Conference On Reservoir Security Opens In Tajikistan

DUSHANBE -- A three-day international conference on security at water reservoirs has opened in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, according to RFE/RL's Tajik Service.

Attendees were expected to discuss safety at reservoirs including Tajikistan's Lake Sarez, formed in 1911 after a strong earthquake blocked part of a river valley in the eastern part of the country.

Lake Sarez has become a vital source of water for Tajikistan.

But fears persist that an earthquake similar in size to the earthquake that formed Lake Sarez could happen again and release massive amounts of water that would flood large sections of southeastern Central Asia and northeastern Afghanistan.

The conference was also expected to host a discussion on Russian-built hydropower facilities in Tajikistan.

There are additional concerns about those reservoirs after the disaster at the Sayano-Shushenskaya in Russia last month.

Foreign journalists are barred from attending the conference.