Category: <span>Central Asia</span>

Hydro-power poses mortal threats to the UNESCO World Heritage property in Kyrgyzstan

The international environmental coalition “Rivers without Boundaries” has raised alarms over the potential destruction of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kyrgyzstan. The organization has appealed to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, expressing concern about the Kyrgyz government’s proposal to exclude the …

New Canal Construction by Taliban Exacerbates Water Crisis in the Aral Sea Basin

Bakyt Ibraimov, Fawad Ali Source: The Third Pole May 18, 2023 Salt deposits in the Karakum desert, Turkmenistan, where experts say the Karakum Canal has resulted in land being salinised and seasonally waterlogged, making agriculture impossible (Image: Alamy) For more than 50 years, Afghanistan has contemplated building an enormous canal that …

Call on Chinese Actors to Stop Extinction:  90 Civil Society Groups Call on China to Protect Biodiversity in its Overseas Investments

On December 15, 2022, 90 civil society groups from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the world called on Chinese authorities and actors to protect biodiversity and people in its overseas investments. As China is chairing the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP) currently …

China’s “Ecological Civilization” Policy and Its Effects Beyond China’s Borders. Focus on Water and Energy.

Living Asia Portal published a story about a conference featuring the report made by the RwB International Coordinator. The Ecological Civilization Policy was issued as an official document by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CCCPC) and the State Council of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) …

A year after Sardoba dam collapse secrecy prevails: All we know – the catfish and rodents not guilty!

A year passed since May 1, 2020, when on the territory of Sirdaryo region of Uzbekistan, a breakthrough of the reservoir dam occurred, causing a flood. Buildings, roads, communications were destroyed. More than 60 thousand residents were evacuated in Uzbekistan and similar number in flooded districts of Kazakhstan. According to …

Ageing Dams Pose Growing Threat

A report by the United Nations University has said that by 2050, most of the world’s population will live downstream of dams operating at or beyond their design life, which could have implications on public safety, escalating maintenance costs, and reservoir sedimentation. The report, “Ageing Water Infrastructure: An Emerging Global …