DUSHANBE, November 2, 2010, Asia-Plus – Today, Uzbekistan’s fixed idea is to impede construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power plant (HPP) and it uses any means for this end, Mr. Georgy Koshlakov, the head of the economics and management sub-department at Russian-Tajik Slavic University (RTSU), said.

“As far as their concern over Roghun’s construction is concerned, they do not care about seismicity of an area or break of dam, because they realize that it is stuff and nonsense.  They are worried that we will have an instrument that would allow cutting off the water,” said Koshlakov, “But the Roghun hydroelectricity project notes that the reservoir will be filled with water due to Tajikistan’s quota of water in the Vakhsh River.”

He reminded that that under convention that had been signed by all republics of the region long before the collapse of the Soviet Union the Vakhsh River flow had been distributed among them.  “If my memory is not at fault, we have the quota of 9.5 cubic kilometers of the whole flow.  When the project was being developed it was prescribed that we will fill the Roghun dam only due to our quota,” the expert noted.

He considers that Uzbekistan does not have reason today to say that Tajikistan does not fulfill its obligations.  “Over the 30-year work of the Norak HPP there was no case when we refused Uzbekistan’s request for water,” said the expert, “In late 1980s, when Uzbekistan asked additional water, we opened escapages in addition to the service tunnel, flooded our cotton fields, but gave them water.”

“As far as I know, we today do not intake our quota of 9 billion cubic meters and Uzbekistan uses this,” said Koshlakov, “Now, when we construct the Roghun dam and fill it with water, they will not be able to use water in excess of their quota.  But Tajikistan will intake only the fixed quota.”