Deputies of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan propose to create a Ministry of Water Resources. Deputy Chingiz Aidarbekov said this at a meeting of the Committee on International Affairs, Defense, Security and Migration.
According to him, neighboring countries pay special attention to energy sector and have already created the above-mentioned ministry.
«Will we take such steps? We stand at the source of water, but we only have a service under the Ministry of Agriculture,» Chingiz Aidarbekov said.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Murat Ramatov responded that a resolution was issued the day before to change the structure of the Cabinet of Ministers. It will come into force within a week.
«We get all the functions related to water resources. This includes clean, surface and underground water, and irrigation. This is all transferred to the Water Resources Service. Also, the names of the ministries will begin with the words «Ministry of Water Resources...» and not «Ministry of Agriculture...». This is set as a priority,» Murat Ramatov said.
Chingiz Aidarbekov noted that the committee was going to hold a visiting meeting with the participation of representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers on energy issues and providing the population with clean water.
«I’m going to make a proposal to create a separate Ministry or State Agency that will regulate water issues,» the deputy said.
At the meeting, deputies discussed the ratification of a grant agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the project «Upgrading the equipment for maintenance of irrigation canals,» signed on December 11, 2023 in Bishkek.
