Tajikistan’s Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Daler Juma, took part on August 6 in the 94th meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination of Central Asia (ICWC), held in Turkestan, Kazakhstan.
One of the main issues discussed was compliance with previously agreed water withdrawal limits and reservoir operating regimes in the Syr Darya and Amu Darya basins during the 2026 irrigation season.
No new limits were approved at the meeting. The current allocations had already been agreed on April 10 at the 93rd ICWC session in Bukhara. At the August meeting, participating countries reviewed how those agreements were being implemented during the irrigation season.
The agenda also included the implementation of decisions adopted at summits of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.
For the Syr Darya basin, the total water withdrawal limit for the 2026 growing season is 11.884 billion cubic meters. Tajikistan has been allocated 1.905 billion cubic meters, Uzbekistan 8.8 billion, Kazakhstan 909 million and Kyrgyzstan 270 million cubic meters.
For the Amu Darya basin, the total allocation for the period from April 1 to October 1 is 39.772 billion cubic meters. Tajikistan’s limit is 7.052 billion cubic meters, while Turkmenistan has been allocated 15.5 billion and Uzbekistan 16.02 billion cubic meters. An additional 2.1 billion cubic meters has been set aside for the Amu Darya delta and the Aral Sea.
Another important issue for Tajikistan is the operating regime of the Bahri Tojik reservoir on the Syr Darya, which supplies water to the Qairoqqum hydropower plant.
In May, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan separately agreed on the reservoir’s operating regime for June through August 2026. Kazakhstan said the arrangement was intended, among other things, to ensure water supplies for farmers in the Maktaaral and Zhetysai districts of Turkestan Region.
For Tajikistan, the August meeting was therefore important both for monitoring compliance with existing water limits and for coordinating the operation of the Bahri Tojik reservoir with neighboring countries during the height of the irrigation season.
The ICWC brings together Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and coordinates the use of transboundary water resources in Central Asia.
Tajik minister visits water-saving projects
During his visit to Turkestan Region, Daler Juma also toured several facilities using water-saving technologies.
At the Turan Su Irrigation System, the minister reviewed the production of irrigation equipment, including polyethylene and PVC pipes, drip irrigation tapes, fittings and other components.
Juma also visited the Kazakh-Chinese enterprise Turkestan Tekstil, where he was told that cotton used by the company is grown on about 35,000 hectares using drip irrigation. The irrigated area is expected to expand to 55,000 hectares. The harvested cotton is processed at the same enterprise.
Juma said that studying the experience of neighboring countries and the technologies they use could help Tajikistan improve the efficiency of water resource management.
