Water Issues May Cause Instability In Central Asia

In a report released on August 22, the Chicago-based Power and Interest News Report (PINR) says regional countries have failed to implement an effective water-management mechanism in the years since the breakup of the Soviet Union. PINR says that, combined with other problems, this failure has the potential "to tip the region into conflict."

The group cites in particular the lack of an agreement on the legal status of the Caspian Sea among its five littoral states (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan).

It also notes that more than 90 percent of Central Asia's water resources are concentrated in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, while Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are the region's main water consumers.

PINR says other potential sources of tension include border disputes, competition over energy reserves, instability tied to rising poverty, authoritarianism, and religious extremism.