CLIMATE and topography bequeath Central Asia with rich hydropower potential. After heavy winter snowfall come the strong sun and warm summers. This brings melting water, 40 cubic kilometres each year, down from glaciers in the Tian Shan Mountains and snowfields in the highlands and steppe land.
As it comes down Kyrgyzstan’s 40,000 rivers and streams, the water drops thousands of metres in altitude. Further south, Tajikistan’s mountains and rivers provide it an estimated 4pc of the world’s hydropower resources.
Strategic Perspectives Through Research and Dialogue
