Limited Supplies

Map of Tajikistan taken from http://www.tjus.org/

It seems rather ironic that a country amidst a wealth of fuel would find it necessary to limit energy use for the general population. According to the CIA factbook Tajikistan has one of the lowest GDP rates of the fifteen former Soviet countries. In 2006 unemployment rates hit 12% and 64% of the population lives below poverty.

Among it's many natural resources, natural gas supplies are limited. In 2004 Tajikistan produced 39 million cubic meters of gas, but consumed 1.389 billion cubic meters. With energy prices soaring as they have, you can imagine the costs to import gas for daily operations. https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ti.html

Because Tajikistan's primary gas distributor, Tajikgaz, gets its gas from Uzbekistan--who has apparently doubled the price of gas. Because they owe Uzbekistan approximately $3 million, and Tajikgaz has only received payment for 40% of the gas they have supplied to the state (both industrial and residential), they have decided to limit the hours of the day in which gas will be available. Tajikgaz Director, Shakvat Shoimav, will be limiting gas availability, for households, to only SIX hours per day until a solution to the debt is found. http://www.caucaz.com/home_eng/depeches.php?idp=1497

These measures may seem extremely harsh, but at the same time--at least they have not entirely shut off the gas to the consumers who have been unable to pay. while the hours of the day in which people are able to use gas is limited, they are still able to cook, do laundry, use heat and take warm showers (assuming people in Tajikistan take hot showers).