Almaty, Kazakhstan – 20th September 2025
At the Silk Road of Knowledge Conference, the Department of Geoecology at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) led an interactive session titled “Empowering Drought Resilience in Central Asia: A Hands-On Session on the Droughtmap-ASB Tool.” The session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Christopher Conrad and Dr.-Ing. Muhammad Usman, who also served as the main presenter.
Central Asia is among the regions most vulnerable to climate variability and water scarcity, where droughts pose an increasing threat to agriculture, ecosystems, and the livelihoods of millions of people. The session introduced participants to the Droughtmap-ASB online tool, developed within the framework of the Green Central Asia initiative, financed by the German Federal Foreign Office and coordinated with regional hydrometeorological services through GIZ Central Asia. The platform, based on open satellite data, provides near-real-time information on drought indicators across the Aral Sea Basin, bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and practical decision-making.
Over the course of 1.5 hours, participants were guided through the tool’s development process and dashboard functionalities, learned how to subscribe to drought bulletins, and engaged in interactive exercises to evaluate usability. Discussions also highlighted the tool’s applications for irrigation agriculture, land and water management, urban and rural planning, and disaster risk reduction. The session encouraged scientists, policymakers, practitioners, and media representatives to actively engage, share expertise, and explore pathways to strengthen drought resilience and water diplomacy in Central Asia.
The session received strong engagement from the audience and underscored the importance of science-based tools in fostering regional cooperation and building resilience to climate change.
