Turkey and Central Asia Confront Escalating Water Stress

Turkey is experiencing increasing water stress as climate change raises temperatures and reduces per‑capita water availability. Yaşabey Kalebaşı, chair of the Bottled Water Producers Association, warned that water must be treated as a strategic resource and that the industry is adopting a “zero water loss” principle, promoting efficient use and recyclable packaging.

In Central Asia, rapid glacier melt in the Tajik and Kyrgyz mountains is shrinking the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins, threatening agriculture, drinking water, and hydro‑electric power. The region has lost over 1,300 glaciers in Tajikistan and about 2,000 in Kyrgyzstan in recent decades, with projections of up to a 15% reduction in water flow by 2040, intensifying economic and geopolitical pressures.