Kyrgyzstan does not transfer Kempir-Abad reservoir, but, on the contrary, takes it for itself. President Sadyr Japarov stated in an interview with Kabar news agency.
According to him, since the 1960s, Uzbekistan has been managing the dam. Management will be joint now — 50 to 50.
«We agreed to control the water level so that it does not rise above 900 mark. Water from the reservoir can now be pumped to the villages. Before that, there was no such possibility. Based on historical and archival documents, the Uzbek side built the dam in 1965. We haven’t invested a dime in it. In 1965, when there was a flood, the Uzbek side gave in return 4,127 hectares of its land in the border regions of Batken, Osh and Jalal-Abad. And those 4,127 hectares of land that are now flooded were given to the Uzbeks at that time. Provocateurs shout that we are giving them away today. The Kyrgyz side built houses on these lands and cultivates the plots to this day. Archival documents testify to this,» the head of state said.
He listed the villages that were built on the land, they were transferred by Uzbekistan:
- Kok-Talaa of Kadamdzhai district occupies 758 hectares;
- Pyldyrak is built on 255 hectares;
- Naiman of Aravan district — on 148 hectares;
- Dostuk of Nooken region — on 1,088 hectares;
- Airport was built on 446 hectares of land in Aksy district;
- Jetigen — on 75 hectares;
- Padysha-Ata-Sai occupies 5 hectares;
- Kara-Dobo — 45 hectares;
- Azhek-Too in Ala-Buka — on 1,307 hectares of land.
«In a word, Uzbekistan in 1965 gave us 4,127 hectares of land. Agreements between the two countries, maps and everything else have been handed over to us, there are archival documents. Kyrgyz villages were built on these lands. And they make politics out of this and say: «Kempir-Abad is transferred,» as if we are giving away these lands today. It is nonsense. In 1965, the water level was fixed at 908. If today the water level is raised to 908, then 5,731 hectares of land will be flooded. We have reduced the water level to 900. Now, instead of 5,731 hectares, a little more than 4,400 hectares of land will be occupied by water. Neighbors gave 4,127 hectares of land in 1965. The difference is 300 hectares of land. Today, instead of this land, we are taking 1,000 hectares — 500 hectares in Uzgen district, 500 — in Suzak. In addition, when the water recedes, 1,246 hectares of the coastal zone will completely be transferred to us,» Sadyr Japarov said.
On October 10, the head of the State Committee for National Security, Kamchybek Tashiev, told the deputies that in total, more than 19,000 hectares of land remain for Kyrgyzstan, and 4,485 hectares for Uzbekistan — the territory of the Kempir-Abad reservoir, but two countries will jointly manage it.
The head of the State Committee for National Security, Kamchybek Tashiev, told the deputies on October 10 that in total more than 19,000 hectares of land remain the property of Kyrgyzstan, and 4,485 hectares of the water area of Kempir-Abad reservoir are transferred to Uzbekistan, but two countries will jointly manage it.
Kempir-Abad reservoir (it is called Andijan in Uzbekistan) is located at the junction of Osh and Jalal-Abad regions of Kyrgyzstan and Andijan region of Uzbekistan. It was built in 1983 on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic.
In 1973, Uzbekistan provided land compensation — 4,100 hectares were transferred to Kyrgyzstan.
Water from Zhazy, Kurshab and Kara-Darya rivers flows into Kempir-Abad. The reservoir belongs to Kyrgyzstan. Its area is 4,400 hectares. The maximum filling volume is 1.9 cubic kilometers. Once it was leased to Uzbekistan.
