Summer can be a quiet time in Central Asian capitals, but this August officials in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have launched initiatives designed to get a handle on water-related challenges threatening the region. Uzbekistan has unveiled a three-year water-management program that strives to promote conservation via the modernization of the country’s vast irrigation network. Under the plan, antiquated equipment will be replaced on over 2,500 kilometers of canals and other hydraulic systems, covering 1.4 million hectares of…