As The Ural River Disappears, A Crisis Looms For Eurasia
January 27th, 2021
Via Third Pole, an article on how – despite some conservation efforts and regional cooperation – the Ural river is rapidly shrinking, threatening the water security of Kazakhstan and the wider region: The Ural river, which originates in Russia’s Ural Mountains and flows through modern-day Russia and Kazakhstan into the Caspian Sea, has been a […]
Read more »Caspian Faces “Catastrophic Drop in Water Levels” This Century
January 11th, 2021
Via EurasiaNet, a report on the plight of the Caspian that may make the Aral Sea merely a forewarning of what is ahead: As the globe warms and sea levels rise, the lands abutting the Caspian Sea are facing the opposite problem. Forecasters expect a sharp drop in precipitation in Central Asia and increased evaporation […]
Read more »Chinese Hydroelectric Investments In Central Asia
September 8th, 2020
Via Eurasianet, a look at China’s hydroelectric investments in Central Asia: Any investor wishing to stay friendly with all five Central Asian republics knows to steer clear of major hydropower projects. When the five countries were part of the Soviet Union, interdependence worked: Moscow built some of the world’s tallest dams in upstream Kyrgyzstan and […]
Read more »Transboundary Waters of Central Asia: the Role of Kyrgyzstan in Saving the Aral Sea
July 21st, 2020
Via the Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting, a look at how Kyrgyzstan’s views on how to manage the water resources formed on its territory are at variance with the provisions determined by the Aral Sea Saving Fund: From the beginning of its independence, Kyrgyzstan begins to formulate a policy for the management of water resources […]
Read more »Water Insecurity in Central Asia: A Steppe on the One Belt, One Road Initiative?
January 30th, 2020
Via Future Directions International, a look at water insecurity in Central Asia: Central Asia is integral to Chinese efforts to increase its global connectivity. Natural resource constraints, including access to water, could undermine its influence in the region. Given the legacy of failed foreign water infrastructure in the region, any Chinese efforts to address water […]
Read more »Central Asia: Water Scarcity and Climate Change Threats
July 29th, 2019
Via The Diplomat, interesting commentary on the threat facing Central Asia from water scarcity and climate change: Central Asian countries have a long list of potential security challenges: economic recession, the return of foreign fighters from Syria and Iraq, ethnic and political violence, and the spillover of the conflict in Afghanistan. This list is not […]
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