The Syrdarya and Amudarya rivers, which criss-cross a large part of Central Asia, support most of the agricultural output in the Aral Sea basin and have significant hydropower capacity and potential. A lack of cooperation among the Central Asian countries - Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan - in managing their shared water systems has been a key constraint that threatens to undermine the region’s development, the statement said.

“The lack of regional cooperation on water resources poses a major threat to economic integration and growth in Central Asia,” said Thomas Panella, Senior Water Resources Management Specialist with ADB’s Central and West Asia Department.

ADB has approved a US$998,000 regional technical assistance grant which will be used to support knowledge-sharing on water resources in the region and strengthen the capacity of institutions tasked with managing them, the bank’s statement said.

The grant came from a multi-donor trust fund under an ADB-administered Water Financing Partnership Facility. The Trust Fund contributors are the governments of Australia, Austria, and Norway.

The assistance will involve regional initiatives covering the Amudarya and Syrdarya river basins and the Chu and Talas river basins, as well as help establish a forum for exchanging ideas and developing future action plans.

The project builds on previous ADB technical assistance from 2004 to 2007 that helped initiate regional water policy dialogues and the development of water management capacity.