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🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan /Environment & Climate

Bishkek Mayor: Water Basins Will Not Be Used for Housing Development

From 24.kg · () Russian

Translated from Russian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Bishkek's mayor, Aybek Junushaliyev, stated that former daily regulation basins (BSRs) will not be repurposed for housing development, despite requests from some landowners.
  • Junushaliyev emphasized the importance of preserving these areas for the city's future water supply and irrigation needs.
  • He indicated that the city plans to maintain the BSRs' designation in the General Plan and is open to restoring them if funding becomes available.

Bishkek Mayor Aybek Junushaliyev has firmly stated that the city will not allow former daily regulation basins (BSRs) to be converted into residential areas. This decision comes despite appeals from some landowners seeking to develop these sites for housing.

They say: change the General Plan, give us the opportunity to fill this land, we want to build houses here. I ask: what houses? You see that there is not a single irrigation system below, there is no water accumulation. How will this city live tomorrow? How to water all this?

— Aybek JunushaliyevThe mayor questioned the logic of building housing on former water basins without ensuring future water availability.

Junushaliyev explained during an Eco-Council meeting focused on urban greening that these water storage areas are crucial for Bishkek's future water security and irrigation systems. He recounted a visit to a BSR near the CHPP-2 power plant, where developers proposed filling the land for construction. The mayor questioned the viability of such development without adequate water infrastructure, highlighting the city's growing needs.

We said we will not change the General Plan and separate this territory for housing construction. It will be a BSR. Moreover, if funds become available, we are ready to restore this facility.

— Aybek JunushaliyevAsserting the city's commitment to preserving the function of the daily regulation basins.

"We said we will not change the General Plan and separate this territory for housing construction. It will be a BSR," Junushaliyev declared. He added that if funds become available, the city is prepared to restore these facilities. While acknowledging proposals to build schools and kindergartens on similar sites, the mayor cautioned against irreversible loss of the city's water accumulation system, noting that each BSR supports multiple irrigation channels. He stressed that preserving these basins is essential for stable water supply, particularly during summer, and for mitigating future water scarcity risks as Bishkek expands.

This is a system that we will never be able to restore later. It is easiest to build a school or another facility today. But one BSR provides water for several irrigation channels at once. Therefore, such territories must be preserved.

— Aybek JunushaliyevExplaining the critical role of BSRs in Bishkek's water infrastructure and the long-term consequences of their loss.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by 24.kg in Russian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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