Scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences are planning to study the feasibility of diverting the Ob River to Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries. A similar project was developed during the Soviet Union in the 1980s.
According to Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, the Scientific Director of the Institute of Water Problems at the Russian Academy of Sciences, this issue was discussed at a scientific council meeting in October. The adopted resolution emphasizes the importance of studying strategic planning for water resource management in Russia.
The scientist noted that there is no urgent need to implement this initiative immediately. First and foremost, ensuring Russia’s own water supply remains a priority.
Academician Robert Nigmatulin of the Russian Academy of Sciences highlighted growing water scarcity in Central Asia, which is leading to droughts and declining agricultural productivity. He proposed utilizing approximately 20 to 70 cubic kilometers of the annual flow from Siberian rivers, which represents just a small portion of the total flow (the annual flow is 3,000 cubic kilometers).
According to Nigmatulin, this initiative could help address the water scarcity issue in Central Asia and reduce thermal pressure in the Arctic. Scientists consider it a promising idea to redirect water from the Ob River to the Aral Sea region near Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, as well as from the Pechora and Northern Dvina rivers to the Volga and Priazovye regions.
It has been proposed to transport water not through open channels but via polymer pipelines. Through these pipelines, it is planned to deliver approximately 5.5 billion cubic meters of water annually to the region.
If needed, the capacity of the pipelines could be increased. It is worth recalling that during the Soviet Union, plans existed to redirect Siberian rivers toward the Aral Sea.
However, this project was canceled due to its negative environmental impact and the adverse effects it would have had on the local populations living along the rivers.
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