CENTRAL ASIA: IT ALL STARTED WHEN HE HIT ME BACK….

Pipelines carrying natural gas from wells in Kyrgyzstan pass through Uzbekistan before doubling back to Bishkek and other Kyrgyz cities. Uzbek authorities blamed damage from cold weather when gas flowing through the lines failed to reach its destination. Rather than shiver in the dark, Kyrgyzstan authorities opened reservoir gates to increase water flow through hydroelectric power stations and replace gas with electric power. But the same water that turns Kyrgyz turbines is needed to irrigate cotton fields in eastern Uzbekistan, and the Uzbeks cried foul. So now Uzbekistan has promised to repair gas pipes and restore deliveries, and Kyrgyzstan has promised to improve water conservation and meet its commitments for Uzbekistan’s summer irrigation needs. The reservoirs, dams and irrigation canals were part of Nikita Khrushchev’s “New Lands” program in the early 1960s. Water shortages and rivalries have been part of Central Asian politics ever since.