By Konstantin Parshin is a freelance journalist based in Tajikistan (9/25/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

According to the Tajik Emergency Ministry of Tajikistan, the landslide at the Baipaza hydroelectric plant is still a real threat for the plant itself and for the settlements located downstream the river Vahksh in the southern Khatlon province, unless action is taken to prevent the slide forming a dam and blocking the flow of the river. Lately (in September), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) declared an earmarking of a $5.3 million loan to Tajikistan to prevent the disaster.

By Kunduz Tashtanalieva (10/23/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Since establishing independence from the former Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan has faced many severe hardships, which brought the disaster of poverty for many citizens. Poverty became one of the major problems for the country and its people, and an issue that needs rapid measures to address it.  Unfortunately, the consequences of poverty are making life difficult for many people.

By Gulnara Ismailova (10/23/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

It seems that the issue of the Caspian Sea status is coming to its logical end. Previous documents never determined completely the legal status of the Caspian Sea, as they did not contain any provisions on such important issues as the exploitation of the seabed, the airspace over the sea, and the preservation of its ecosystem. The attempts to reach consensus among the five littoral states came to a deadlock first of all due to Iran's demand of 20% of the sea, and due to the territorial disputes between Iran and Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.