The Central Asian countries continue to strengthen the water management system based on a proactive institutional approach. The 89th meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC) was held in April this year in Samarkand. One of the priority issues on the agenda of the meeting was the approval of agreed interstate water withdrawal limits for Central Asian countries for the growing season 2025 in the Syrdarya and Amudarya river basins.
Water withdrawal limits of the countries for the growing season 2025 in the Syrdarya river basin were approved in the following volume:
Water withdrawal limits for the growing season 2025 for the Amudarya river basin totalled 39.723 million m³ in total, of which Tajikistan accounts for 7.003 million m³, Turkmenistan — for 15.500 million m³, and Uzbekistan — for 16.020 million m³. Additionally, 5.150 million m³ of water is allocated for ecological and sanitary-ecological needs, including water supply to the river delta and the Aral Sea.
The meeting also confirmed the readiness of the Central Asian states to deepen the institutional framework for cooperation, where the emphasis was placed on improving the contractual and legal framework of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) and participation in international initiatives and strengthening the capacity and image of IFAS in the international arena. In this context, ICWC members were also tasked to assist in the organisation of a regional forum within the framework of the High-Level Interstate Conference on Glacier Conservation scheduled for 29-31 May 2025 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
These joint efforts reflect the aspirations of the Central Asian countries to effectively manage shared water resources, balancing the needs of agriculture, energy production and environmental conservation. It is worth noting separately that water reserves in upper reservoirs by the beginning of the growing season have increased by 1.47 billion m³ compared to 2024, which creates an additional resource buffer.
All this forms a steady trend: from technical synchronisation to institutional strengthening and strategic coordination. It is in such decisions that the practical value of water diplomacy — as a basis for environmental and political stability in Central Asia - is manifested.
Regular meetings reaffirm the strategic importance of transboundary water use coordination for sustainable development in Central Asia. Under conditions of changing climate and uneven water availability in the region, water diplomacy is transforming from a declarative slogan into an applied tool for joint regional management. The next, 90th ICWC meeting is planned for August 2025 and will be held in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan.
* The Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS) does not take institutional positions on any issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IAIS.
