Electricity Outage Hits Kyrgyzstan's Resort Region

ISSYK-KUL, Kyrgyzstan -- A severe power shortage is causing problems in Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-Kul resort region.

RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports that electricity in the area has been on for only seven to 10 hours per day the last several days.

The power shortage has forced children to stay home from unheated schools and has caused problems for local industries and hotels catering to tourists.

Issyk-Kul Governor Kalybek Alyshpaev says the annual volume of electricity allocated to the region by Bishkek officials was 64 million kilowatts -- only two-thirds of the amount needed.

Like some other Central Asian countries, Kyrgyzstan routinely faces electricity and heating problems in the winter.