DUSHANBE, March 29, Asia-Plus - More than 900 residential and administrative buildings in Dushanbe were provided with heat and hot water during autumn-winter 2006-2007, which is 50 percent more than in the previous season, Deputy Dushanbe Mayor, Jamshed Mansourov, announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on March 28.

According to him, the Dushanbe energy-heating plant generated 341.5 million kWh of electrical power from November 2006 to March 28, 2007, which is three times more than in the previous heating season. 

“Over the report period, 727,000 gigocalories of heating power have been generated in Dushanbe,” the deputy mayor said.  

Mansourov also noted that the low rate of the collection of funds for public utilities evokes concern.  According to him, the public debts for electricity and natural-gas consumption are continuing to increase in Dushanbe. 

“Thus, the natural-gas debts amounted, as of January 1, 2007, to 80.7 million somonis, while as of January 1, 2006, the natural-gas debts in Dushanbe had amounted to nearly 72 million somonis,” Mansourov said.  

“As of January 1, 2007, debts for electricity consumption have amounted to more than 14 million and debts for heating power consumption have increased by 500,000 somonis,” the deputy mayor said, noting that only Dushanbevodokanal (DVK – Dushanbe’s municipal waterworks) has managed to reduce debts for water consumption from 14 million somonis to 8 million somonis.  

Asked about natural-gas supplies in the summer season, representatives from the Dushanbe natural-gas distributor said that everything depends on the collection of funds for gas consumption.