Natural drought or human made water scarcity in Uzbekistan?

In the years 2000 and 2001 Central Asia was hit by a drought. While the first drought has been called by Deputy Agriculture Minister Abdurakhim Dzhalakhov the “worst in 95 years,” the second drought was even more devastating at least for the areas in Uzbekistan close to the Aral Sea, Khorezm and Karakalpakstan. These provinces lie on the lower reaches of the river Amu Darya and are most vulnerable to low regional river flows. The water scarcity seems to continue. According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Central Asia faces a “third consecutive year of drought.”