Central Asia is endowed with water and rich and varied energy resources. Water resources, which are increasingly under stress, have an important geographic and economic dimension, with downstream countries highly dependent on upstream countries for essential water for irrigation. Hydropower resources are concentrated in the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, the upstream countries of Central Asia's Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. Thermal resources are concentrated in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. Therefore, the energy-water linkages are inextricable from perceptions of national security, regional stability, and economic growth.
