KHUJAND, May 21, Asia-Plus  -- Low level of water in the Syrdarya River has led to decrease in the volume of water supplied to areas by electric pumps, Abdlatif Homidov, the deputy head of the Sughd water economy directorate, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.  

According to him, because of low water level the volume of water supplied to the farm areas has decreased by 25 percent.  

“In the Spitamen district, water levels in the Syrdarya River have fallen to critical levels we had to switch the electric pumps there off,” said Homidov, “At present water to the cotton and rice fields in Spitamen is being supplied from other sources.  We expected the situation to improve by the end of May.”   

He noted that some 70 percent of cultivated lands in the province are irrigated by means of electric pumps.    

Specialists from the Sughd electric systems directorate link the low water levels in the Syrdarya River to shallowness that has hit the Central Asian region.   

Therefore, by government’s resolution and within the framework of international agreements they are taking measures to regulate the water levels at the reservoir powering the Qairoqqum hydropower plant.  It is supposed that the volume of water being discharged from the reservoir will have increased by the end of May.