(The Basis of Civilization – Water Science? –Proceedings of the UNESCO/IAHS – IWHA Symposium held in Rome, December 2003 – IAHS Publication 286, pp. 300–314).
Central Asia (formerly known as Middle Asia and Kazakhstan) includes the republics of the CIS namely: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and also Afghanistan. Hydrologically, the Central Asian Region (CAR) is identified by the basin of the Aral Sea, which consists of two basins – those of the Syrdarya and the Amudarya rivers. This paper discusses the water resources of the region and their uses, particularly for irrigation and hydropower, the problems that have arisen and some of the solutions.
Aral Sea basin, Degradation of the Aral Sea, Growing season, Hydropower production, Irrigated agriculture, Transitional economy, USSR, Water diversions, Water/energy resources
