Tajikistan: Over 1,000 Glaciers Have Melted in 30 Years (Minister)
More than 1,000 glaciers have vanished over the past three decades in Tajikistan, as noted by the Minister of Energy during discussions at COP29. This Central Asian nation relies heavily on the water resources stored in its glaciers, which are melting at an alarming rate.
“Over the past 30 years, out of 14,000 glaciers in Tajikistan, more than 1,000 glaciers of vital importance to the entire region have disappeared,” stated Daler Djouma, the Tajik Minister of Energy and Water Resources, at an event held at COP29 in Baku, as reported on the ministry’s website.
“The rapid melting of glaciers due to climate change is a serious threat in the global context of protecting water resources,” he added during this thematic meeting organized by Kyrgyzstan, another mountainous Central Asian republic facing similar glacier loss.
In Central Asia, an arid and landlocked region, water resources are predominantly found in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, each housing between 10,000 and 15,000 glaciers. These glaciers serve as critical water reservoirs, ensuring food security for Central Asian countries by supplying rivers, particularly during dry months. However, these vital freshwater reserves are steadily diminishing.
According to the United Nations and scientific experts, the glaciers of Central Asia could completely disappear by the end of the 21st century, largely due to global warming, which would result in severe water shortages in a region home to approximately 80 million people experiencing significant demographic and economic growth.
