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revisiting Water Issues in central Asia:  
Shifting from regional Approach to National Solutions
Nariya Khasanova
1
 (2014)
In June 2014 the World Bank released two studies 
on the viability of the Rogun dam in Tajikistan.
2
 It 
instantly revived the tensions between Uzbekistan 
and Tajikistan over the construction of the dam. 
Uzbekistan—Tajikistan’s downstream neighbor—op-
poses construction of the dam and fears the unduly 
interference by Dushanbe with the water supply nec-
essary for its cotton industry. Tajikistan sees construc-
tion of the dam as having national strategic impor-
tance, vital for dealing with its chronic energy crises.
Many Central Asian observers consider water 
to be one of the main risks of interstate conflict in 
Central Asia, and a key obstacle to regional coopera-
tion. That said, international donors continue to push 
for regional approaches. In this paper, I argue that a 
regional approach to water in Central Asia is misguid-
ed and bound to fail. I argue that the international 
community should shift its focus from regional lev-
el to national-level solutions. It would slow down the 
ongoing geo-politicization of the water debate, and 
therefore interstate tensions. It would also motivate 
the Central Asian authorities to identify the real chal-
lenges faced on the ground. Finally, this shift would 
contribute to moving the focus from water distribu-
tion to water (over)consumption, which is the real 
drama of the Central Asian region’s water dilemma.