Over two billion folks lack entry to secure ingesting water, whereas greater than 4 billion face extreme water shortage. To handle world water safety challenges, rapid collective intervention is required.
This was the important thing message from Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s speech on the One Water Summit held in Riyadh on 3 December, co-organised with France, Saudi Arabia and the World Financial institution.
Highlighting water as important for sustainable improvement, financial progress, and environmental preservation, Tokayev known as for collective motion to make sure common entry to scrub water, defend water assets, construct catastrophe resilience, and foster worldwide cooperation.
Tokayev confused the significance of investments in climate-resilient infrastructure, modern irrigation methods, and technological developments to fight air pollution and stabilise water availability.
International analysis partnerships
He proposed establishing a world analysis partnership to guard glaciers, that are very important to sustaining billions of individuals worldwide. Tokayev additionally talked about the important want for strengthening early warning methods to mitigate water-related disasters, which yearly have an effect on over 1.5 billion folks.
Tokayev underscored water safety as an ethical crucial and a central pillar of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Improvement. He advocated for water-efficient agriculture and renewable vitality as strategic measures to boost financial resilience.
Kazakhstan will host a Regional Local weather Convention in 2026 in partnership with the United Nations, aiming to advance world water initiatives.
Preserving lake Balkhash
Among the many key initiatives offered to deal with important water useful resource challenges on the summit was the preservation of Lake Balkhash in southeastern Kazakhstan, one of many largest lakes in Asia and the fifteenth largest on the earth.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Sources and Irrigation signed a trilateral settlement with the French Improvement Company (AFD) and the French Bureau of Geological and Mining Analysis (BRGM) to boost cooperation.
The settlement features a €1.35 million grant to the Kazakh ministry for growing a sustainable water administration plan for the lake, with a complete examine of the lake basin carried out by the French facet.
The examine will inform a long-term grasp plan for managing the lake’s water assets till 2040. The challenge goals to stabilise the lake’s water ranges by optimising the operation of the Qapshagai Reservoir.
Further measures will embody cleansing rivers, stopping soil and water air pollution, supporting fisheries, selling ecotourism, and establishing authorized frameworks to guard the lake.
In the meantime, efforts to revive the North Aral Sea additionally proceed, with preparations for the second section of a challenge to enhance the area’s hydrology and help sustainable improvement within the Kyzylorda space.
Fixing Central Asia’s water disaster
The water disaster alongside the Caspian Sea and the broader Central Asian area threatens the livelihoods of over 82 million folks within the C5 nations: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
This disaster, marked by shrinking water our bodies, stems from local weather change, inhabitants development, outdated Soviet-era water infrastructure, and mismanagement.
As much as 40 per cent of irrigation water and 55 per cent of ingesting water are misplaced throughout transit resulting from dilapidated methods whereas rising temperatures and glacial melting jeopardise future water availability.
In keeping with a publication of the Atlantic Council, the West has an necessary function to play in fixing Central Asia’s water disaster by means of a method for regional and worldwide collaboration to deal with the disaster with out requiring large new investments.
The report emphasises bettering water infrastructure, enhancing irrigation effectivity, and fostering interstate cooperation to purchase time for growing sustainable options.
The Aral Sea catastrophe illustrates the dire penalties of mismanagement, with over 90 per cent of its waters misplaced for the reason that Sixties resulting from river diversions for irrigation, argues the report.
Kok-Aral Dam restoration
Whereas Kazakhstan’s Kok-Aral Dam challenge has achieved partial restoration, Uzbekistan’s continued water utilization from cotton farming hinders additional restoration. Equally, the Caspian Sea is in danger resulting from decreased water inflows, desalination tasks, and industrial calls for.
Declining water ranges threaten regional transport routes, such because the Trans-Caspian Worldwide Transport Route (TITR), in any other case referred to as the Center Hall, important for commerce between Central Asia, China, and Europe.
The report suggests the engagement of the US and Western international locations in mitigating the disaster whereas strengthening ties with the area. Initiatives might embody public-private partnerships, devices in water-saving applied sciences, and modernising water infrastructure.
The Atlantic Council argues the US can leverage platforms just like the B5+1 diplomatic framework to advertise private-sector involvement in Central Asia, addressing challenges whereas decreasing the area’s dependency on Russia and China.
Western engagement in these efforts might assist stabilise the area, stop potential conflicts over water assets, and safe a extra sustainable future, concludes the report.
[Edited By Brian Maguire | Euractiv’s Advocacy Lab ]