UNICEF: Kosh-Tepa Irrigation Canal to Cause Job Crisis in Uzbekistan

UNICEF predicts that climate change and the opening of the Kosh-Tepa irrigation canal in Afghanistan will cause water shortages and job losses in Uzbekistan’s agriculture.

The organisation’s experts predict that the damage to Uzbekistan’s economy will amount to about 0.7% of GDP. Agriculture in Bukhara, Khorezm, Kashkadarya Provinces and Karakalpakstan will suffer due to water shortages. Up to 250,000 people may lose their jobs.

The construction of the Kosh-Tepa Irrigation Canal started in 2022. Afghanistan intends to divert approximately 10 cubic kilometers of water annually from the Amu Darya river to irrigate 500,000 hectares of agricultural land. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, which are located downstream of the canal’s intake, could face significant impacts due to the canal’s operation.

The problem is complicated because Afghanistan has not been a party to most of the water agreements and arrangements among the Central Asian countries.

The canal is expected to be completed by 2028, with its first section already commissioned.

Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports that Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan will install water metering systems on the Syr Darya river.