28Received 12.01.2026. Revised 23.01.2026. Accepted 26.01.2026.
Acknowledgements. The article was prepared within the project «The “Clean Water” project as the most important component of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the countries of the Global South: socio-economic and technological dimensions» supported by the grant from Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation program for research projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development (Agreement no. 075-15-2024-546).
Abstract. The article examines the situation with water scarcity in Central Asia and the problems of its sustainable development. The region is experiencing rapid demographic growth, while ambitious economic development strategies are implemented, including such sectors of economy as agriculture and hydropower, which involve a systematic increase in water consumption. All this is happening in the context of retreating mountain glaciers, which constitute the main source of water. This has already started to affect the volume of drains of the main rivers in a negative way, leading to regular low-water years. In the near and medium term, water use problems in the region will be the main constraint on economic development, forcing states to take unpopular measures to increase the cost of water and reduce water consumption, which is fraught with serious social problems and challenges to the stability of Central Asia. Given the high interdependence in water and energy, Central Asian states need to develop a common strategy for cooperation in the water sector, including increased synchronization and openness in water usage and distribution systems. The main purpose of the article is to analyze the current situation in the field of water supply in Central Asian countries, assess the main challenges to water security, identify the water needs of the main sectors of the economies of the region, as well as develop practical recommendations, primarily in the political field, necessary for a joint response to existing problems. The methodological basis of the research is the testing of the theory of political space.
Keywords: Central Asia, water and energy complex, water resources, climate change, hydropower, agriculture, sustainable development
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