Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, April 3 / Trend H. Hasanov /
The Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan will hold a seminar on 'Scientific basis for the rational use of water resources' in the coming days, according to Turkmen media.
The event that will be jointly organised by experts at the Sun Institute and the Chemistry Institute is dedicated to the upcoming holiday 'A drop of water - a grain of gold', being celebrated in the country on the first Sunday of April every year.
In addition, the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography will host the scientific and practical conference on local folk tradition related to water use and agriculture and the Institute of History will host a conference on the characteristics of water supply for the cities of Turkmenistan in the Middle Ages.
"All these events are designed to scientifically substantiate an integrated approach of the Turkmen government to meeting the challenges of water management, a prudent attitude to water resources and supply of clean drinking water," Turkmen dovlet khabarlary reported.
Turkmenistan last year joined the UN Convention on the Protection and Use of Trans boundary Watercourses and International Lakes of March 17, 1992.
The Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) welcomed the decision of the Turkmenistan parliament saying this was an important step in strengthening trans boundary water cooperation and integrated management of water resources. This agreement is very important for the country with desert covering 80-90 per cent of its territory.
Turkmenistan borders with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Afghanistan and uses the water resources available in accordance with the agreed quota from four trans boundary rivers, namely the Amu Darya, Tedzhen, Atrek and Murghab. The River Amudarya accounts for nearly 90 per cent of the total volume of water flowing into Turkmenistan.
The UN News Service, referring to the review of UNECE, recently wrote that despite the measures taken, salinization of irrigated land, desertification and loss of biodiversity in Turkmenistan remain the most pressing environmental problems.