By September 2026, the relevant agencies of Central Asian countries will form a working group to create an end-to-end automated flow metering system in the Syr Darya basin. This decision was made at the 94th meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC) in Turkestan, with the participation of the heads of water agencies from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan (Kyrgyzstan was represented as an observer).

The main practical outcome of the meeting was the transition from disputes over manual measurements to the creation of a unified digital river flow management system. The introduction of ultrasonic sensors, level sensors, and automatic gauging stations with real-time data transmission addresses three key regional challenges:

Eliminating the “human factor”—automation records water intake volumes at key hydroelectric facilities with cubic meter accuracy, eliminating the need to rely on interstate static limits.

Drought forecasting – digital twins of river sections analyze reservoir filling dynamics and flow rates, providing downstream farmers with transparent forecasts for the entire growing season.

Rapid redistribution – during periods of flooding or low water levels, the system allows for instant adjustments to water releases, reducing evaporation and filtration losses.

The ICWC meetings are comprehensive in nature: at this meeting, the parties agreed on operating modes and water use limits not only for the Syr Darya, but also for the Amu Darya basin.

The successful creation of a working group and the piloting of automated metering on the Syr Darya will be a direct precursor to the next stage—scaling digital monitoring across the entire Amu Darya basin. Notably, the next, 95th meeting of the ICWC commission will be held in Turkmenistan, where water conservation and unified hydromonitoring will be key topics on the agenda.

Google machine translated