Uzbekistan to send a government delegation to Afghanistan on construction of Kushtepa canal

A delegation of the Uzbek government is being formed in connection with the Kushtepa canal, which is being built by the Taliban government, and it will be sent to Afghanistan for negotiations by the end of the year. Ulugbek Kosimov, governor of Surkhandarya region, informed about this.

Speaking about the impact of the construction of the canal on the region, the governor noted that it is being built on the border of Tajikistan, not Uzbekistan, but it will affect everyone equally.

“So far, the Afghan side has not opened the canal, what they showed yesterday was the groundwater. Construction work on the river has not been completed. However, whether we like it or not, it affects the volume of water. It will take years to master land plots. Digging a canal should be done by professionals. They have not yet mastered the land plot, there must be a place to use the water. Mastering also requires a lot of money. We are at the beginning of the water, it will affect everyone, of course. Until then, the issue will be considered at the intergovernmental level,” Ulugbek Kosimov said.

The regional governor announced that a government delegation was being formed on the order of the president to study the situation, including himself.

“If we go, we will definitely raise the issue of water distribution. Letters have been sent to them, the visit will happen in 1-2 months,” he said.

Kushtepa canal starts from Kaldar district of Balkh province, passes through Jauzjan province and reaches Andkhoy district of Faryab province. Its length is 280 kilometers, and its width – 100 meters.

In June 2023, Uzbekistan’s Water Minister Shavkat Khamroyev said that Afghanistan wants to irrigate 300,000 hectares through the Kushtepa canal, which will require 4-5 billion cubic meters of water, and Uzbekistan will strive to maintain this amount.

Shavkat Mirziyoev spoke about this canal at the next meeting of the Council of the Heads of the Founding States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, which was held in Dushanbe on September 15: “According to the essence, a new participant has appeared in the process of water use in our region, which is not connected with our countries on the basis of any obligations,” he said.

He noted that the opening of the canal “could fundamentally change the pattern and balance of water use in Central Asia” and called for the creation of a joint working group to study all aspects of the canal construction and its impact on the Amudarya’s water regime.

On October 12, the 2nd stage of the construction of the Kushtepa canal was started. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Taliban officials asked regional countries, especially Uzbekistan, not to worry about the construction of the Kushtepa canal. They expressed that Afghanistan is ready to solve regional problems through diplomatic relations.