“Back in the sixth convocation, Kyrgyzstan took a loan from the World Bank in the amount of $500-600 million for the needs of the Toktogul HPP. This created a financial burden on our country, as 80% of the water goes to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. It turns out that all the costs of maintaining the HPP are borne by Kyrgyzstan, while we do not receive any benefits from this. Why don’t the neighbors, who use our water, compensate for some of the economic losses?” the deputy questioned.
He noted that in other countries there is a practice of paying for water resources. “For example, the USA pays Canada for water, and Germany pays Sweden. Why don’t our neighbors pay for the use of our water?” he added.
In response to this statement, Bakyt Torobaev, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, noted that he could provide information in the format of classified documents, but clarified that the loan from the World Bank was aimed at optimizing the operation of the Toktogul HPP, the capacity of which increased from 1.2 to 1,440 megawatts.
“In Ala-Buka, there are reservoirs for which Uzbekistan pays in full for maintenance. If repairs are needed on any reservoirs, our neighbors fulfill their obligations, as they understand that they take water and bear joint responsibility. The president of our country has instructed that repair work will be carried out by Kyrgyzstan independently, without turning to neighbors. However, if they want to help, we will not be against it,” he added.
