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Turkmenistan Bans People From Talking About the Weather

For almost ten days Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat has been flooded with rain, in what local meteorologists think have been the worst downpours since the 1970s. The rain has caused significant damage to the city's infrastructure. The Akhal province has also been badly affected, with agricultural land flooded. Mudflows hit the cities of Anev and Kahka, and in many areas electricity and part of the rail network were shut down. However, there have been no reports in Turkmen media about the rains and the damage they are causing. Turkmenistan's law enforcement agencies have taken unprecedented measures to prevent photos and videos of the downpours from appearing on social networks. According to Radio Azatlyk, internet speed has slowed down, working VPNs are blocked, and IMO messenger has almost stopped working. A Turkmenabad police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said of the order from above: "We have been ordered to prevent the leakage of defamatory photos and videos abroad. It was explained to us that if defamatory information gets into the hands of the West or the U.S. State Department, this information can be used to destabilize the domestic situation." The situation is the same in Ashgabat. Security services are identifying and taking to police stations citizens who have shared photos and videos on social media of the rains, and the damage caused by the rains in Ashgabat and the provinces. "In Ashgabat, cars could not move along the streets, people were swept away by the water pressure, and some of them were badly hurt. In the suburbs, houses and farms were flooded, farmers may be left without any income. There are many casualties, but there are no fatalities among the residents. Now the situation is gradually normalizing, and the authorities are eliminating the consequences of the flooding," one Ashgabat resident told The Times of Central Asia.

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Bishkek Bets on Bikes and Buses

To alleviate congestion and traffic bottlenecks in the capital, the Bishkek Mayor's Office has green-lit a strategic plan for enhancing the city's road transport infrastructure over the 2024-2030 period. This initiative, as detailed on the municipal website, encompasses an ambitious range of projects. Highlights include the construction of bridges and new road junctions, the introduction of bike lanes within the road network, the consolidation of dedicated lanes into a coherent system, the expansion of parking facilities including an increase in bicycle parking spaces, and the establishment of transport hubs and park-and-ride lots. The vision driving these efforts is to significantly reduce car dependency in Bishkek, promoting instead a robust network of public and bicycle transport options. Plans are underway to construct seven park-and-ride facilities around the city’s perimeter, encouraging commuters to opt for public transport upon entering Bishkek. City officials have consistently advocated for strategies to lower rampant smog levels and congestion, including proposals to limit private car access into the city based on a vehicle's license plate number. Furthermore, the Mayor's Office announced plans to establish at least two advanced transport and transfer hubs at key entry points into Bishkek. These hubs will serve as critical junctions for intercity and regional bus routes, facilitating seamless connections with the city's public transport system. By 2030, these initiatives aim to achieve a 20% reduction in car usage within the city and cut congestion by 30%.

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EU to Allocate €600,000 to Uzbekistan for Green Budgeting

An agreement on financing a new project in support of green development in Uzbekistan was signed on May 6 by representatives of the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). According to the UNDP's press service, the project aims to assist the Uzbek government in financing green development across the country through the effective use of public finance, integrating green priorities into the budgeting process (green budgeting), and introducing innovative financial instruments to attract investments in green projects. The Ministry of Economy and Finance is expected to act as the cabinet-level partner in this project. Under the agreement, grant funds in the amount of €600,000 provided by the EU will be directed by AFD and the UNDP to provide technical assistance to the government under the project "Supporting Green Development Financing in Uzbekistan" for the period 2024-2026. The new project will build on the results and achievements of the previous joint initiative by AFD and the UNDP to introduce budgeting methodologies and practices based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were successfully implemented in 2022-2023. At that time, the Ministry of Economy and Finance was supported in designing and developing methodologies based on international best practices, conducting research and capacity building of national partners in the field of SDGs and green budgeting. Key results of that project included climate budget labeling -- implemented for the first time in Uzbekistan -- and the presentation of its results in the "Budget for Citizens" publication.

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“This Disaster Has Shown We Are All United”: An Interview with Zakirzhan Kharisovich, Deputy of Petropavlovsk, about the Kazakh Floods

This spring Kazakhstan struggled to contain flooding that displaced upwards of 120,000 people -- described by president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as the country’s ‘worst natural disaster in 80 years’. With the flooding now contained, and excess water being repurposed, The Times of Central Asia spoke to Zakirzhan Kharisovich, a deputy of the maslikhat (local representative body) of the city of Petropavlovsk, about his experience of the natural disaster. TCA: What were the main challenges you faced during the first months of the floods? ZK: The last time we experienced floods was back in 2017, when my yard was filled with 30-40 centimetres of water. We knew then that if rainfall exceeded the norm, the subsequent rise in the water level in the Sergeevskoye Reservoir, 170 kilometers away, would again pose a threat. This year, alerted by weather forecasts, to combat the problem I joined residents in building embankments and dams. We were assisted by soldiers from Astana, whom we called the "300 Spartans", as well as staff from the Emergency Situations Department in Karaganda. Despite precautionary measures, this time my yard was flooded with three meters of water. I couldn’t access my home for over three weeks, and during that time everything inside -- furniture, household appliances, etc. -- was submerged. TCA: How was aid organized in the first days after the floods? ZK: Due to the collapse of the city’s water tower, we had no access to drinking water for almost a month. In addition to providing the aforementioned help, Kazakhstan’s volunteer movement worked full-pelt in shipping in truckloads of humanitarian aid, including household products, mattresses, clothes, food, cereal, rice and flour, as well as pumps and water-pumping generators. The range of their assistance was enormous. Our compatriots in nearby cities, such as Kurgan and Tyumen, were worried about us and were quick to assist. We also received support from other places, including Dagestan, Tajikistan, Ingushetia, and from Russia and further afield. TCA: How did the akimat, public services and local communities work together, and what support was provided by the central government in addressing issues? ZK: Under the supervision of the deputy akim, the akimat staff were actively involved in building the dam, as well as coordinating and organizing activities in response to the floods. I packed bags with water-absorbent materials. Regarding the actions of the central government, Roman Sklyar, the first deputy prime minister, immediately arrived on site to speak to residents and help supervise measures to both clear the damage and resolve other issues caused by the floods. Following his visit, prime minister Olzhas Bektenov proposed to allocate funds to replace essentials such as furniture, cooking utensils, refrigerators etc. So, in principle, if four million tenge ($9,100) worth of furniture and appliances has been lost, it will be covered by the government. This does however raise many questions. Whilst we have full confidence in the pledge made by the president to restore our property, doubts surround the lower officials’ full understanding of his intentions. TCA: What was...

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Favorable Water Volumes Forecast for Uzbekistan’s Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers

According to the news agency UzA, Uzbekistan's Minister of Water Management Shavkat Hamroyev told a parliamentary hearing that watersheds from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers are forecast as favorable this year. The announcement was made in response to Muqaddas Tirkasheva, a member of the lower house of parliament, who inquired, "water limits are agreed with Central Asian countries every year. Today, when we meet with voters, they often refer to the water shortage. There are concerns about whether the construction of the Qosh Tepa canal will affect the water of Amu Darya. How does this year's forecast volume of water in the Amu Darya, Syr Darya, Zarafshan rivers compare to previous years? What measures are being taken to ensure guaranteed water supply to economic sectors?” Minister Hamroyev continued, "there are agreements among five countries regarding water allocations. Our recent meeting in Shymkent addressed reservoir water levels. Due to this year's precipitation, it's anticipated that water levels in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers will match last year's levels. Projections suggest 85–90% water in the Syr Darya and 90–95% in the Amu Darya compared to historical averages. Our reservoirs currently hold 1.5 billion cubic meters more water than last year."

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ADB Allocates $56 Million for Sewage Treatment Plant to Protect Issyk-Kul

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to allocate money for the construction of a sewage treatment plant in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan's main resort city on the northern shore of the high-mountain Lake Issyk-Kul, which is the crown jewel of the Kyrgyz tourism industry. . According to the State Agency of Architecture and Construction, the ADB will allocate $31 million in the form of a grant and $25 million as a soft loan for the construction of a sewage treatment plant with a capacity of 14,200 cubic meters per day. The funds will also be used to build 18 sewage pumping stations, 45km of main sewers, and 109km of intra-square sewage networks in the city of Cholpon-Ata. "To date, the design and cost- estimate documentation for the sewage treatment plant, two main pumping stations and sewage collector in the city of Cholpon-Ata, and tender documents for them, [have been] sent for consideration by the Asian Development Bank," reported the press service of the State Construction Committee. The agency emphasizes that all local guest houses, sanatoriums and resorts will be able to connect to the central sewage system. Environmentalists have repeatedly warned of unfavorable ecological degradation of the waters of Lake Issyk-Kul, because of hundreds of hotels located in the coastal zone. Today, most sewage treatment facilities in the coastal towns of Balykchy, Karakol and Cholpon-Ata are out of operation. Those sewage systems were put into operation in the 1960s or 1970s, and received little maintenance or upkeep.