OSCE promotes co-operation on dam safety in Central Asia
ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 3 December 2015 - Best practices in transboundary water resources management with an emphasis on dam safety will be presented and analysed during a two-day regional conference beginning today in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The conference was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in partnership with the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea Executive Directorate for Kazakhstan and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) under the auspices of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia.
Some 40 water resources experts from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, specializing in dam management and emergency preparedness, and international experts from the UNECE, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia are discussing ways and methods to upgrade safety standards on the dams and introduce modern operational practices.
“The current unsatisfactory state of many hydro-technical installations in the region requires immediate steps to enhance their safety,” said Rati Japaridze, Economic and Environmental Officer of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana. “Establishing an effective system of oversight for the safety of dams with the relevant legislative support is one of the key factors in preventing accidents in such structures.”
“The Central Asian nations should undertake necessary and targeted measures to shape a regional platform for interaction on a sound legal basis. This will improve the situation with the technical safety of such installations, most specifically of the large hydrotechnical constructions of regional importance," said Medet Ospanov, Executive Director for Kazakhstan of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.
As a result of discussions, participants will elaborate recommendations aimed at amending current national legislative and regulatory mechanisms and enhancing co-operation among the Central Asian countries.
The event is part of the OSCE Programme Office’s activities aimed at reducing the risks of natural and man-made disasters and promoting transboundary water co-operation. It falls in line with the priorities of the 2014 Swiss and 2015 Serbian OSCE Chairmanships.