Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Aug. 19
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
Turkmenistan is preparing to hold a summit of the heads of the founding states of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) in Avaza national seaside tourism zone on August 24, Altyn Asyr TV channel reported.
The meetings of the IFAS Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development, the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination and IFAS Board are planned to be held on the eve of the forum.
During the recent governmental meeting, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that as IFAS chairing country, Turkmenistan sets the full assistance in strengthening and developing effective cooperation in improving the socio-economic and environmental situation in the Aral Sea, as well as rational use of water resources and environmental protection as a priority, according to Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper.
The Aral problem affected northern Turkmenistan. Its Dashoguz region has been adversely affected by the environmental disaster, big problems arose there in regard with providing the population with drinking water, combating salinization of cropland. The salt sand storm from the Aral Sea covered Turkmenistan and reached even its capital at the end of May this year.
Regional media report that a salt sand storm came from Uzbekistan from the Aral region. Reportedly, the dust particles contained nitrogen fertilizers, which accumulated for decades at the bottom of the Aral Sea.
Established in the 1990s by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, IFAS aims to finance joint projects and programs to save the Aral Sea and improve the environmental situation in the Aral Sea region.
IFAS was granted an observer status in the UN General Assembly in December 2008. Ashgabat put forward earlier an initiative to develop a special UN program for the Aral Sea.