BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 8. Central Asian water officials met in Turkistan, Kazakhstan, to review water availability and reservoir operations for the 2026 irrigation season, as the region continues to coordinate management of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins.
This was reflected in the statement by the Tajik Ministry of Energy and Water Resources following the 94th meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination of Central Asia (ICWC), which was held on August 7.
The 94th meeting brought together Tajikistan's Minister of Energy and Water Resources Daler Juma, Kazakhstan's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurlan Nurtzhigitov, Turkmenistan's Chairman of the State Committee for Water Management Durdy Gendjiev, and Uzbekistan's Minister of Water Resources Shavkat Khamraev.
The officials reviewed water withdrawal results and the operating regime of the cascade of reservoirs during the 2026 growing season in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins.
The meeting also addressed the implementation of proposals and initiatives put forward by the Council of Heads of State of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), reflecting continued regional efforts to coordinate water management and address shared environmental challenges.
A key issue on the agenda was the development of a draft plan to introduce an automated water-resource accounting system in the Syr Darya basin. Participants supported the development of the document and agreed to establish a dedicated working group by September to examine the issue and preparations for the plan.
"The participants supported the development of the draft plan and decided to establish a special working group by September to consider the issue," the Tajik Ministry of Energy and Water Resources said.
The move toward automated water accounting could improve the monitoring and management of water resources in one of Central Asia's key river basins, where water allocation is closely linked to agriculture, energy production and regional economic activity.
Meanwhile, the 95th meeting of the ICWC is scheduled to take place in Turkmenistan.
