As these republics were integrated in a single country, the water management infrastructure was designed for a unified purpose and placed where it made sense geologically. Now this system is divided among independent states with different needs from this system. Using dams for agricultural purposes means that water is released in the summer and fall to supply irrigation. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have hundred of thousands of hectares of cotton, which are a significant source of foreign exchange earnings and are highly dependent on the large amounts of water that they receive from their upstream neighbor. They are, therefore, extremely vulnerable to the releases and the timing of the releases by Kyrgyzstan.
Water flowing through a dam also generates hydroelectric power.
Kyrgyzstan, with its numerous mountain rivers, is flush in both freshwater and in hydroelectric power potential. However, the electricity is most needed during the winter, to heat homes against the bitter cold, and if Kyrgyzstan releases sufficient water for summer irrigation then it cannot run the dam during the winter for power generation. During the Soviet period, Moscow mitigated this conflict of interest by redirecting resources throughout the region. Kyrgyzstan used its water to supply the cotton fields of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and these two republics sent a portion of their vast energy resources to Kyrgyzstan in the winter. Then came independence.