Residents in Bishkek are lucky: They have electricity 24 hours. In all other places in the country, the power goes off for at least a few hours every day. In Osh, it goes dark at midnight, in many villages even earlier. Power supplies only resume in the morning hours. The reason? Kyrgyzstan is just living through one of its worst-ever energy crises.

Its main electricity generation facility, the Toktogul Reservoir, is having dangerously low water levels. Because the mountainous country faced a record winter last year, too much reservoir water had to be used for electricity generation - all to an extent that made replenishment over the spring impossible. Apart from being a nuisance for night owls, this power shortage has huge implications for the coming months.

Already, the government has lowered its economic growth forecast, ordered schools to switch to heating with coal when it starts getting cold, and is seeking ways to import more electricity in the winter. Bakiev also ordered cutting rich people off the electricity supply because they have the money to heat with coal.

Another solution that is being pondered at the moment is to do a trade with Uzbekistan, i.e. let through more water in the summer and receive gas in exchange in the winter. The Uzbeks, naturally, are not too fond of monetising water and complain about the Kyrgyz water usage patterns. Needless to say, the whole region has a pretty whacky record of bileratal water relations.

Meanwhile, President Bakiev chooses strong words to prepare his cabinet for the upcoming struggle with the cold:

If the Toktogul reservoir stops, all the other hydroelectric power stations halt, there will be no point in talking about heating in Kyrgyzstan, there will be no point in talking about industry and small businesses. There will be no light either then, and we will sit in darkness. I am saying this to certain officials who do not understand this. The level of water in the Toktogul reservoir is a matter of state importance. If it drops below that figure it will be the end of it. This must not be allowed.

Strangely, just a few sentences on, Bakiev goes on to say:

You are ascribing all the problems to the Toktogul reservoir alone. All the problems must not be ascribed to the Toktogul reservoir alone. You are forming an impression in Kyrgyzstan that it will be the end of the world if there is no water in Toktogul.

There are dark clouds forming on the horizon in Kyrgyzstan. Rising inflation, a full-blown energy crisis and another cold winter in store for the country just read like the perfect recipe for serious trouble for the government.

Lastly, maybe somebody should tell Pakistan that their plans to import Tajik and Kyrgyz electricity are slightly unrealistic at this stage.

Photo by STATIC6