On October 8-9, Ashgabat hosted a seminar on the cryosphere of Central Asia as part of the regional thematic workshop with the participation of employees from environmental and hydrometeorological ministries and departments of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
This was not the first meeting, with both in-person participation and remote connection to the platform for monitoring the state of the Central Asia cryosphere, which directly affects the flow of transboundary water arteries—the Amu Darya and Syr Darya—main water suppliers to the economies of five countries.
The platform is intended to facilitate joint study of snow, glacier and permafrost formations under conditions of climate aridification, their ability to sustain the flow of major rivers in the region—transboundary Amu Darya and Syr Darya—and scientific exchange among experts from five countries.
Rising temperatures have already changed the climate and led to certain consequences. Today, more frequent and intense natural continental cataclysms are observed; on one hand, there is abnormal heat in previously moderate climate zones and droughts, while on the other hand, there are more floods and forest fires.
The regional project, conducted from 2022 to 2026, on the cryosphere in Central Asia supports strengthening scientific cooperation, promoting sustainable development strategies, and adaptation against the backdrop of changes in the hydrostructure of transboundary water arteries. Experts will thoroughly study the state of the cryosphere—a significant factor in maintaining the balance of ecosystem cascades in the region.
In recent decades, glaciers in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan—Central Asia's "water towers"—are shrinking. Turkmenistan has no glaciers but depends on their condition since they form the fullness of the Amu Darya, which originates in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountain systems. This river, from which in turn the Garagum River flows, provides almost 90% of our country's freshwater needs, most of which is used for agriculture.
The project also aims at deep study and monitoring of the cryosphere to support scientific-practical measures of climate change adaptation in five regional states, forming a common vision and coherence in developing national action plans and a regional strategic program. It is designed to strengthen Central Asian countries' capacity for experience exchange in water use, disaster prevention, and response. Cooperation involves implementing new technologies, rationally testing them for local conditions, conducting events for public water users and the private sector, and raising awareness among decision-makers. The younger generation—schoolchildren, vocational school students, and university students—will not be overlooked; they will have opportunities to visualize glacier sensitivity to climate change through video presentations and other educational eco-actions.
