Water resources management and planning under climate uncertainty: assessment of the droughts in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan, a predominantly arid country in Central Asia, is highly vulnerable to recurrent droughts that threaten agriculture, water security, ecosystems, and socio-economic stability. Irrigation from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya sustains over 85% of cultivated land, making the economy one of the mo...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Abdullaev, Iskandar, Gafurov, Zafar, Kenjabaev, Shavkat
Format: Conference Paper
Language:Inglés
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176701
_version_ 1855540757527527424
author Abdullaev, Iskandar
Gafurov, Zafar
Kenjabaev, Shavkat
author_browse Abdullaev, Iskandar
Gafurov, Zafar
Kenjabaev, Shavkat
author_facet Abdullaev, Iskandar
Gafurov, Zafar
Kenjabaev, Shavkat
author_sort Abdullaev, Iskandar
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Uzbekistan, a predominantly arid country in Central Asia, is highly vulnerable to recurrent droughts that threaten agriculture, water security, ecosystems, and socio-economic stability. Irrigation from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya sustains over 85% of cultivated land, making the economy one of the most irrigation-dependent globally. Past droughts, notably the 1999–2001 event, exposed systemic weaknesses in centralized water allocation, outdated infrastructure, and limited institutional capacity. Economic losses from droughts already reach hundreds of millions annually and are projected to escalate to USD 5 billion per year, about 3% of GDP, by 2050 without adaptation. Climate change will intensify risks, with temperatures expected to rise 4–6°C by 2100 and crop yields declining up to 60% for wheat per 1°C increase. This paper presented the drought profile, developed under the World Bank’s Disaster Risk and Resilience Assessment (DRRA) framework, reviewing vulnerabilities, sectoral impacts, legal and policy frameworks, and stakeholder roles. Uzbekistan has made progress through updated water legislation, national adaptation and green economy strategies, and the draft National Drought Management Plan, yet significant gaps remain in local vulnerability assessment, early warning systems, proactive mitigation, and stakeholder engagement. Strengthening integrated water governance, climate-smart agriculture, and community-based resilience are critical to reducing drought risks and ensuring sustainable development.
format Conference Paper
id CGSpace176701
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1767012025-09-29T10:40:09Z Water resources management and planning under climate uncertainty: assessment of the droughts in Uzbekistan Abdullaev, Iskandar Gafurov, Zafar Kenjabaev, Shavkat water resources water management planning climate change drought Uzbekistan, a predominantly arid country in Central Asia, is highly vulnerable to recurrent droughts that threaten agriculture, water security, ecosystems, and socio-economic stability. Irrigation from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya sustains over 85% of cultivated land, making the economy one of the most irrigation-dependent globally. Past droughts, notably the 1999–2001 event, exposed systemic weaknesses in centralized water allocation, outdated infrastructure, and limited institutional capacity. Economic losses from droughts already reach hundreds of millions annually and are projected to escalate to USD 5 billion per year, about 3% of GDP, by 2050 without adaptation. Climate change will intensify risks, with temperatures expected to rise 4–6°C by 2100 and crop yields declining up to 60% for wheat per 1°C increase. This paper presented the drought profile, developed under the World Bank’s Disaster Risk and Resilience Assessment (DRRA) framework, reviewing vulnerabilities, sectoral impacts, legal and policy frameworks, and stakeholder roles. Uzbekistan has made progress through updated water legislation, national adaptation and green economy strategies, and the draft National Drought Management Plan, yet significant gaps remain in local vulnerability assessment, early warning systems, proactive mitigation, and stakeholder engagement. Strengthening integrated water governance, climate-smart agriculture, and community-based resilience are critical to reducing drought risks and ensuring sustainable development. 2025-09 2025-09-29T10:38:33Z 2025-09-29T10:38:33Z Conference Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176701 en Open Access Abdullaev, I.; Gafurov, Z.; Kenjabaev, S. 2025. Water resources management and planning under climate uncertainty: assessment of the droughts in Uzbekistan. In Hydrometeorological Research Institute. International Conference on Innovative Methods for Monitoring Mountain Glaciers Under Climate Change and Current Challenges in Glaciology, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 16-17 September 2025. Tashkent, Uzbekistan: Hydrometeorological Research Institute. pp. 250-262.
spellingShingle water resources
water management
planning
climate change
drought
Abdullaev, Iskandar
Gafurov, Zafar
Kenjabaev, Shavkat
Water resources management and planning under climate uncertainty: assessment of the droughts in Uzbekistan
title Water resources management and planning under climate uncertainty: assessment of the droughts in Uzbekistan
title_full Water resources management and planning under climate uncertainty: assessment of the droughts in Uzbekistan
title_fullStr Water resources management and planning under climate uncertainty: assessment of the droughts in Uzbekistan
title_full_unstemmed Water resources management and planning under climate uncertainty: assessment of the droughts in Uzbekistan
title_short Water resources management and planning under climate uncertainty: assessment of the droughts in Uzbekistan
title_sort water resources management and planning under climate uncertainty assessment of the droughts in uzbekistan
topic water resources
water management
planning
climate change
drought
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176701
work_keys_str_mv AT abdullaeviskandar waterresourcesmanagementandplanningunderclimateuncertaintyassessmentofthedroughtsinuzbekistan
AT gafurovzafar waterresourcesmanagementandplanningunderclimateuncertaintyassessmentofthedroughtsinuzbekistan
AT kenjabaevshavkat waterresourcesmanagementandplanningunderclimateuncertaintyassessmentofthedroughtsinuzbekistan