From May 20 to 22, 2026, the cities of Yolöten, Murghab, and Mary hosted information sessions aimed at raising public awareness of climate change and adaptation methods.
The sessions covered key hubs of the Murghab Basin and four issues vital to the region:
- Water and Health: the impact of water quality on wellbeing and disease prevention;
- Drought and Responsible Water Use: methods for the rational use of water resources in households and agriculture;
- Extreme Heat: suggestions for protecting the body and providing first aid for heat stroke;
- Adaptation and Mitigation: practical steps to reduce climate risks, including the use of renewable energy sources and innovative irrigation methods.
The Murghab River Basin plays a critical role in providing livelihoods for the population of Mary Velayat. However, climate change, rising temperatures, and more frequent droughts pose serious threats to agriculture, water quality, and human health.
The sessions are expected to help residents prepare for extreme weather events, and to help farmers adopt ‘climate-smart’ practices such as drip irrigation and solar-powered pumps for watering livestock.
The sessions brought together at least 240 participants, including representatives of hyakimliks and Gengeshliks (local government bodies) and the Ministry of Defense (Emergency Response Departments), as well as doctors, teachers,farmers, students, senior school students, and civic organizations — the Women’s Union, the Youth Union, the Nature Protection Society, and the Society for the Blind and Deaf of Turkmenistan.
Information campaigns of this kind are also important to implementing the action plan for improving environmental monitoring in the Murghab Basin.
The events were organized as part of the regional programme “Climate Risk Management in Central Asia” in cooperation with the National Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan and with the support of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan.
Building Resilience in the Murghab River Basin: Mary Discusses Climate Change