The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors approved a project to strengthen transboundary water cooperation in Central Asia, the organization said.
A $20 million grant will go to the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. The funding will support the Central Asia Water and Energy Program for effective water-resource management.
The project is intended to improve coordination among countries in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins. Challenges include ageing infrastructure, limited data sharing and a 30% reduction in glacier surface area over the past 60 years. Losses caused by limited regional cooperation are estimated at more than $4.5 billion a year.
The program includes digitizing water accounting and upgrading information systems in the two river basins. Up to 100 employees of regional water-management organizations will receive training.
By 2031, the program is expected to prepare as many as six cross-border infrastructure projects involving at least two countries. They may cover irrigation upgrades, water storage and coordinated resource management. The organization estimates that about 40 million people across the region will benefit directly or indirectly.
