Will Russia give us a spare glass of water?

Central Asia is thirsty

Kazakhstan lacks water catastrophically. Average resources of the superficial water equal a little more than 100 cubic metres per annum, of which only a half on the territory of the republic.

The second half comes from neighbouring states: Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China. Disputes between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan over division of Syrdaria water are still fresh in the memory. It should be taken into account that an intense growth of population is going on in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. According to forecasts, by 2025 there will be 65-70 million people living here (today there are 25 million). The issue of water supply and melioration is even more acute than earlier. Soon Afghanistan recovering from wars will return to its economy. Now it takes 2 cubic kilometres of water per annum from Amudaria river, but in the nearest future it will need up to 9 cubic kilometres.

And it will be reflected on Central Asian republics right away. According to the Uzbek state hydrometeorological service, due to the global warming, the area of Pamir glaciers, feeding Syrdaria and Amudaria, reduced by 40 per cent. Shan't we think about the future?

The Aral Sea is another painful point not only for Kazakhstan, but for the whole Eurasian continent. Because the sand and salt of Aral origin, already reach Central European borders - what happens with the neighbouring territories is quite clear. From the dried up Aral bed totalling 50 thousand cubic kilometres the wind disperses from 75 to 100 million tons of sand and mineral salts. Since 1973 the total area of Aral Sea diminished three times. Annually the sea level diminishes by more than one metre. It is already impossible to save the unique sea lake according to some specialists. At one of the forums of the International Foundation for the Rescue of Aral heads of Central Asian states spoke unambiguously about an impossibility of saving the dying sea without realising the project - transferring a part of Siberian river waters towards it.

There is a project, we can't do without one

According to the project plans, a part of water can be taken from Ob river in Khanty-Mansyisk area and delivered via a channel through Tobolsk and Turgai valley into Syrdaria and further into Amudaria. Currently the average annual sweet water discharge from Ob into the Arctic Ocean is more than 400 cubic kilometres.

In relation with the global warming specialists from the International Arctic Centre in Norway predict water flow from Siberian rivers in 2020-2030 will grow by 5 per cent. Russian scientists forecast up to 30 per cent. It threatens Siberia with flooding its vast territories. On the other hand, Russia itself is interested in the water supply for Omsk, Kurgan, Orenburg, Tyumen and Chelyabinsk oblasts, where there is mainly risky agriculture. The project authors suggest to take 5-7 per cent of the water flow from Ob or around 27 cubic metres per annum, which is absolutely harmless for such river. The cost of project is estimated in nearly USD 40 billion, but there is a hope that long awaited investors will eventually arrive.

"Sellers of air" never dreamt about it

Traces of water have been discovered on Mars and a real hope to discover life on the planet emerged. Because "there's no life without water". Resources of sweet water are not so big on the Earth and already now 2 billion people suffer from the lack of water. And forecasts on this are shocking: after 20-30 years already a half of humanity will not have enough water. The warming on the planet and the growth of its population make this life important element truly priceless. Already now many countries with excessive water resources export it to the neighbouring countries, obtaining real profits. A whole number of countries sells water: Canada, Greenland, Turkey. Moreover, the turnover of its sales equal millions of USD per annum and they are constantly growing. Already now the water becomes a scarce product.

Some countries undertake very expensive projects for the sake of water. In Libya a 900 km "water pipe" costing 3.3 billion dollars has been constructed. China is going to realise a plan of transferring waters from Yangtze river to the North passing more than two thousand kilometres, which will cost 57 billion dollars. Possibly, Russia will follow the same way: building a 2,250 kilometre channel, it will be able to earn not less than USD 4.5 billion per annum exporting Siberian water.

And the fairy tale comes true

The Aral Sea will be filled up with water reaching its original area, steppes and semi-deserts of Kazakhstan will turn into fruitful lands, people will return to the abandoned lands. Of course, all this looks like a sci-fi film with the happy end. But it will not look like utopia if the old idea of transferring a part of Siberian river waters to the Western Siberia and Central Asia is realised. The grand past century project of feeding the arid areas at the expense pf water surpluses from the Siberian rivers can become reality and pride of this century. It is an ambitious plan that has its supporters and intransigent opponents. But there is no unanimity about the research of Mars or development of Arctic either.

Giantmania is in the past?

A seemingly utopian idea was born in the seventies in the USSR: to turn Siberian rivers other way round. Well, not exactly turn them, but rather to direct a part of sweet waters from them to the arid Central Asia. Giantmania was a specific feature of those times as well as a permanent aspiration to world leadership: Virgin Lands, Baikal-Amur Railroad. The Soviet Academy of Sciences and tens of its research institutes got involved. And already in 1984 a project entitled "Transfer of a part of Siberian rivers water flow to Western Siberia, Urals, Central Asia and Kazakhstan".

Thousands of specialists prepared 17 versions for using surplus and flood waters from Ob and its inflows in the agriculture of Kurgan, Orenburg, Tyumen, and Chelyabinsk oblasts in Russia, as well as in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Consequences of redistribution of Siberian water flows were studied: for the climate, forest, flora, fauna, fish, agricultural lands. The general conclusion was positive. The works had to be stopped under Gorbachev. "Sources of financing have not been analysed", "objections from the public and scientists" - such was the motivation for closing the project in 1986. And now the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia started to elaborate a "Concept of the optimal use of water resources with reference to the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation member countries".

Thus, this project, perhaps, has not only the past, but also the future.