Turkmenistan faces contrasting water trends: severe drought pressures alongside localized flooding, posing challenges for agriculture and water management.
Scientists used NASA satellite data to study water levels on land, including ice, snow, lakes, and groundwater. They found that the continents are drying out at a very fast rate. Large areas, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, are losing water quickly.
Turkmenistan experienced 59 extreme heat days between May 2024 and May 2025, with 32 of them attributed to climate change. On some of these days, temperatures rose as much as 10°C above average.
Central Asia is part of a big area that is drying out. The main problem in Central Asia is that freshwater is being used up quickly. This is because the area is already dry and people are pumping out a lot of groundwater. This is especially true around the Caspian and Aral Seas, where farming, especially cotton production, uses a lot of groundwater. However, some parts of Turkmenistan, particularly around Ahal and Mary velayats, are experiencing increased wetness, possibly due to flash floods and heavy rain downpours.
If nothing is done, these drying trends will continue.
