Satellite images indicate accident at canal under construction in Afghanistan 

According to satellite images a controversial canal being built by the Afghan Taliban government in the country’s north might have suffered a serious accident, environmentalists say. 

The construction of the Qosh Tepa irrigation channel, which will draw water from the river Amu Darya, has raised concerns that it might further threaten Central Asia’s already fragile water security.  

A section of about 100km of the Qosh Tepa canal was already launched in October. 

The international environmental coalition Rivers Without Borders said that the latest satellite images showed “a huge flood stretching for nine kilometres” around the canal, which suggests that its walls might have collapsed under the pressure of the water that started filling it in October. 

The flooded area is “constantly” growing, which might suggest that the Taliban government has “no means or desire” to deal with the accident, the coalition’s coordinator Aleksandr Kotov was quoted as saying.   

Once constructed, the Qosh Tepa canal will take up to 20 percent of the Amu Darya’s flow. That, combined with the river’s already low water levels, could reduce its flow by 50 percent, experts say. 

Amu Darya is vital for irrigating agricultural land downstream in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. 

Qosh Tepa’s construction began in 2022 with the idea of turning large parts of northern Afghanistan into farmland to grow wheat and vegetables. 

The Taliban government is also planning to build two new hydroelectric power stations in the country’s northwestern Fariab Province, which borders Turkmenistan. 

The Amu Darya’s resources are expected to dwindle further with the completion and commissioning by Tajikistan of the giant Rogun hydroelectric power station. This long-drawn-out and technically challenging project, however, has been beset with funding problems.  

The experts predict that climate change will cause a major water shortage in Central Asia in the next few decades, unless regional governments take urgent water-saving measures. 

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