Energy and Transport Headaches for Tajikistan

In a review of the key events of 2010, Tajikistan’s unresolved energy and transport problems continued to dominate the headlines.

The year began with a campaign to get the public to buy shares in the Roghun power station project, which should reduce Tajikistan’s chronic energy deficit once it is completed. But supplies of building materials for the massive construction project were disrupted when freight trains were shunted into sidings in neighbouring Uzbekistan.

While the Uzbeks cited overloading on their rail network, many suspected they were deliberately blocking deliveries for Roghun as they oppose plans to dam up waterways on which their agriculture depends.

Analysts say the dispute has underlined the need for Tajikistan to find alternative routes for importing and exporting goods so as not to be wholly reliant on Uzbekistan.

In the autumn, Tajikistan faced a serious security challenge as government troops battled suspected Islamic militants in the east of the country.
 

This audio programme, in Russian and Tajik, went out on national radio stations in Tajikistan, as part of IWPR project work funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.