Azerbaijan, Baku. Jan. 9 / Trend V. Zhavoronkova /
The construction of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant must be appreciated by neighbouring countries. The Rogun hydroelectric power plant's shares were tendered for sale to the population of Tajikistan on January 6, Tajik water management expert in Central Asia, Anvar Kamolidinov, said.
"Till the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant completes, our Uzbek brothers will realize that the Rogun plant is good not only for the Tajiks, but also for the Uzbeks and Turkmens," a senior fellow of the Tajik branch of the Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Coordination Water Commission of the Central Asia (SIC ICWC), Kamolidinov, told Trend via e-mail.
In Tajikistan, sale of shares of the Rogun plant was launched on Wednesday. Its completion will solve the problem of electricity shortage in the country.
It is necessary to invest over $3 billion to launch all six power units. As the Tajik government is unable to finance the construction of the hydroelectric power plant from the state budget, it is going to solve the problem by selling shares of the hydroelectric station to the population.
However, the countries neighboring with Tajikistan, in particular Uzbekistan, stridently oppose the construction of hydroelectric power plant. They think that it can reduce the amount of water coming into their territory.
The expert said construction of the Rogun plant and the reservoir will not significantly impact on Uzbekistan's water supply.
"The fact that the flow of the Vakhsh River is only about 25 percent of runoff of the Amu Darya. But about 2-4 percent of run-off will be required annually for filling the Rogun reservoir," Kamolidinov said.
He said that it is known that Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan get more cotton crops in low-water season worth 10-20 percent through proper conducting irrigation operations than during the years with normal water. Thus, the problem of water supply of the cotton-growing countries in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya is the problem of careful use of water and proper irrigation, he said.
Natural water storages in the form of glaciers are rapidly reducing in area and volume amid the climate change, the expert said.
"This should worry not only the world community, but also the countries with developed irrigation, including those neighboring with Tajikistan," Kamolidinov said.
He said the Rogun reservoir will give an opportunity to control two tanks - Nurek and Rogun and provide agriculture with irrigation water in summer, and electricity in winter.
Flush water from Rogun in winter will be detained in Nurek. In summer the water will be lowered for irrigation, the expert said.
"Electricity generated in summer will be primarily used in the region. The excess will be delivered to Kazakhstan and Russia, and in future to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. I think neighbors must be glad of it," Kamolidinov said.
He said the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant is really vital for each Tajik.
"People suffer from a shortage of electricity every winter. Newborn babies died from cold in maternity hospitals in the cold winter of 2007-2008. Many old people also died," Kamolidinov said.