OSCE Centre helps solve water problems in Kyrgyzstan's Batken province

ISFANA, Kyrgyzstan, 4 July 2008 - Addressing water disputes in Kyrgyzstan's Batken province was the focus of a seminar organized today by the OSCE Centre's field office in Osh.

Representatives of Kyrgyz and Tajik district and local governments, leaders of state water organizations, local non-governmental organizations and associations for water users discussed efficient water use and how to fortify soil and prevent degradation, as well as the community's role in improving the water supply.

"This seminar helps promote good neighbourly relations between the communities on both sides of the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border. It is part of important awareness-raising and conflict-prevention activities," said Bojidar Dimitrov, the head of the OSCE field office in Osh.

Seminar participants also visited an irrigation system reconstructed in early 2008 with funds from the OSCE field office and USAID.

Kubanych Shainazarov, Head of the Administration in the Batken province's Leilek district, added: "Water problems are some of the most important and complicated problems in our district. This project is very practical and shows that in a very short time and with comparatively small amount of funding, it is possible to achieve concrete results. The renovated irrigation system will lead to reduced water losses and provide systematic and transparent mechanisms for measuring volumes of water used by farmers."