Global InformationQosh Tepa Canal information
| Qosh Tepa Canal | |
|---|---|
 Qosh Tepa Canal in December 2023 | |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 285 km (177 miles) |
| Status | Under construction |
| History | |
| Original owner |  Afghanistan |
| Construction began | 2022 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Kaldar District, Balkh Province, Afghanistan |
| Branch of | Amu Darya |
The Qosh Tepa Canal (Pashto: د قوشتپې کنال; Persian: کانال قوش تپه; Uzbek: Qoʻshtepa kanali) is a canal being built in northern Afghanistan to divert water from the Amu Darya.[1] The main canal is expected to be 285 km long and the overall initiative seeks to convert 550,000 hectares of desert into farmland.[2] The Qosh Tepa Canal begins in Balkh Province and is expected to end in Faryab while passing through Jowzjan.[3]
The Taliban-run government of Afghanistan has made the canal a priority project and the construction begun in early 2022.[1] Images supplied by Planet Labs showed that from April 2022 to February 2023 more than 100 km of the canal had been excavated.[2] The first phase of the project was completed in October 2023,[4][5] with the second phase immediately commencing.[6][7]
Independent experts and engineers have expressed skepticism and concern about the project, stating that the Afghan government does not possess the know-how to effectively complete the canal. In particular, they have noted that there is a lack of oversight with "rudimentary" construction methods being employed.[8] In December 2023, it was reported that the canal had experienced a major breach, with satellite images showing a large body of water forming near the place where the embankment had collapsed.
- ^ a b "Uzbekistan pursues dialogue with Afghanistan on fraught canal project". Eurasianet. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ a b "The Taliban are digging an enormous canal". The Economist. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ "Afghanistan is building an enormous canal to draw water from Amudarya River. This may affect water availability situation in Central Asia". News Central Asia. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Stanikzai: Use of Water of Amu River is Right of Afghanistan". TOLOnews. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ "Work on Phase I of Qosh Tepa canal finished ahead of deadline". Amu TV. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ "Second phase of construction of Qosh Tepa canal inaugurated". Ariana News. October 11, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
- ^ "'IEA committed to neighbours rights on Amu River's water'". Pajhwok Afghan News. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
- ^ Abylbekova, Kunduz (22 July 2023). "Water Crisis Looming: Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan's Imperative for The Grand Afghan Canal". CABAR.asia. Retrieved 28 October 2023.