Water Scarcity Threatens Capital Liquidity and Development in Eurasia, Warns Expert
Sobir Kurbanov, an international development professional with extensive experience at the World Bank Group and IMF, highlights the critical link between water scarcity and capital liquidity in landlocked Eurasia, particularly in the Caucasus and Central Asia. These regions are experiencing rising heat, increased evaporation, melting glaciers, and declining rivers, leading to less available water for growing aspirations. Kurbanov emphasizes that water, much like energy, underpins most value chains including food, power, industry, transport, and urban development. The assumption of abundant water, on which historical development models were founded, is no longer valid. This decline in water resources forces difficult choices regarding development priorities. The World Bank's framework suggests that data centers, while seemingly low water consumers globally, can significantly impact water-stressed basins due to their direct cooling needs and substantial indirect water demand from electricity generation, whic...
