Interstates Cooperation for Irrigation of Amu Darya River Banks, Its Potential Role as a Solution for the Poppy Problem

Depletion of water resources requires us to search for non-conventional strategies for water preservation and irrigation. Sustainable management of such water resources along with the development of sustainable irrigation systems will contribute to the stability of agricultural yield that is a primary concern in all riparian countries (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan). This paper is an attempt to identify the priorities in the reconstruction assistance planned for all riparian states on Amu Darya river. The problem of growing, processing and traffic of illicit drugs in Afghanistan is then analysed, searching for the economic, social and political causes, with an emphasis on its implications for the future development and the geopolitical picture of the Central Asian region.