According to him, each specialist involved in data collection has many years of field research experience, and their results are recognized both in scientific circles and in practical activities.
“For thorough work, a helicopter drop-off was organized for the group in hard-to-reach areas of the Naryn River, and the expedition lasted almost two weeks. Research was conducted in the proposed area during different seasons. I would like to know how much time the foundation's experts spent on-site,” Alamanov noted.
He also commented on the ichthyofauna, pointing out that the Aral catfish and Syr Darya spoonbill inhabit the lower reaches of the Syr Darya River.
“These species have never been recorded in the Naryn River, especially in the section where the Kambar-Ata-1 HPP is planned for construction. The Naryn River, being a tributary of the Syr Darya and part of the Aral Sea basin, requires consideration of these species in the report, even though they do not inhabit there. We also conducted research on the presence of pike-perch, but no representatives of this species were caught, and surveys of local fishermen yielded no results,” he added.
According to Alamanov, only one person who worked in fishing in the 1980s mentioned that after the construction of the Toktogul HPP, fish referred to as “white zherekh” were caught in the reservoir, but they disappeared after five to six years. The situation with the Turkestan loach, he said, is more optimistic — this species is found, although not as frequently as the marinka. In this regard, it has been proposed to create a fish hatchery to maintain the population of the Turkestan loach and brook trout, with the possibility of releasing them in all sections of the river,” he concluded.
Alamanov noted that the mechanism of public hearings allows for constructive and professional comments to further improve the documentation.
Earlier, the public foundation "Rivers Without Borders" expressed the opinion that the environmental impact assessment does not reflect all the consequences of the HPP construction for the ecosystems of the Naryn River and does not propose sufficient measures for their protection.
