Scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) have decided to develop a modern analogue of the Soviet project to “divert” Siberian rivers to Central Asia, RBK reports. Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, Scientific Director of the RAS Institute of Water Problems, told the publication that the RAS Department of Earth Sciences (DES) will handle the scientific component of the project to divert the flow of the Siberian Ob River to Uzbekistan. The scientists will propose to the Ministry of Education and Science that funding for research be included in the state plan.

According to Danilov-Danilyan, this decision was made at the October meeting of the scientific council of the ONZ “Water Resources of Land,” which he chaired. 

The meeting participants identified the most promising projects as the redistribution of part of the Ob River’s flow to the Aral Sea region on the border of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and the redistribution of the Pechora and Northern Dvina rivers to the Volga River basin and further to the Azov region. Unlike the 1970s Soviet project to divert Siberian rivers to Central Asia through open channels, RAS scientists discussed the creation of a closed pipeline system made of polymer pipes.

Lev Gorilovsky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Polyplastic Group, who participated in the meeting, proposed constructing a closed-loop pressure pipeline system consisting of seven pipelines, each 2,100 kilometers long, according to the meeting minutes. According to him, in the first stage, such a water supply system would be able to annually transport approximately 5.5 billion cubic meters of Ob water. If necessary, the system could be expanded to carry three to four times more water. 

The idea of ​​reversing Siberian rivers and establishing irrigation in Central Asia had been floated since before the Revolution, but it only became a reality in the 1960s and 1980s. A large-scale plan was then developed: part of the Ob River’s flow would be diverted south, while the Irtysh River would be reversed to feed the Aral Sea. The Northern Dvina and Pechora Rivers would also be rerouted. The project entailed the construction of canals, hydroelectric power plants, and pumping stations. Dozens of scientific institutes participated in its development, and the cost estimate was 32.8 billion rubles.

The project immediately drew criticism. Scientists warned that reducing the flow of northern rivers could affect the Arctic climate and disrupt the natural balance. When construction began in the 1980s, cultural figures also spoke out against it. A collective letter signed by writers Astafyev, Belov, Bondarev, Zalygin, Leonov, Likhachev, and Rasputin appeared in the newspaper Sovetskaya Rossiya. Ultimately, the project was canceled.

The new river diversion plans have already been criticized from all sides. Vladimir Kirillov, head of the aquatic ecology laboratory at the Institute of Water and Environmental Problems of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes the project is impractical and unfeasible.

“Currently, this is unrealistic for political reasons. I’m a realist, and I know for certain that, as of today, the countries involved in this region won’t reach an agreement… Of course, it would be great if the countries of Central Asia and Russia could jointly conduct a detailed study of the Ob River drainage, and the potential of its part for such projects. But as of today, my prediction is simple: such a project will not be realized,” the scientist told RIA Novosti.

From an environmental standpoint, he said, the project’s implementation is also impractical, and if we’re talking about the rivers of Central Asia, the Amu Darya, Syr Darya, and others, we need to begin with an analysis of the current situation and the feasibility of the current water management system within these river basins.

Google machine translated

https://www.dvnovosti.ru/khab/2025/11/17/187601/