Publication

This paper examines the consequences of increased water demand in Central Asia on the natural environment. Since the early 1960s, this demand has led to the depletion of rivers and ground water reserves and the degradation of water and soil quality. It has also led to the desiccation of the Aral Sea in one of the worst man-made ecological catastrophes of modern times. Circumstances have been made worse since the collapse of the former Soviet Union. The Central Asian river basin is now fraught with political, ethnic, and economic tensions, all of which are likely to be aggravated as water resources becomes scarcer. This study examines the region's water conflicts alongside possible conflict management approaches.