A UN resolution obliges upstream countries, including Kyrgyzstan, to provide water to downstream states, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said on December 16th at the second People’s Kurultai (Congress) in Bishkek.
Answering questions from the Kurultai delegates, the president said that the water problem would be solved through the construction of so-called ten-day and daily regulation pools. Such reservoirs will allow for the accumulation of water in winter and for it to be freely shared with neighbors downstream.
The president said that Kyrgyzstan does not have a sufficient number of reservoirs, and, therefore, this year there was not enough water to supply to Kazakhstan.
This past summer, the southern regions of Kazakhstan experienced a severe shortage of irrigation water for their fields.
The construction of such reservoirs, the president explained, will meet the needs of Kyrgyzstan and, in addition, there will also be enough water to supply to downstream neighbors.
The president also announced plans to build reservoirs. The reservoir construction program will last until 2027, he said.
