Central Asian water commission approves Amu Darya, Syr Darya withdrawal limits for winter season
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Central Asian water commission sets Amu Darya and Syr Darya withdrawal caps for winter period
The Interstate Commission for Water Coordination has approved limits on water withdrawals from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins for Central Asian countries for the 2026-2027 non-growing season, the Water Resources Ministry said.
The commission convened its 95th meeting on Oct. 7 in Turkmenistan’s Avaza national tourist zone, with water officials from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan in attendance, together with the heads of the two basins’ water management associations. The meeting also examined the 2026 growing season and approved forecast operating regimes for reservoir cascades.
For the Amu Darya, the talks centered on flow calculations at the Kerki gauging station, where Asia-Plus reported that flow readings varied even when water levels were identical. The commission ordered specialists to determine the reason and make sure measurements are accurate. It emphasized that water allocation should reflect the needs of all users in the upper, middle and lower reaches, and underscored the need to modernize gauging stations and introduce digital tools for water accounting and monitoring.
Participants suggested operating reservoirs under mutually agreed procedures, with prompt information sharing and consultations whenever hydrological conditions change.
For the Syr Darya, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said the growing season proceeded without problems. Roughly 3.69 billion cubic meters of water entered the Chardara reservoir in Turkistan province, 840 million cubic meters above the forecast. Around 10 billion cubic meters are anticipated during the 2026-2027 non-growing season.
The countries agreed to convene a working group meeting to prepare a plan for an automated water accounting system on the Syr Darya. The commission’s 96th meeting is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027 in Uzbekistan.
In August, Central Asian countries backed drafting a plan to automate Syr Darya water accounting. In May, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan agreed on the operating regime of the Bahri Tojik reservoir for June-August 2026.