition to the mesotrophic type. Higher phosphate content in water is a consequence of pollution disturbing the biological balance, as well as stimulating the reservoir’s eutrophication and increased biological productivity, i.e. algal bloom. In addition, phosphate ions serve an informative indicator of Hazard Class 3 (organoleptically hazardous) anthropogenic pollution. Based on the correlation factor (r), two statistical models were considered for the target lake: 1) Water Pollution: nutri-ent concentrations depending on surface and bottom water temperatures (Model 1); and 2) changes in Water Pollution Indices (biogenic, heavy metals, mean) because of air temperature growth due to global warming of 0.25°C/decade (Model 2).

The Badam River, a tributary to the Arys River located in the Syr Darya basin, is a crucial natural resource for ecological, social, and economic activities in the semi-arid region of southern Kazakhstan. The river basin is heavily influenced by manmade water infrastructure and faces water scarcity, particularly during summer, highlighting the importance of understanding its hydrological processes for effective water resource management. In this study, a semi-distributed conceptual hydrological model of the Badam River was implemented using the RS MINERVE hydrological software to evaluate the impacts of climate change on hydrology and to test the resilience of the water system. Connected HBV models were implemented for each of the hydrological response units that were defined as altitudinal zones. The hydrological model was calibrated using daily time steps between 1979 and 2011, and the resulting flow exceedance curves and hydrographs were used to assess the potential impacts of climate change on the basin, using CMIP6 precipitation and temperature scenarios. Future climate scenarios for the 2054 – 2064 period demonstrate that the peak discharge will be shifted to spring/late spring compared to the current early summer with no significant decrease in average discharge per day of the year. The insights gained from this hydrological-hydraulic model can be used to effectively manage the water system and inform future hydropower design decisions and serve as a blueprint for similar studies in the region and elsewhere.