The Rogun HPP, which will be built by Tajikistan, is causing concern in the countries of the region
The Rogun HPP, which will be built by Tajikistan, is causing concern in the countries of the region
While international environmental organizations are paying attention to the risk of drying up the river basin, which is a source of life for Central Asian countries, Tajikistan claims that 10 million people will have access to clean energy.
The Ceyhun River, which is one of the largest rivers in Central Asia with a length of 2,540 km, flows through Pakistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and flows into the Aral Sea.
The 335-meter-high Rogun hydroelectric power station, which is being built on the Vakhsh River in Tajikistan, one of the tributaries of the river, is of concern to environmental organizations and countries in the region.
An analysis conducted by the environmental organization Rivers Without Borders indicates that the dam can cause great damage to the ecosystem of the Jeyhun River.
It is stated that with a decrease in the flow regime of the river, agricultural and fishing areas along the rivers in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, where about 7 million people live, will be critically affected, and the stability of the region will be damaged.
The 13.3 trillion cubic meters of water that the dam will hold pose a threat to the flora, fauna and other forms of life in the Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on the one hand, and increases the risk of complete drying of the Aral Sea, on the other hand.
Tajikistan, on the other hand, says that with the construction of the dam, access to electricity for 10 million people will be improved and clean energy exports to neighboring countries will be realized.
Environmental risks, on the one hand, and Tajikistan's growing energy needs, on the other, are considered harbingers of the fact that new problems may await the region in the future.