Uzbekistan new indd

changing Water Policies in the Uzbek 
Agricultural Sector
With the exception of Kazakhstan, on average, more 
than 90% of the total water withdrawal per capita in 
Central Asia is withdrawn for agricultural purposes 
(Kazakhstan has 66% of its water consumption going 
to agricultural purposes).
25
 Water policies in the agri-
cultural sector are therefore the key element to be tar-
geted to reduce the water consumption of the region. 
Managing the Soviet Legacy
In Soviet times water was perceived as a free natural re-
source to benefit the economy and people. The Soviet 
era was characterized by the expansion of irrigated 
lands, especially in Uzbekistan, where they increased 
from 1.2 million hectares in 1913 to 2.3 million hect-
ares in 1950 and to 4.2 million hectares in 1990. From 
1930 to 1990, Uzbekistan was producing more than 
two thirds of all Soviet cotton.
26
 This expansion was 
facilitated by large public investments. The Ministry 
of Water Resources and Amelioration, the main water 
agency, became the second largest consumer of state 
funds after the Ministry of Defense.
27
 More than 90% 
of water resources from two major Central Asian river 
basins–Amu Darya and Syr Darya–were withdrawn 
for the irrigation of cotton and other crops.
28
Water distribution was organized by state wa-
ter management organizations. The interaction be-
tween water managers and water users was handled 
through seasonal agreements. For each type of crop 
water demand norms were calculated. These col-
lected water demands were translated into seasonal 
plans, according to which water was allocated to us-
ers. Trained and experienced staff, agronomists and 
hydro-technicians were employed in every collective 
farm and were mandated to overlook the irrigation 
20 “The Capacity of Hydropower Tajikistan,” TAJ Hydro, 2011, http://tajhydro.tj/en/about-tajikistan/hydropower-capacity-of-tajikistan.
21 “Tajikistan’s Rogun Hydro: Social and Environmental Aspects,” Bank Information Center, Bank Information Center (BIC) Europe and Central 
Asia Program, 2014, http://www.bicusa.org/en/Document.102618.pdf.
22 “Third Riparian Meetings on Rogun Assessment Studies,” Press Release, World Bank, 2013, http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-re-
lease/2013/02/13/third-riparian-meetings-on-rogun-assessment-studies.
23 “Study shows TALCO’s potential to save energy, 2013.”
24 V. Fedorenko, “Prospects for water cooperation in Central Asia,” Rethink Institute Paper 14, 2014.
25 Statistical database of FAO (AQUASTAT), 2014, http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/data/query/index.html?lang=en.
26 D. Tarr and E. Trushin, “Did the Desire for Cotton Self-Sufficiency Lead to the Aral Sea Environmental Disaster?”, in D. Tarr, ed., Trade Policy and 
WTO Accession for Development in Russia and CIS Handbook (World Bank Institute Publication, 2006).
27 I. Abdullaev and S. Atabaeva, “Water sector in Central Asia: slow transformation and potential for cooperation,” International Journal of Sustainable 
Society 4, nos. 1/2 (2012): 103–112.
28 G. N. Golubev, “Systems View of the Water Management in Central Asia,” in Z. Adeel, ed., New Approaches to Water Management in Central Asia 
(Tokyo: United Nations University, 2001), 5–18.

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Revisiting Water Issues in Central Asia: Shifting from Regional Approach to National Solutions
133
water management.
29
 The farms were exempt from 
paying for water, the cost of which was high and cov-
ered by the state. In many cases the real water supply 
rates were 2-3 times higher than recommended water 
needs. The absence of incentives for limiting water 
consumption led to overexploitation of available wa-
ter resources.
30
Soviet irrigation expansion resulted in many 
water related environmental problems such as the 
shrinking of the Aral Sea, water salinity, water pollu-
tion by fertilizers and pesticides, as well as water log-
ging of irrigated lands. In the regions close to the Aral 
Sea, about 90% of the land is affected by salinization. 
The decay of soil quality requires additional large 
volumes of water to rinse away the salt. The drainage 
of water heavily contaminated with nitrates, organic 
fertilizers, and phenol, has polluted the ground water. 
In the downstream regions of the Syr Darya and Amu 
Darya, water is so polluted that it is unsuitable for 
either drinking or irrigation.
31