Rogan, Tajikistan: In a remote village in the high mountains of Tajikistan, Maslakuddin Makhmudzada relies on a mobile phone to light his modest home as his family endures yet another winter without electricity.
Makhmood Zoda’s three children and wife sat together to share a phone flashlight in their modest brick home.
Lack of water needed to fuel hydroelectric plants has caused severe power outages in Tajikistan, an impoverished former Soviet republic nestled in the Central Asian mountains and surrounded by Afghanistan, China, and fellow former Soviet states Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. has happened
The power crisis is set to worsen, as Central Asia is hit hard by climate change.
Amid chronic shortages, Tajikistan has promised to end power outages and has revived a Soviet-era megaproject to build the world’s tallest dam.
Makhmood Zoda’s family spends most of their day without electricity.
“We have electricity from 5:00 am to 8:00 am and then from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm”, said the 28-year-old.
To cope with intermittent electricity, the family relies on charcoal stoves for heating — a risky choice, as many Tajiks die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by such appliances. are