DUSHANBE, August 24, 2009, Asia-Plus — A meeting of the expert group for working out regional dam safety cooperation agreement is expected to take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan on August 27.
The meeting, organized by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and held within the framework of the “Dam Safety in Central Asia: Capacity Building and Regional Cooperation,” aims to consider ways to strengthen safety of more than 300 large dams and other regulating hydropower facilities located on the trans-border river in the region, according to Central Asian media.
In the meantime, Homidjon Arifov, the secretary of the Tajik National Committee for Large Dams, told Asia-Plus today that he has not been informed of that meeting.
“Unfortunately, Tajikistan has not used these meetings to uphold its position regarding the construction of dams in the territory of the republic,” said the expert, “At the same time, our opponents objecting to the Roghun hydroelectric power station have used all tribunes, including such meetings, in order to prevent construction of dams in the countries of the region.”
According to him, a similar meeting of experts was supposed to take place in Dushanbe this year; however, Tajikistan has refused to host it under various pretexts.
“Some countries of the region will continue to put a spoke in our wheels in the case of implementation of the Roghun hydroelectricity project until we use all opportunities to tell our view on the construction of dams in the territory of Tajikistan to the whole world,” Arifov said.
