AKIPRESS.COM - Managers of construction of the Norak and the Suantuda-1 hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) released an open letter to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, reports Asia-plus news service.

In their letter, the power engineering specialists call on President Rahmon to raise the Lake Sarez problem at the upcoming the high-level international conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”, 2005-2015 that will take place in Dushanbe from June 9-11.

They, in particular, note that construction of the hydroelectric power plant at Lake Sarez with use of the Usoy blockage as a natural dam would allow securing the population of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan against Lake Sarez’s breakthrough.

Lake Sarez is a natural wonder of Tajikistan, containing 17 billion cubic meters of one of Central Asia’s scarcest commodities — water. Tajik leaders are now searching for a way to unlock the lake’s economic potential.

The lake was created in the early 20th century, when an earthquake touched off a massive landslide in the Bartang Valley in the Pamir Mountains, creating a natural dam across the Murgab River. The lake extends for over 60 kilometers and in some spots is over 500 meters deep.

In the early 2000s, experts grew increasingly concerned that the dam could give way, sparking a natural disaster with severe consequences for all of Central Asia.

Tajikistan and the international community have already provided more than 4 million U.S. dollars to closely monitor the dam, create an early-warning system, and implement other projects aimed at avoiding a major human catastrophe.

A conference on Lake Sarez that took place in Dushanbe in May 2007 considered ways to minimize the risks of a natural disaster.

To keep the water pressure against the dam at a stable level, some experts at the conference proposed the construction of a safety-valve tunnel which could divert water into the Murgab River. Others proposed construction of a hydro-electric plant. A feasibility study reportedly suggests the combination of a safety-valve and power plant could cost almost $300 million, and would cause the lake level to drop roughly 50 meters.