DUSHANBE, October 16, Asia-Plus  -- The board of Tajikistan’s National Academy of Sciences gave a news conference today to report on the results of work carried out by the Academy in January-September this year. 

Speaking to journalists, the Academy of Sciences President, Academician Mamadsho Ilolov said that Anatoly Chubais, CEO of electricity monopoly Russia’s Unified Energy System (RAO YeES), delivering a statement at the 32nd session of the CIS Electric Power in Dushanbe had offered construction of a hydropower plant on the Lake Sarez as one of options to gradually lower the water level at the lake.

            This proposal will probably be considered, the academician said.   

            We will recall that an international conference to discuss long-term solutions to the potential threat that Lake Sarez could someday sweep down and put homes and people at risk over a massive area in Central Asia was held in Dushanbe in May this year.  Some of participants at the conference noted that one of the long-term options could be to gradually lower the water level at the lake.  For example, they said that one could drain water through a tunnel so that the lake is kept in a normal condition and no longer presents a danger, and the drained water could be used for electrical-power generation or maintaining the balance in the Amudarya and Panj rivers.