The Qosh Tepa Canal is a canal being built in northern Afghanistan to divert water from the Amu Darya. The main canal is expected to be 285 km long and the overall initiative seeks to convert 550,000 hectares of desert into farmland. The Qosh Tepa Canal begins in Balkh Province and is expected to end in Faryab while passing through Jowzjan.
According to expert estimates based on an analysis of agricultural production in Afghanistan’s northern provinces, the country’s current water withdrawal from the Amu Darya basin amounts to 3–5 km³ per year. Upon completion of the Kosh-Tepa Canal, scheduled for 2028, with a weirless intake on the left bank of the Amu Darya in the Kaldar district of Balkh Province, Afghanistan’s water consumption in the river basin could increase to 9–11 km³ per year.
