"The conditions to which we are being relocated are completely unacceptable for work; it is impossible to be there"
Gulbara Omorova, a researcher at the Institute of Water Problems and Hydropower of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic and a glaciologist, reported on social media about the eviction of the institute's staff.
According to her, they were allocated only 5-6 rooms in the Institute of Geology.
“In the conditions to which we are being relocated, it is impossible not only to work but simply to be there. Yesterday we spent the whole day packing equipment: instruments, field gear, solar panels, boats, microscopes, archives, books, computers, tables, and chairs. For one laboratory that studies hazardous exogenous hydrogeological processes, at least 2-3 rooms are needed. And we have five such laboratories. Each of them has its own office equipment, materials, books, and tools. And now we need to figure out what to do with all this... Where do we put it? Dispose of it? Give it away? Leave it and go? And what about decades of observations, the results of field expeditions, and working instruments that could be useful to the country?” – wrote Omorova.
“We are the ones who actually study climate, hydrology, who go out to the glaciers in any weather, measure river flows, and monitor hazardous processes. Our leader is the only specialist in the country on breakthrough-prone lakes and hydrogeological processes. He is a true professional, and we need to keep an eye on him to learn from his invaluable experience. We are engaged in applied science, without which it is impossible to understand the current state of water resources, glaciers, and mountains. But it seems that no one is interested in this anymore.
Maybe hydrologists, glaciologists, and engineers are really not needed by anyone? Maybe it’s easier to just close everything and forget? Young specialists are not eager to enter science – and how can they do that when they observe such things? They say, “Why? It’s better to go work in the service sector – at least you can live there.” That’s why they are not here and won’t be,” added Gulbara Omorova.
Photo from social media
