DUSHANBE, 20.06.2018. /NIAT “Khovar”/. “Today in Tajikistan, about 98 percent of electricity is generated in hydroelectric power plants. The Government takes comprehensive measures to balance the production and consumption of energy by modernizing existing hydroelectric power stations, creating new power generation facilities, and introducing modern energy saving methods”, — said President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon at the International High-Level Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018-2028, which has started today, June 20 in Dushanbe.

According to him, the reservoirs of hydroelectric facilities, in turn, contribute to ensuring reliable long-term and seasonal regulation of water flow, prevention of inundations and floods, as well as mitigating the effects of drought. The use of Tajikistan’s huge hydropower potential in order to provide the countries of the region with clean energy, one of the bases for the development of the “green economy”, could seriously contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

“In this context, I would like to note the importance of the implementation of the CASA-1000 regional project, as well as the resumption of the parallel operation of Tajikistan’s energy system with the unified energy system of Central Asia, which provides an opportunity to supply our “green” electricity to near and far neighbors in the region”, — underlined Head of State.

He added that an important priority in the country remains providing the population with safe and quality drinking water and sanitation. We have already started the development of a new program to provide the population with clean drinking water for the period until 2030. This Program covers one of the key goals of sustainable development – universal access of the population to safe drinking water and sanitation.

“The state policy of Tajikistan in the field of water use is simultaneously aimed at solving urgent social and economic problems in the region. In this context, we are ready to use our vast resources of drinking water in the common interest. Thus, the rational use of the unique reserves of the high-altitude Lake Sarez only, which contains seventeen cubic kilometers of water, enables long-term and sustainable provision of high-quality drinking water to the population of our region. Concluding my speech, I express the hope that the participants of the conference, using the present opportunity, will make their worthy contribution to the development of concrete practical recommendations for the effective implementation of the goals of the new Decade”, — concluded his speech President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.