Kyrgyzstan has opened a criminal investigation into the destruction of glacial ice by a private company, a rare move that highlights concerns about water shortages in the Central Asian country.
Glaciers are thick masses of ice that form on land due to centuries of compressed snow.
They provide a vital source of freshwater in Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked country where thousands of them live, but rising temperatures due to climate change and mining activities are putting them at risk.
Glacial ice in the southern Osh region was destroyed when a private company in the area “illegally built a road to a coal mine,” allegedly in collaboration with a state-owned company, prosecutors said Thursday.
“As a result of the private company’s illegal actions, glaciers and soil over an area of 9,392 square meters have been destroyed,” she added.
Prosecutors said they had opened a criminal case for environmental safety violations and the “abuse of an official position,” without elaborating.
Glaciers act as water towers and are crucial freshwater sources. They play an important role in Kyrgyzstan’s food security, as melting ice is used for irrigation and agriculture.
Concerns about water shortages in Central Asia are growing, with climate change, leaky Soviet-era infrastructure and disputes over water ownership all contributing to the problem.
bk-cad/oc
