KONIBODOM, April 1, Asia-Plus  -- A serious situation has emerged in the agrarian sector in Sughd’s Konibodom district because of water shortages, Asia-Plus has learned from Karimjon Jourayev, the head of Konibodom agriculture directorate. 

According to him, water shortages have resulted from a decline in the water level in the Big Ferghana Canal (BFC).  “Some 900 hectares of grains, 1,000 hectares of cotton and 70 hectares of orchards are currently under threat of loss,” Jourayev said.  

“Of 1,400 hectares sown with winter grain crops, we have to date managed to treat and irrigate only 500 hectares,” he said.  

According to him, the volume of water coming from Uzbekistan has been declining since mid-March that may lead to loss of harvests.    

In the meantime, Zarifjon Sharipov, the head of the Konibodom water economy department, said that under government-to-government agreement between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan the water flow in the Big Ferghana Canal should be 10 cubic meters per second, while at present it does not exceed 2-3 cubic meters per second.  

“Repeated bilateral meetings have not yielded any results, and our Uzbek colleagues have referred to the Kyrgyz side, which, according to them, allegedly decreased water tempering in order to increase the water level in the reservoir powering the Toktogul hydropower plant,” Sharipov said.