Euronews: Afghanistan is rapidly constructing the Qosh Tepa Canal, a waterway meant to help irrigate more than 500,000 hectares of its arid northern regions, for which it will redirect 20–30% of the Amu Darya River flow. Besides Afghanistan, the Amu Darya flows through Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, with the last two countries being downstream. The countries depend on the river to fuel their hydroelectric power plants and irrigate agricultural lands. Redirecting the river to the canal will devastate Central Asia’s water security, cutting Uzbekistan’s water supply by 15% and Turkmenistan’s by as much as 80%, as well as negatively affect employment and poverty levels, migration and cross-border conflicts. Click here to read more (external link).
