A Kyrgyz deputy is unhappy that neighboring countries are not paying for irrigation water.

A Kyrgyz deputy is unhappy that neighboring countries are not paying for irrigation water.

Kyrgyz MP Umbetali Kydiraliev expressed dissatisfaction with neighboring countries' failure to pay Kyrgyzstan for irrigation water. He made this statement at a meeting of the relevant committee of the Jokargi Kenesh on February 9.
The MP noted that, amid growing water shortages due to climate change, approximately 80 percent of the water in Kyrgyzstan's reservoirs flows to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. He emphasized that maintaining and repairing hydropower facilities is expensive and questioned why Kyrgyzstan isn't receiving payment for its water.
Water Resources Minister Bakit Toroboyev stated that he makes no secret of the fact that Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are stakeholders in the Kambarota-1 HPP project. He explained that the Kambarabad Reservoir is managed equally with Uzbekistan, while the water volume for other reservoirs is determined annually by interstate commissions. Toroboyev stated that President Sadir Japarov is pursuing a policy of refusing to collect money from neighboring countries for water supply, and that repair work will be carried out primarily by Kyrgyzstan itself.