Facts and Perspectives of Water Reservoirs in Central Asia: A Special Focus on Uzbekistan

Shavkat Rakhmatullaev (1, 2) , Frederic Huneau (2) , Philippe Le Coustumer (2) , Mikael Motelica-Heino (3) , Masharif Bakiev (1)

1 Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Melioration
2 Ghymac - Géosciences hydrosciences matériaux constructions
3 ISTO - Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans

The political transformation of the Central Asian region has induced the implosion of the interconnected physical hydraulic infrastructure and its institutional management systems. Land-locked Central Asian countries with their climatic conditions and transboundary water resources have been striving to meet their food security, to increase the agricultural production, to sustain the energy sectors and to protect the environment. The existing water reservoirs are strategic infrastructures for irrigation and hydropower generation. The upstream countries (Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan) favor the reservoirs operation for energy supply while the downstream countries (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan) push on the irrigation use. This paper overviews the current challenges and perspectives (technical, institutional and legal regulations) of man-made water reservoirs in Central Asia with special focus on Uzbekistan.

Keywords: transboundary waters; dam management; water reservoirs; irrigation; hydropower; sedimentation; water policy

Domains: Hydrology; Global Changes

Shavkat Rakhmatullaev, Frederic Huneau, Philippe Le Coustumer, Mikael Motelica-Heino, Masharif Bakiev. Facts and Perspectives of Water Reservoirs in Central Asia: A Special Focus on Uzbekistan. Water, 2010, 2 (2), pp.307-320. ⟨10.3390/w10x000x⟩. ⟨insu-00457824⟩