Ashgabad’s new artificial river is open, reports the AP. Making the story even better though, they mention their source is the website for the government of Turkmenistan, where there is all kinds of wonderful information about construction projects in Turkmenistan and where one can also see this wondrous new river which moves an enormous amount of what appears to be Kool-Aid in the picture at bottom 7 miles across the city.
The government website has details on the finished project, which was completed by Turkish and Ukrainian companies.
Each company has realised its own project for improvement of the territory allotted to it. Contracting organisations constructed malls along the artificial river, planted exotic trees, laid-out lawns, built pergolas and pavilions for relaxation and entertainment and children’s playgrounds. Openwork bridges were built across every kilometre of the river. The river is illuminated by lights. Besides, sheets of water coloured with multi-coloured lights will arise from the water. Motor-bridges across the river have been reconstructed in President of Turkmenistan Avenue and Ata Turk Street. Due to the work carried out this part of the city has changed greatly. Henceforward thousands of people of Ashgabat can spend their free time there admiring fresh air and gentle murmur of the river.
Among the rest of truly fascinating news items at the government’s website is an update on the Karakum lake project.
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Nathan Hamm – author of 2040 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan founded Registan.net in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural factors shape risks and opportunities. Follow him on Twitter or drop him a line.
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Well, I’m a big fan of Turkmenbashi. The man has vision and gets thing done He sees a problem — lack of concrete river — and tackles it.
It’s great to see a nation that has solved its fundamental economic and social problems not resting on its laurels but building ice palaces and rivers and lakes in the desert! I’m going to suggest building a desert in the middle of the Caspian to balance things out.
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be drinking Gatorade over water any day.
http://www.gatorade.com/products/frost/
That is the strangest water color I have ever seen.
Actually, I’ve seen that color of water before. Back when I lived in Philly, someone put a dye in the fountains around city hall. The city freaked out, said they were going to find and punish whoever did it, yada yada yada. Everyone loved it though, so they did track the guy down and hire him to color the water for special occasions — green for the eagles, pink for breast cancer awareness, etc.
Seems that Turkmenbashi gave him a better offer than Philidelphia could.