TAVILDARA, January 9, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Tavildara district in the Rasht Valley was cut off from January 2 to January 7 as heavy snowfalls hit the district on the night of January 2-3.

Storms that dumped up to 50 centimeters of snow in Tavildara destroyed power transmission lines, disrupting electricity supply.

The district residents did not have electricity and heat for five days.  Local hospitals and boarding-school used generators.  Specialists managed to repair the line only on January 7.

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Ahliddin Karimov, an official with the Tavildara administration, said that five small power plants operating in the district generated totaling 136 kWh of electrical power and supplied electricity to the villages of Karanak, Chashmai kaboud, Muridon and Shohkakhak.  “This year, we intend to construct power transmission lines to another 18 villages,” Karimov said.