BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 18. Urbanization and growing pressure on water resources are becoming one of the key challenges for Central Asia, Alexander Nikolayenko, representative of the International Water Resources Management project in Uzbekistan, said during an event organized by the Azerbaijan NGO Agency within the framework of WUF13, Trend reports.
According to him, the “Bluepeace Central Asia” project covers all five Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Nikolayenko noted that over the past 20 years the urban population in Central Asia has increased by more than 14 million people, while cities continue to grow by around 650,000 residents annually.
“Today, around 80 million people live in Central Asia, with nearly half of the population residing in urban areas,” he said.
He stressed that the region’s largest cities, including Tashkent and Almaty, are facing increasing pressure on water supply systems amid rapid urbanization.
According to Nikolayenko, around 90% of water resources in Central Asia are used for agriculture, while municipal consumption accounts for about 4%.
“Despite the relatively small share, urban water supply and drinking water quality are becoming one of the biggest problems for large cities in the region,” he said.
He added that Central Asian countries are implementing national and intergovernmental programs aimed at модернизации drinking water infrastructure and attracting investments into water treatment and supply systems.
Speaking about Kazakhstan, Nikolayenko said the country allocates several billion US dollars annually for urban water infrastructure projects, with additional financing coming from the World Bank and private financial institutions.
He also noted that investments in urban water infrastructure are increasingly viewed as commercially attractive due to growing demand in major cities.
