DUSHANBE, October 22, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- The Roghun dam will be filled with water due to domestic water reserves of the country and downstream countries will receive water according to quotas, Minister of Land Reclamation and Water Resources Rahmat Bobokalonov announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on October 21.

He assured that the downstream countries will not face water shortages during the filling of the Roghun dam with water.

“All allegations by opponents of the Roghun hydroelectricity project that implementation of the project will leave major part of Uzbekistan’s population facing water shortages for eight years are absolutely baseless,” the minister stressed.

Bobokalonov noted that Tajikistan was determined to complete the construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power plant (HPP), which was of vital significance for development of the country’s economy.

We will recall that during his trip to Karakalpakstan autonomous republic in early October, Uzbek President Islam Karimov said that if Tajikistan went to complete construction of the Roghun HPP as planned, it would leave Uzbekistan facing water shortages for eight years until Roghun dam filled with water.  He promised not to let Tajikistan to reduce the amount of water flowing to Uzbekistan and the shrinking Aral Sea even by "one gram."