OSCE and partners-supported first Central Asia Water Museum opens in Bishkek
BISHKEK, 22 April 2015 - The first Water Museum in Central Asia, supported by the OSCE Center in Bishkek and Small Grants Programme of the Global Environmental Facility/UNDP in Kyrgyzstan was opened in the premises of the Kyrgyz National Agrarian University (KNAU) in Bishkek today.
“Water scarcity, lack of access to water, and pollution threaten socio-economic development and political stability; and are potential triggers for tensions and conflicts,” said Senior Economic and Environmental Officer at the OSCE Centre in Bishkek Yulia Minaeva. “The Museum is important as water is a strategic resource and an essential element of national and regional security.”
Co-coordinator of the Small Grants Programme in Kyrgyzstan Evgeniya Postnova said: “Awareness of effective and sustainable ways of using water, and the protection of aquatic ecosystems is of extreme importance. It is a priority we all share.”
The OSCE Centre in Bishkek, as part of its project on education in water security and the green economy, and the Small Grants Programme of the Global Environmental Facility/UNDP in Kyrgyzstan have supported the establishment of the Water Museum since 2012. The project was initiated by the Public Association “AKMEN” and it took four years to construct.
The Museum offers unique exhibits, equipment and interactive displays, of interest to both children and adults.