KHUJAND, August 13, 2008, Asia-Plus — One of executive bodies of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC), BWO (Basin Water Organization) Syrdarya, has applied to Tajikistan asking to increase outflow of water from the reservoir powering the Qairoqqum hydroelectric power plant in the Sughd province, Asia-Plus has learned at the Sughd water economy directorate.
The source at the Sughd water economy directorate said that the document, signed by the ICWC head Mahmoud Khamidov, in particular, says that vegetation of agricultural crops is entering the final stage and “it could be possible to conclude the irrigation season in an organized way due to a well-coordinated work of the water economy specialists of the two countries.” Use of water resources of the Qairoqqum reservoir is the key factor for this. According to Khamidov, the Qairoqqum reservoir now has 1.47 billion cubic meters of water and 470 million cubic meters could be used to complete the irrigation season.
Proceeding from that, the ICWC considers that if the daily outflow of water from the Qairoqqum reservoir is 27 million cubic meters, one billion cubic meters of water will have remained in the reservoir by September 1, according to the document. “Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), for its part, guarantees to supply 2 million cubic meters of water per day to the area of the Mahram pump stations through the northern Ferghana canal,” said the document, “This will compensate the possible water shortages in Konibodom.”
The source at the Sughd water economy directorate noted that the present water reserves of the Qairoqqum reservoir are enough and they could increase outflow of water. “The Ministry of Water Resources and Land Reclamations has given the go-ahead, and we now intend to apply to the government through the Sughd authorities for permission to increase the rate of outflow of water from the reservoir up to 450 cubic meters per second,” the source said.
We will recall that Interstate Commission for Water Coordination with its executive bodies – BWO Amudarya and Syrdarya – was established in February 1992. The ICWC)is a parity collective body of Central Asian states acting on the basis of equity, equality and consensus. According to the Decision by the Heads of State of March 23, 1993, ICWC was included in the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) and has the status of an international organization.
