DUSHANBE, February 1 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Acute fuel shortages have forced the Dushanbe power and heat station to suspend the heating season ahead of schedule.

Rahmatullo Qalandarov, an engineer-in-chief at the Dushanbe power and heat station, said the heating season was suspended on February 1 due to an acute shortage of natural gas, which is the main fuel for the station.  According to him, the decision to suspend heating supplies is also connected with improvement of weather conditions.

“During autumn-winter 2009-2010, heating was supplied only to some areas of the city’s Ismoili Somoni and Shohmansour districts because the station was receiving natural gas at the rate of only 4,000 cubic meters per hour,” Qalandarov said.

We will recall that the autumn-winter 2009-2010 heating season was launched on December 10.