Central Asia is approaching the limit of its water and land resources. The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) came to these conclusions after studying the situation in the region.
The EDB prepared a report on the topic «Efficient Irrigation and Water Conservation in Central Asia.»
It is noted that the shortage of water resources is one of the key structural limitations for the social and economic development of Central Asian countries. The level of water availability per capita in the region has halved compared to the Soviet period.
«Agriculture is the main consumer of water in the Central Asian countries. Today, 79 percent of all water in the region is spent on irrigation purposes. Irrigated lands account for almost 66 percent of gross agricultural output in value terms. This figure is 85 percent in Kyrgyzstan,» the report says.
Central Asia is exhausting its potential in developing irrigation. At the same time, degradation and salinization of irrigated lands are a serious problem. Approximately half of the land is subject to salinization. Another problem is water losses. They make up about 40 percent.
