Cross-Border Water Cooperation in Central Asia: Past, Present, Future

Feb 16, 2021 | Aiymdos Bozzhigitov
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Water is the most valuable resource on the planet. For Central Asia, this resource is an important natural and geographical factor that forms the region as a single system. The basins of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, historically known as the Oaks and Yaksart, played a significant role in the development of statehood in the region, determined the historical and cultural commonality of the Central Asian countries, and also influenced the characteristics of the local economy. The favorable conditions of the valleys of the foothills, floodplains and deltas of these large rivers led to the emergence of settled agriculture in the primitive period.

As in all ancient civilizations, the fields were originally cultivated using natural river floods. Over time, irrigation technologies improved. Thus, ancient Greek scholars of the time of Alexander the Great reported on the extensive network of canals and flowering gardens that existed in the central part of Asia. The creation of an irrigation infrastructure ensured a stable and rich harvest, contributed to the progress of science and culture, and influenced the worldview of the people.

The rivers of the region also played a political role, acting as a natural border between the nomads of the Great Steppe and the agricultural civilization, and our ancestors always got along well and found agreement on the issue of their joint use. Along with the growth of irrigated agriculture, the regulation of water relations also improved over time as its own traditions and rules appeared.