A meeting of the joint working group on the integrated use of water resources of transboundary rivers of Central Asia between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan was held on August 3 in Dushanbe, the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan reports. It was attended by Minister of Water Resources of Uzbekistan Shavkat Khamrayev and Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan Daler Jumaa.

During the meeting, the parties expressed confidence in expanding and strengthening cooperation in the field of water resources between the two friendly countries in the future.

The issue of using the fresh water of Lake Sarez for drinking needs of the two countries was discussed during the state visit of the head of Tajikistan to Uzbekistan back in 2018. Then the presidents of the two republics instructed the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation to explore these opportunities.

For reference: Sarez Lake is located in the Pamirs, in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan at an altitude of about 3.3 thousand meters above sea level. The length of the reservoir is about 70 km, the maximum depth is about 500 m. The volume of water in the lake is over 17 cubic kilometers. Sarez refers to the dammed or sub-dammed lakes. It arose as a result of the catastrophic closure of the Bartang riverbed in 1911.