DUSHANBE, August 17, 2010, Asia-Plus — An international training course for high-level officials and experts from Central Asia opened in Moscow on August 16, according to press release issued by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
In a week-long training, delegations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will have the opportunity to find out about the experience of the Russian Federation with regard to the maintenance and management of hydro-technical installations in that country, as well as to hear about recent scientific developments in this area. The training course is organized in the framework of the UNECE project “Capacity-building for cooperation on dam safety in Central Asia”, with financial support from the Russian Federation and additional support from the Eurasian Development Bank. The training program was developed in close cooperation with the Russian Research Centre on the Safety of Hydro-technical Installations under the Scientific and Research Institute of Energy Facilities.
The course is a timely response to the need to ensure safe exploitation of large hydro-technical facilities in Central Asia, in particular large dams. Countries of Central Asia have a developed water infrastructure which includes hundreds of dams and reservoirs built 40 to 50 years ago. This infrastructure is of great importance for the economy of the region — it contributes to seasonal and long-term regulation of river flows for drinking water supply, industrial water uses, irrigation and hydropower. It also serves as an efficient means to address floods and droughts. However, ageing dams and lack of funding for their adequate maintenance, coupled with population growth in flood plains downstream from the dams, represent increased risks to life, health, property and the environment. The eventual failure of a dam could have disastrous consequences in downstream regions and countries.
The UNECE dam safety project, which is implemented in cooperation with the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, assists Central Asian countries in establishing effective national legislation and technical regulatory frameworks as well as in strengthening regional cooperation on dam safety. The project has already resulted in the development of a model law on dam safety and a draft regional agreement to facilitate cooperation in this area. The training course in Moscow complements these efforts by strengthening cooperation between the Russian Federation and Central Asian countries and promoting exchange of knowledge and expertise.
