Dry Land
According to a Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights press statement, residents in Turkmenbashi have been without water for the last two months. The causes for this problem is reportedly the breakdown of the water purifying plant in Balkanabat, the capital of the Balkan velyat, which is the source of drinking water for residents on the Caspian coast.
As residents have also related, the town authorities have so far failed to provide any information about the reasons for the shortage or when services are likely to resume.
On previous occasions, such eventualities were remedied by supplying drinking water with tankers. However, people are now being compelled to make do as they can, buying bottled water for drinking and seawater for other necessities.
The situation is threatening to spiral out of control, as water is lacking in all facilities, including hospitals and schools. As the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights indicates, one possible outcome could be the outbreak of epidemics.
on March 8th, 2006 at 5:42 pm
I don’t think this information is necessarily correct. Friends of mind in Krasnovodsk have given contradictory information, and in my experience the longest the city ever went without water was almost three weeks (these shortages usually occur in the summer, not the winter). This is not to say that there could be parts of the city where water has been scarce for two months, but in general I don’t think the city is experiencing a severe water shortage.
Also, whenever there are shortages of water in Krasnovodsk, a malfunction in Nebit Dag is cited as the problem. Although I cannot say whether this is true or not, it is more likely an attempt by local authorities to pass on the blame to somebody else, notably the government in the welayat’s capital.
I appreciate the work the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights does, but this is not the first time that they have published a report that does not match up with the information coming from Turkmenistan. Given the closed nature of Turkmenistan it is always good to hear reports about the country’s situation, but maybe the TIHR should release more factual statements instead of ones like these that seem designed to cause worry, panic, or unrest.