Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Koshtepa irrigation canal in Afghanistan may lead to significant water shortages in Uzbekistan, potentially causing large-scale job losses in the agricultural sector. This was highlighted in a situational analysis on the state of children and adolescents in Uzbekistan.

The analysis also pointed to climate change as a worsening factor for the country’s water supply. The estimated economic damage from water scarcity is projected to be around 0.7% of GDP.

The most affected regions are expected to be the agricultural areas in Bukhara, Khorezm, Kashkadarya, and Karakalpakstan. It is predicted that up to 250,000 people could lose their jobs due to the water crisis.

Construction of the Koshtepa Canal began in 2022, with Afghanistan planning to divert up to 10 cubic kilometers of water from the Amu Darya annually to irrigate 500,000 hectares of farmland. This could severely impact water supplies for downstream countries like Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The canal is expected to be completed by 2028, and the first section has already been put into operation.