The Impact of the Kushtepa Channel Construction on the Water and Food Security of Uzbekistan

Authors

  • Nasirzhon Tulyaganov Independent researcher, Uzbekistan

Keywords:

Kushtepa Canal, Amu Darya, Water Security, Food Security, Transboundary Waters, Agriculture, Climate Change, Water Diplomacy

Abstract

This research paper provides a scientific analysis of the comprehensive impact of the Kushtepa canal being constructed in northern Afghanistan on the distribution of water resources in the Amu Darya basin and on the water and food security of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The article provides a detailed analysis of the canal's technical parameters, river flow reduction forecasts, and the potential socio-economic losses in Uzbekistan's agriculture as a result. International legal aspects of transboundary water resource management, regional water diplomacy, and adaptation measures taken by Uzbekistan, including the introduction of water-saving technologies and the modernization of irrigation systems, will also be discussed.

References

[1] President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, “On approval of the concept for the development of the water sector of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2020–2030,” Decree No. UP-6024, Jul. 10, 2020.

[2] World Bank, Uzbekistan: Modernization of Irrigation Infrastructure. Washington, DC, USA, 2025.

[3] FAO, Water Scarcity and Food Security in Central Asia. Rome, Italy, 2024.

[4] A. Gafurov et al., “Impact of the Kushtepa Canal on the agricultural sector of Uzbekistan,” German Economic Team, 2023.

[5] A. Khamidov, “Technological and political challenges in transboundary water management,” Journal of Hydrology, 2024.

[6] United Nations, “Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes,” 1992.

[7] D. Abdurazzokov, “The impact of the Kushtepa canal in Afghanistan on Central Asian hydropolitics,” Habitus Collected Knowledge Journal, 2024.

[8] Ministry of Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Official reports and statistical data, 2024–2025.

[9] Bakhtar News Agency, “Progress in the construction of the Kushtepa canal,” Kabul, Afghanistan, 2024.

[10] A. Ilkhamov, “The impact of the construction of the Kushtepa canal in Afghanistan on Uzbekistan's water supply,” Central Asia Due Diligence, 2023.

[11] O. Kasimov and M. Kasimov, “Transboundary water management in Central Asia and Afghanistan: Realism and new challenges,” World Water Policy, 2024.

[12] M. M. Makhamataminovich, “International legal framework for the use of transboundary water resources,” Central Asian Journal of Social Sciences and History, 2025.

[13] S. McCaffrey, The Law of International Watercourses, 3rd ed. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2019.

[14] A. Y. Hoekstra and M. M. Mekonnen, “The water footprint of humanity,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 109, no. 9, pp. 3232–3237, 2012.

[15] World Bank, Water Management in Central Asia: Challenges and Opportunities. Washington, DC, USA, 2019.

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Published

2026-05-07

How to Cite

Nasirzhon Tulyaganov. (2026). The Impact of the Kushtepa Channel Construction on the Water and Food Security of Uzbekistan. Horizon: Journal of Humanity and Artificial Intelligence, 5(1), 51–55. Retrieved from https://journal.univerpublishing.org/index.php/horizon/article/view/3476