Uzbekistan’s position on use of transboundary water resources unchanged

By Azernews

By Kamila Aliyeva

Uzbekistan has urged neighboring Tajikistan to take into account interests of countries in the lower reaches of rivers, while building world’s tallest dam for the Rogun hydroelectric power station.

Tajikistan earlier diverted the flow of Vakhsh River to start building the world's tallest dam and the main element of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant, a $3.9 billion project which can help the county to secure its energy independence.

Noting that Uzbekistan is aware of the fact that Tajikistan has begun to cut off the Vakhsh riverbed for the dam, Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov said that Tashkent’s position on the use of transboundary water resources remains unchanged.

“Uzbekistan does not prohibit the construction of this hydroelectric power station in Tajikistan, but asks to take into account the interests of countries in the lower reaches of rivers,” he said on July 5. “We must take into account the interests of all countries, we must agree on guarantees under the conventions, take into account possible damages.”

Tajikistan lacks hydrocarbon resources and relies heavily on hydroelectric power, although its neighbors downstream complain that this disrupts their traditional agricultural works.

To power the hydro plants, Tajikistan needs to accumulate water during the summer -- when it is needed downstream for irrigation, and then release it in the winter, causing spring floods downstream. The Rogun power plant is expected to start providing electric power in late 2018.

Kamilov noted that when using the transboundary water resources, the interests of all countries located in the basins of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya should be taken into account.

He reminded that the UN had proposed two conventions on the use of the resources of the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya.

The conventions are supported by the UN Secretary General, the World Bank and Kazakhstan. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are currently reviewing these documents.

Uzbekistan, with a nation of 30 million, has repeatedly urged Tajikistan not to build  the Rogun HPP with a high-rise (335 meters) stone-throw dam.

The dam of the HPC should form a large Rogun reservoir with a total volume of 13.3 cubic meters. The project is criticized because of the location in the zone of high seismicity, landslide and mudflow processes, and the presence of a tectonic fault filled with rock salt under the base of the dam.

In addition, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are concerned about reducing the flow of water, which will make unfit for agricultural production up to 500,000 hectares of land and lead to the loss of sources of income and livelihoods for about 1.5 million people.