Kyrgyz deputy proposed selling water to Uzbekistan

Kenjebek Bokoyev, deputy of the Kyrgyz parliament, proposed at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers selling water to neighboring countries, Nur reports.

“Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are using around 90 % of the water from the Kirov reservoir of Talas region free of charge. The Cabinet of Ministers should consider the matters of payment,” Mr Bokoyev said.

Also, according to the politician, because of poor irrigation system in Talas region, value of agricultural products has dropped dramatically.

It should be noted that that Kazakhstan allocates 70 million tenge for the repairing works of the reservoir annually, but the Kyrgyz side is insisting that these funds are not enough to cover the expenses.

For information, the Kirov water reservoir in Kyrgyzstan was built in 1975. Its total water capacity is 550,000,000 m3 (1.9×1010 cu ft.). Kyrgyzstan consumes around 12 % of its water, while the rest is consumed by Kazakhstan.