DUSHANBE, November 20, Asia-Plus  -- Cooperation in reducing accident risk at hydraulic facilities will be focus of a board meeting of the International Fund for Saving Aral Sea (IFAS) that is opening in Dushanbe today morning.     

The meeting participants include representatives from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.  

Nodira Zuhurova, chairperson of the IFAS Executive Committee secretariat, said the board meeting aims to consider issues related to a progress of implementation of projects and programs aimed at tackling problems in the Aral Sea basin as well as preparations for the First Asian Pacific Water Summit, which is supposed to be held in Japan from December 3-4 and President Emomali Rahmon will deliver a statement at this Forum.  

The board is also expected to consider a number of draft agreements among Central Asian states on preventing, localizing and mitigating effects of accidents at hydraulic facilities.  

The IFAS board will also discuss issues related to preparation of an international conference on disaster reduction scheduled for 2008.  

Water is crucial to life and all forms of social, economic, and environmental development in Central Asia.  The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) is an interstate organization established to fund and credit joint regional environmental and research programs and projects aimed at saving the Aral Sea and improving the environmental situation in the areas affected by the disaster as well as tackling regional socioeconomic problems.