Social status of population in the region

Post-Soviet period in Central Asia countries was characterized by deep economic and environmental crisis and continued deterioration of main social indices. The most important problems are poverty (especially in rural area), population growth, high rates of morbidity and unemployment. Alarm tendency to reduction of life expectancy is observed.

Poverty is a problem impeding development of countries of the Aral Sea Basin. In 1999 more then 40 per cent of population in Central Asia was under poverty line.

The Governments of the countries make actions on rise of population incomes, reform in agriculture sector, implementation of employment and job creation programmes, development of infrastructure in rural area. Conditions for development of small and medium business are formed (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan), Programmes and Strategies on lowering poverty and unemployment rates are implemented in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Since January 1993, Turkmenistan population is supplied with natural gas, water, electric power, salt on free of charge basis. Fares for transportation and public utilities (heating, sewage system) are kept at a low rate.

Low level of social protection of vulnerable groups of population, inadequate position of women, youth and people of pension and pre-pension ages at labour-market is common characteristics of most of countries. At the end of 2002, women among all people looking for a job were 53 per cent in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, 60-64 per cent in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In 1999 the ratio of young unemployed people (at the age of 29-30) was 30-36 per cent in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan , up to 60-62% in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Population health

Population health was changed for the worse in Aral Sea Basin because of Aral Sea environmental problems including water contamination and air pollution, lack of portable water, low sanitation level. The latter is an issue of the day in the Aral Sea Basin and neighbouring regions. The maternal and infant mortality rate in epicentre of the disaster zone is one of the highest in CIS countries. Decrease of life expectancy, high rate of tuberculosis, anemia, cancer, asthma, dysfunction of thyroid gland, blood-, heart-, kidney- and liver-diseases cases are observed. This leads to worsening of genofund.

The situation is aggravated by inadequate prevention measures, morbidity monitoring and inaccessibility of necessary medicines in close-to-Aral-Sea region.

Portable water supply

The majority of population living in irrigated areas of Central Asia drinks water from irrigation canals. This water contains different salts, remains of pesticides, fertilizers, nitrates, excrements of domestic animals and other wastes of farming. Poor quality and lack of portable water is direct and indirect cause of many diseases and infections.

The following factors affect quality and accessibility of water used by population as drinking water:

man-caused pollution of water resources;
deterioration of networks and facilities of water and sewage systems;
poor mechanisms of water payment and tariff system for water.

Situation with portable water supplying in Aral Sea regions of Uzbekistan is also a problem. For example, only 58,8 per cent population of he Republic of Karakalpakstan is supplied with water from pipelines. From 24 to 100 per cent of tap water in The Aral Sea Basin is inadequate quality and do not meet standards to portable water.

The problem of supplying Kazakhstan population with portable water in the Aral Sea Basin has not been solved yet. Only 28-30 per cent of rural population is supplied with water from pipelines, 15-18 per cent of population takes water from decentralized sources of portable water, the rest population uses delivered water and water from reservoirs or tanks.

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