As this blog has been reporting, some countries have a lot of water and other countries do not have enough. In a more perfect world, normal forces of supply and demand would render the former a producer and the latter a consumer. But as arguably the most valuable resource in the world, water is an emotional topic. People feel that the water in their country is theirs and fear making it more scarce. Radio Liberty has posted an article explaining the various canals that could be built, such as from the Ob River in Siberia to the Aral Sea, which is shared between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
There are two major obstacles for selling water to countries that need it. The first is the massive cost of building the canals or otherwise transporting it. But the second is trust. Those who live in water-producing countries worry that their ecosystem and water security could be compromised, resulting in a lack of political will. Apparently, a successful water-sharing agreement is in place between Lesotho and South Africa, but although I am quite unaware as to the history of their relationship, I will bet that it is less contentious than relations between the Central Asian states. Extending trust is required over the long term in order to establish programs that exchange water for produce, programs which could raise the living standards of the region’s people. As of yet, however, that isn’t possible.