In the WE-ACT project at FutureWater, significant advancements are being made to improve climate-sensitive water allocation across the Syr Darya River Basin. This region faces complex challenges, including transboundary water issues and increasing climate impacts on water resources, which the project consortium addresses through advanced water modeling and decision-support tools. A key focus of the work is enhancing the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model, a foundational component of the Decision Support System (DSS) being developed for the region’s water management.

The project involves gathering, analyzing, and integrating socio-economic and water demand data into the WEAP model. Demand scenarios are being created and analyzed to understand how factors such as population growth, agricultural expansion, changing energy demand, and industrial needs shape future water use. Regionally specific socio-economic scenarios are also being developed to reflect the local context, enabling the modeling of diverse future pathways for the Syr Darya Basin. This work ensures that the model responds not only to environmental factors but also to socio-economic pressures unique to the region.

Data review and integration are systematically conducted, focusing on validating and implementing hydro-meteorological, socio-economic, and climate projection datasets. This rigorous approach ensures the accuracy and reliability of the WEAP model, supporting its role in generating outputs that inform sustainable water allocation strategies. Accurate data analysis is critical for tailoring the model to the basin’s needs and aligning with the project’s goal of addressing climate change impacts on water resources.

These efforts contribute to the WE-ACT project’s broader mission of building adaptive and sustainable water management solutions for Central Asia. The next steps in the project focus on calculating and analyzing water demand and water footprints of different users within the Syr Darya River Basin. This work evaluates the effects of water allocation on unmet water demand, environmental flow violations, and the overall sustainability of water use in the region.