Qosh Tepa Canal
{{Short description|Water transmission project in Afghanistan}}
{{Infobox Canal
|name = Qosh Tepa Canal
|image = Qosh tepa canal 1.jpg
|image_caption = Qosh Tepa Canal in December 2023
|former_names =
|m_name ļq =
|original_owner = {{flag|Afghanistan}}
|engineer =
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|date_act =
|date_began = 2022
|date_use =
|date_completed =
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|date_closed =
|date_restored =
|len_ft =
|len_in =
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|beam_ft =
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| begin_coord = {{coord|37.084797|67.773767}}
|start_point = Kaldar District, Balkh Province, Afghanistan
|original_start =
|start_note =
|end_point =
|original_end =
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|branch =
|branch_of = Amu Darya
|connects_to =
|length_km = 285
|locks =
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|elev_ft =
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|status = Under construction
|navigation_authority =
}}
The Qosh Tepa Canal ({{langx|ps|د قوشتېپې کانال}}; {{langx|fa|کانال قوش تپه}}; {{langx|uz|Qoʻshtepa kanali}}; {{langx|uzs|قۉشتېپه کانالی}}) is a canal being built in northern Afghanistan to divert water from the Amu Darya.{{cite web |title=Uzbekistan pursues dialogue with Afghanistan on fraught canal project |url=https://eurasianet.org/uzbekistan-pursues-dialogue-with-afghanistan-on-fraught-canal-project |publisher=Eurasianet |access-date=26 March 2023 |date=24 March 2023}} The main canal is expected to be 285 km long and the overall initiative seeks to convert 550,000 hectares of desert into farmland.{{cite web |title=The Taliban are digging an enormous canal |url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/02/16/the-taliban-are-digging-an-enormous-canal |publisher=The Economist |access-date=26 March 2023 |date=16 February 2023}} The Qosh Tepa Canal begins in Balkh Province and is expected to end in Faryab while passing through Jowzjan.{{cite news |title=Afghanistan is building an enormous canal to draw water from Amudarya River. This may affect water availability situation in Central Asia. |url=https://www.newscentralasia.net/2023/02/20/afghanistan-is-building-an-enormous-canal-to-draw-water-from-amudarya-river-this-may-affect-water-availability-situation-in-central-asia/ |access-date=28 October 2023 |agency=News Central Asia |date=20 February 2023}}
The Taliban-run government of Afghanistan has made the canal a priority project and the construction begun in early 2022. Images supplied by Planet Labs showed that from April 2022 to February 2023 more than 100 km of the canal had been excavated. The first phase of the project was completed in October 2023,{{cite news |url=https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185488 |title=Stanikzai: Use of Water of Amu River is Right of Afghanistan |work=TOLOnews |date=11 October 2023 |access-date=2023-10-11}}{{cite news |url=https://amu.tv/68490/ |title=Work on Phase I of Qosh Tepa canal finished ahead of deadline |work=Amu TV |date=11 October 2023 |access-date=2023-10-11}} with the second phase immediately commencing,by December 2024 the second phase is eighty one percent complete.{{Cite web |title=Phase 2 of Qush Tepa Canal Project 81% Done: NDC |url=https://tolonews.com/business-192010 |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=TOLOnews |language=en}}{{cite news |url=https://www.ariananews.af/second-phase-of-construction-of-qosh-tepa-canal-inaugurated/ |title=Second phase of construction of Qosh Tepa canal inaugurated |work=Ariana News |date=October 11, 2023 |access-date=2023-10-12}}{{cite news |url=https://pajhwok.com/2023/10/11/iea-committed-to-neighbours-rights-on-amu-rivers-water/ |title=‘IEA committed to neighbours rights on Amu River’s water’ |work=Pajhwok Afghan News |date=11 October 2023 |access-date=2023-10-12}}
Independent experts and engineers have expressed skepticism and concern about the project, stating that the Afghan government does not possess the know-how to effectively complete the canal. In particular, they have noted that there is a lack of oversight with "rudimentary" construction methods being employed.{{cite web |last1=Abylbekova |first1=Kunduz |title=Water Crisis Looming: Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan’s Imperative for The Grand Afghan Canal |url=https://cabar.asia/en/water-crisis-looming-uzbekistan-and-turkmenistan-s-imperative-for-the-grand-afghan-canal |website=CABAR.asia | date=22 July 2023| access-date=28 October 2023}} In December 2023, it was reported that the canal had experienced a major breach, with satellite images showing a large body of water forming near the place where the embankment had collapsed.
Name
According to some sources, the canal is named after Qosh Tepa District in Afghanistan's Jowzjan Province.{{cite news |title=Afghanistan is building an enormous canal to draw water from Amudarya River. This may affect water availability situation in Central Asia. |url=https://www.newscentralasia.net/2023/02/20/afghanistan-is-building-an-enormous-canal-to-draw-water-from-amudarya-river-this-may-affect-water-availability-situation-in-central-asia/ |access-date=25 October 2024 |work=News Central Asia |date=20 February 2023}} The word "qosh" ({{langx|uz|qoʻsh}}) is a Turkic word meaning "a pair" or a "twin".{{cite book |last1=Rahmatullayev |first1=Shavkat |title=Ўзбек тилининг этимологик луғати (туркий сўзлар) |date=2000 |publisher=Universitet |location=Tashkent |page=590 |url=https://n.ziyouz.com/books/lugatlar/O'zbek%20tilining%20etimologik%20lug'ati.%201-jild%20(Shavkat%20Rahmatullayev).pdf |access-date=25 October 2024 |language=Uzbek}} "Qoʻshtepa" means "twin" or "adjoining hills" and is a common Uzbek toponym.{{cite book |editor1-last=Qirg‘izboyev |editor1-first=A. |editor2-last=Mahmudov |editor2-first=N. |editor3-last=Abdullayev |editor3-first=T. |title=Oʻzbekiston joy nomlarining izohli lugʻati |date=2022 |publisher=Donishmand ziyosi |location=Tashkent |isbn=978-9943-7673-7-9 |page=398 |edition=1 |language=Uzbek}} Therefore, the canal's name translates to "Twin Hills Canal". In a few sources, the canal is mistakenly referred to as the "Qush Tepa Canal",{{cite web |last1=Gafurov |first1=Abror |title=Impact of the Qush-Tepa canal on the agricultural sector in Uzbekistan |url=https://www.german-economic-team.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GET_UZB_PS_02_2023_en-2.pdf |website=German Economic Team |access-date=12 May 2024}} which means "Bird Hills Canal".
Water use regime on the Amu River
A formal regime to divide the Amu's waters among the four ex-USSR republics of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan was made during the Soviet period. Being internal to the USSR, these agreements did not reflect Afghanistan's interests.{{cite journal |last1=Kamil |first1=Ikramuddin |title=Afghanistan, the Amu Darya Basin and Regional Treaties |journal=Chinese Journal of Environmental Law |date=2021 |volume=5 |pages=37–62 |doi=10.1163/24686042-12340063 |s2cid=239716547 |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/cjel/5/1/article-p37_3.xml?language=en |access-date=18 May 2023}} When construction of the canal began in 2022, Afghanistan was still not a party to any regional or international treaty on using transboundary river waters.{{cite news |last1=Pannier |first1=Bruce |title=Central Asia in Focus: Taliban Mark Milestone in Controversial Canal Project |url=https://pressroom.rferl.org/a/32641655.html |access-date=28 October 2023 |agency=RFE/RL |date=17 October 2023}} As such, no pre-arranged dispute resolution procedures were in place to address the other Amu River basin countries concerns. The Afghan government argued that Afghanistan has a generic right to use the waters of Amu River, irrespective of a formal agreement being in place.{{cite news |last1=Qooyash |first1=Habib Rahman |url=https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-182128 |title=Mujahid: Afghanistan Has Right to Use Amu River Water |work=TOLOnews |date=19 February 2023 |access-date=2023-05-18}}
International reaction
Uzbekistan, the main down-river country potentially affected, has expressed concern that the canal will have an adverse effect on its agriculture.{{cite web |last1=Safarov |first1=Ilyos |title="Толибон"ни Ўзбекистон учун фожиали канални қуришдан тўхтатиб бўладими? — экспертлар билан суҳбат |url=https://kun.uz/news/2023/02/10/tolibonni-ozbekiston-uchun-fojiali-kanalni-qurishdan-toxtatib-boladimi-ekspertlar-bilan-suhbat |publisher=Kun |access-date=26 March 2023 |language=Uzbek |date=10 February 2023}} In 2023, Uzbek officials held talks with the Taliban on the matter, though no official agreements were reached.
Environmental concerns
Environmental experts have raised concern that the Qosh Tepa Canal will make the Aral Sea situation worse by diverting even more water from Amu River.{{cite web |last1=Duffy |first1=Seamus |title=What Afghanistan's Qosh Tepa Canal Means for Central Asia |url=https://thediplomat.com/2023/04/what-afghanistans-qosh-tepa-canal-means-for-central-asia/ |website=The Diplomat |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=19 April 2023}} A detailed analysis of the project by the independent CABAR.asia analytical publication found that construction methods employed appeared "rudimentary" and concluded the likelihood of water losses in the canal was high.{{cite web |title=Uzbekistan pursues mediation with Afghanistan over Qosh Tepa canal |url=https://eurasianet.org/uzbekistan-pursues-mediation-with-afghanistan-over-qosh-tepa-canal |website=Eurasianet |access-date=28 October 2023 |date=19 October 2023}}
2023 breach reports
In December 2023, it was reported that the Qosh Tepa Canal had experienced a major breach, with satellite imagery obtained from Sentinel-2 showing a large body of water stretching for nine kilometers on the northern bank of the canal.{{cite news |title=«Толибон» қураётган Қўштепа каналида жиддий авария юз берган – экспертлар |url=https://xabar.uz/post/tolibon-qurayotgan-qoshtepa-kanalida-jiddiy-avariya-yuz-bergan |access-date=14 December 2023 |agency=Xabar |date=14 December 2023 |language=Uzbek}}{{cite news |title=Экологлар Қўштепа канали ўпирилганини айтишмоқда. Бу ҳақда нималар маълум? |url=https://kun.uz/news/2023/12/13/ekologlar-qoshtepa-kanali-opirilganini-aytishmoqda-bu-haqda-nimalar-malum |access-date=14 December 2023 |agency=Kun |date=13 December 2023 |language=Uzbek}}{{cite news |title=Satellite images indicate serious accident at Qosh Tepa Canal under construction in Afghanistan |url=https://asiaplustj.info/en/news/world/20231218/satellite-images-indicate-serious-accident-at-qosh-tepa-canal-under-construction-in-afghanistan |access-date=1 February 2024 |work=ASIA-Plus |date=18 December 2023}} The body of water was reported to increase further during the subsequent days.{{cite news |title=На возводимом талибами канале Кош-Тепа произошла авария |url=https://daryo.uz/ru/2023/12/12/na-vozvodimom-talibami-kanale-kos-tepa-proizosla-avaria |access-date=14 December 2023 |agency=Daryo |date=12 December 2023 |language=Russian}}{{cite news |title=Экологи: На канале Коштепа, который строят талибы, произошла крупная авария |url=https://rus.ozodlik.org/a/32730489.html |access-date=14 December 2023 |agency=RFE/RL |date=14 December 2023 |language=Russian}} Afghan officials denied the reports, claiming the waters of the canal were temporarily redirected to a nearby area in a deliberate move.{{cite news |title=Uzbekcosmos denies significant water leakage from Qosh Tepa Canal |url=https://daryo.uz/en/2023/12/15/uzbekcosmos-denies-significant-water-leakage-from-qosh-tepa-canal-photo |access-date=1 February 2024 |work=Daryo |date=15 December 2023}}
References
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External links
{{commonscat}}
- {{YouTube|HcY-X2IwgPQ|The start of the second phase of the largest project of the Afghanistan desert}} (Oct. 12, 2023)
- {{YouTube|ifuxqm9X4i8|Qosh Tepa Canal Champion}} (Oct. 9, 2023)
- {{YouTube|n6q_e94Ixb8|Afghanistan Is Building Asia's Largest Artificial River In The Desert}} (Aug. 4, 2023)
- {{YouTube|dQ4Tm3bG30Y|A 2022 TOLOnews documentary about the canal}}
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Category:Canals in Afghanistan