The international environmental coalition "Rivers without Boundaries" has raised alarms over the potential destruction of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kyrgyzstan. The organization has appealed to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, expressing concern about the Kyrgyz government's proposal to exclude the Chatkal River floodplain from the Besh-Aral State Reserve for the construction of hydroelectric power stations.
Kyrgyzstan's proposed hydroelectric project involves the construction of two power stations: the Srednechatkalskaya (Barkraukskaya) hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 350 MW and the Nizhnechatkalskaya (Min-Tukumskaya) hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 700 MW. The Chatkal River valley, within the Besh-Aral Reserve, is earmarked for significant alterations, including the creation of two reservoirs and a diversion corridor or tunnel.
Environmentalists argue that such actions would have severe consequences for the natural ecosystem, especially impacting aquatic ecosystems and organisms. Evgeniy Simonov, the international coordinator of "Rivers Without Boundaries," emphasizes the potential threat to migratory species like the marinka and the rare Chatkal sculpin.
Experts from the Institute of Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyz Republic echo these concerns, emphasizing the potential changes to the hydrological regime and the significant damage to plant and animal species listed in the Red Book.
Alexander Kolotov, the coordinator of "Rivers Without Boundaries" for Central Asia, suggests that alternative locations for hydroelectric projects exist within Kyrgyzstan without conflicting with protected natural areas.
UNESCO recognizes the transboundary World Natural Heritage Site "Western Tien Shan" as part of the Central Asian Tien Shan mountain system, one of the seven largest mountain ranges globally.
The environmental coalition "Rivers without Boundaries" was formed in 2009 and has been actively working to protect transboundary rivers and advocate for best practices in river basin management. Registered in Ulaanbaatar in 2011 and establishing the public foundation "Shekarasyz" in 2023, the coalition continues its efforts in Central Asian countries through "Ozender" (Rivers Without Borders), based in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Earlier Daryo reported that Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov has given approval for the establishment of a 30 MW mining facility at the Kambar-Atinskaya HPP-2. President Japarov affirmed the functioning of a mining farm in Kemine, Chui Region, that has received official authorization from the state. The company operating the facility purchases electricity at the highest tariff rate of $0.058 per kilowatt.
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